Plantar Fasciitis

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Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

Along with how to treat plantar fasciitis, it seems that there is a lot of information that's out there regarding exercises and stretches to help heal the problem. Stretching has gained a bad name when it comes to healing. It is very important for people to respect their pain and listen to their body, but too many people ignore the warning signs and push themselves too hard, causing the injury to worsen and not heal properly.

When stretching or doing any form of exercise--if pain is felt--it's not a good thing. Pain is a way for your body to tell you that something is wrong. Ignoring the pain or fighting through it because your doctor or physical therapist says to do so, is not okay. If you have a doctor or physical therapist that is recommending that you fight through the pain, then you should find one that respects pain for what it is. It is never okay for someone to fight through the pain, this will only set you further behind in your recovery process.

Heel pain can be caused by stress placed on the plantar fascia ligament when it is stretched irregularily, which can cause small tears and inflammation often causing great amounts of pain. Stretching exercises that help strengthen the surrounding muscles will help protect the plantar fascia ligament, in turn reducing the stress on the arch of your foot. Exercises for plantar fasciitis may be especially helpful for reducing heel pain when you first get out of bed.

Below is a full list of all the different treatment modalities and which ones we believe will help, and which will not.


THE DO'S
Warm Ups
Figure 1 - "Prevent injury by stretching before sports"

Warm-Ups

Warming up and stretching before sports may make the ankle more limber and decrease the chance of injury. Ligaments are not commonly flexible parts of our body but injury can be greatly reduced if the muscles surrounding it are warmed up and ready for action.

Ankle Rolls
Figure 2 - "Ankle rolls warm up all muscles connected to the foot"

Ankle Rolls

Ankle rolls can be very effective when suffering from plantar fasciitis. This will not help with the healing of the ligament per-say, but will help "warm-up" the surrounding muscles and ligaments making the first couple steps of the day a little less painful. Keep in mind though that pain is a sign of re-injury and it is highly recommended to help heal plantar fasciitis as quickly as possible, that you completely immobilize the affected foot.

Towel Scrunch
Figure 3 - "Pick up a towel with your toes to keep foot muscles limber"

Towel Scrunch

Towel scrunches are a good way to test and see how well you are healing. The concept is to lay a towel on the floor, place your foot on top of it and draw the towel towards you by scrunching your toes. This is a great way to build up the foot's individual muscles, and isn't very labour intensive so if it starts to hurt remember to stop. Pain is always a sign of re-injury.

Marble Pick Ups
Figure 4 - "Picking up marbles with your toes is a great way to exercise your mind and muscles"

Marble Pick-ups

Marble pick ups are another fun way to work on the muscles in your foot. Using the same concept as the towel scrunch your objective is to pick up the marbles using your toes. Remember that pain is a sign of re-injury.

Single Leg Standing
Figure 5 - "Single leg standing can cause injury if not healed properly. It's a great core exercise but be cautious"

Single Leg Standing

Single leg standing is an exercise that if done correctly can help strengthen the core, but if done incorrectly can cause a lot of unnecessary pain. Standing on one leg will force balance and the proper structure of your foot so you don't fall. It is recommended that if you attempt this; make sure that the injury isn't brand new. To be extra safe, you should make sure that you have a table beside you in case you lose your balance. Losing your balance with this exercise can cause injury, so be careful with this one and use it at your own discretion.

Pain Relievers
Figure - "Don't forget your injured when using pain relievers"

Pain Relievers

Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory pills are often recommended during the course of strenuous activity, but should not be taken unless the day's tasks have been completed. Being mobile while taking pain relievers can only cause further injury, as the pain receptors are blocked and injury won't be felt until the effects of the drugs have worn off.

THE DO NOT'S
Towel Stretches
Figure 1 - "Too much stress on the plantar fascia"

Towel Stretches

Towel stretches shouldn't be done. Pulling back on the foot puts way too much stress on the plantar fascia and will cause further injury. Because this is a stretch that can set back all progress it is not recommended as an effective means of stretching or exercising. It is worth mentioning that the plantar fascia is not a weight bearing ligament and any pressure that is applied to it is unnatural and runs the risk of injuring yourself further.

Night Splints
Figure 2 - "Using night splints will cause long term problems"

Night Splints

Night splints are recommended so often to people who suffer from plantar fasciitis. It is not really understood why doctors continue to recommend this treatment modality, but from all of the evidence that has been given about plantar fasciitis and what it is, night splints are some of the worst things someone can do for themselves. Keeping the plantar fascia in a full stretched position doesn't allow the ligament to heal properly--thus keeping yourself in pain--and not allowing your body to help heal yourself. With the plantar fascia being permanently stretched opens the door to a whole bunch of new problems, even if your plantar fascia does eventually heal elongated, your gait and posture will be affected and you will start to develop flat feet, among other issues.

Calf Stretches
Figure 3 - "Don't start stretching before your feet are ready"

Calf Stretches

Calf stretches are another recommended treatment for plantar fasciitis. The problem with a lot of stretches, including this one, is that if you start stretching it too soon, it is very easy to re-injure the plantar fascia. While the thought is correct, to stretch the calf muscle and therefore taking the pressure off the Achilles tendon and hopefully lessening the stress on the plantar fascia, it is still not recommended that this is done unless you're sure that the injury has almost healed, or that you are very careful not to over-stretch the calf as that motion puts strain on the plantar fascia.

Step Stretches
Figure 4 - "Bad! Putting pressure directly on the arch of the foot will cause further injury"

Step Stretches

Step stretches should not be done! Directly stretching and putting that much pressure on the plantar fascia will cause injury! When plantar fasciitis is occuring it is noted that you should be very careful walking up, stairs making sure that your whole foot is planted on the step and not letting your heel hang off the edge. This is to relieve pressure on the plantar fascia. This stretch will definitely put you back to the very beginning of the healing process.

Ball Stretching
Figure 5 - "Don't hinder your healing efforts. Step away from the ball!"

Ball Stretching

Ball stretching is another treatment method that will hinder your healing efforts. If you remember talking about the treatment page where the plantar fascia is like a bow. The string does not need any inward pressure to perform properly. This exercise is asking you to do just that and any treatment method that suggests upward pressure onto the plantar fascia is not recommended and shouldn't be done.

Toe Stretches
Figure 6 - "It's not natural for your toes to bend up that far, don't push it"

Toe Stretches

Toe strethes are another great way to tear your plantar fascia further. While these types of stretches may feel good, it's because the stretching is pulling the plantar fascia as far as it can go. When the stretch is released, the tightness is gone. This doesn't mean the pain and injury is gone, it means the fascia is overstretched, and will start to heal itself and contract to where it is supposed to be the next time the foot is rested.

Heel Raises
Figure 7 - "Standing on your toes stretching your plantar fascia. You don't want to do this"

Heel Raises

Heel rasises should not be attempted, again because the weight distribution on your feet is to be 50% on the metatarsals and 50% on the heel of the foot, with the arch (plantar fascia) receiving none of the weight load. Doing this stretch will move all of the weight to the metatarsals, causing excessive strain onto your already injured plantar fascia. The same concept applies for tip toe walking. This is the same thing as the heel raises, just with a different name. This is throwing the weight balance of the foot all to the metatarsals and should not be attempted if you're planning on healing your plantar fasciitis.

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