Best Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis | Blog | Loyola Medicine (2024)

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Best Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis | Blog | Loyola Medicine? ›

Elliptical exercise is an ideal cross-training method to stay in shape while resting your feet to avoid re-injury while you recover from plantar fasciitis. The elliptical allows your feet to remain in place while your leg muscles do all the work.

Elliptical exercise is an ideal cross-training method to stay in shape while resting your feet to avoid re-injury while you recover from plantar fasciitis. The elliptical allows your feet to remain in place while your leg muscles do all the work.

Far from being a permanent or chronic condition, plantar fasciitis typically responds well to treatment. Most people recover completely with a few months of conservative treatment. And, you have lots of options available to you. Many cases of plantar fasciitis respond positively to conservative treatment strategies.

Most people who have plantar fasciitis recover in several months with conservative treatment, such as icing the painful area, stretching, and modifying or staying away from activities that cause pain.

High Impact Exercises

High-impact exercises, such as running on hard surfaces, can worsen plantar fasciitis by subjecting the inflamed tissues to excessive stress and strain. The repeated impact and pressure on the heel during activities like running may intensify inflammation and contribute to prolonged discomfort.

Number One: Ball Smash

Roll the ball back and forth from the back, at the heel, to the front of your foot. As you roll, make sure to contract and relax the calf muscle - this helps to loosen the tissues in the plantar fascia and break up any scar tissue that may have developed, causing tightness in the foot.

Research shows that both strengthening and stretching exercise programs, including stretching the Achilles tendon, can significantly reduce pain and improve walking in people with plantar fasciitis.

Applying ice to the injured tissue, massaging the area, or using a combination of both approaches 2 to 3 times daily for 5 to 10 minutes at a time can help to treat plantar fasciitis. Rolling the bottom of your foot on a plastic ball covered in soft spikes is an easy form of massage your doctor may recommend.

One of the main reasons why plantar fasciitis takes so long to heal is because the plantar fascia is subjected to a lot of stress and strain on a daily basis. The feet bear the weight of the entire body and are subjected to a lot of impact, particularly when we engage in activities such as walking, running, or jumping.

High-impact sports or activities – Like running and plyometrics, any exercise involving high impact on the feet can cause aggravated plantar fasciitis pain. Constant pounding of the grass or pavement, like in football or soccer can cause inflammation of the plantar fascia.

Should I walk more or less with plantar fasciitis? ›

In fact, walking may actually inflame the plantar fascia more, leading to an extension of your treatment. While it's not walking alone that could further inflame the ligament, if you're not wearing the right shoes or are exerting yourself too much, the plantar fasciitis can flare up.

You can walk as much as you want with plantar fasciitis. If it starts to hurt, you can stop—but you aren't damaging anything if you keep walking. In terms of footwear, the best shoes for plantar fasciitis are ones that fit correctly—both in length and width—and provide arch support.

Plantar Fascia Stretch on a Step

Step 2: Lower the heel of the affected foot down toward the floor until you feel a stretch in the calf and the arch of the foot. Step 3: Hold this stretch for 30 seconds. You can repeat this exercise four to six times a day.

Get lots of rest

Since plantar fasciitis pain is caused by irritation and inflammation, staying off your feet can be helpful in reducing both these problems, so pain is reduced too. Keep your feet elevated while you rest and limit your exercise to low-impact activities like cycling or swimming.

Rest your foot as much as possible, avoid running, excessive walking and long periods of standing. However do perform the specific exercises below at least twice per day: 1. Stand facing a wall and step backwards with your injured leg.