1. Stretch Before Getting Out of Bed
The plantar fascia is a band of tissue that runs along the base of your foot and can cause pain in your heel when it's inflamed, especially after a long night's sleep. There are a couple of exercises that you can do for plantar fasciitis before you even get out of bed in the morning. Sit up in bed and, without bending your knees, reach for your feet. This stretches your calf muscles and Achilles tendon and can help reduce pain from plantar fasciitis. After stretching out your lower legs, gently flex your foot back and forth several times to loosen up the fascia. An alternate way to perform the foot flex is to put a rolled up towel under your foot. Holding one end of the towel in each hand, gently pull upward. You should feel a little pulling sensation when you are doing these exercises correctly, but no pain.
2. Do Stretching Exercises Daily
To reduce your pain, do stretching exercises as part of a daily routine, especially if you are a runner who has heel pain associated with plantar fasciitis. Stretch your calves up to three to four times a day to keep them loose if you have recurring pain. Using a wall for support, put one leg in front of the other, about a stride apart. Keep your heels on the floor and bend the knee of your front leg until you feel a slight pulling or stretching in the calf of your back leg. Hold the stretching position for at least 15 seconds, slowly working your way up to 30 seconds.
Rolling exercises can do double duty as a mini massage for people with plantar fasciitis. Use a can of soup or a can of frozen juice for this stretch. Put the can under your foot and simply roll it back and forth with your foot to stretch out your plantar fascia. Start by sitting for this stretch. Eventually you should be able to do the rolling exercise while standing.
3. Strengthen Your Foot Muscles
Strengthening your foot muscles can help ease the pain of plantar fasciitis. Put a towel on the floor and rest your foot on top of it. Scrunch up the towel with your toes and move the towel toward you. Then reverse the motion and use your toes to move the towel away from you. Another version of this exercise can be done by picking up marbles with your toes.
