1. Massage the Top of Your Foot
Having a sports medicine professional or physical therapist massage the top of your foot can help reduce pain caused by plantar fasciitis. This type of massage may be difficult to perform on yourself, so you may want to have your spouse or a close friend learn the technique. Hold onto your foot, placing your fingers on the sole and your thumbs on top, just below the spot where your toes join the rest of your foot. Firmly move your thumbs outward. The goal of this type of massage is to spread the metatarsal (toe) bones.
2. Massage the Sole of Your Foot
A petrissage massage on the sole of your foot stretches the plantar fascia and arch ligaments. In this type of treatment, a massage therapist starts at the heel and works his way up to the ball of your foot using his thumbs. The thumbs should be pointing toward each other, like an inverted letter V.
3. Cross Friction Heel Massage
A cross friction heel massage can be beneficial when done for very short periods of time so as not to cause more pain to your foot. This type of treatment usually lasts from 2 to 5 minutes. The sports trainer or physical therapist massages the deep tissues of your heel with her thumbs, starting in the middle of your foot and working outward. She may also do a circular massage in certain spots where she feels knots in the plantar fascia.
4. Self-Treat With Rolling Exercises
If you're having pain between massage therapy appointments or you haven't yet tried physical therapy as a treatment, you can self-treat your symptoms at home. Roll a tennis ball, golf ball, can of soup or frozen can of juice under your foot. This exercise stretches the fascia but also produces the same kind of acupressure you would get from a massage. Start your rolling exercises while sitting and gradually work your way up to a standing position for a more intense stretch.
