Plantar fasciitis is a common condition in runners and other athletes. It is characterized by pain at the bottom of the foot, particularly in the heel. Both stretching and strengthening exercises can help prevent and alleviate the inflammation and irritation characteristic of the foot condition.
Anatomy
The plantar fascia is a ligament located at the bottom of your feet. It connects your heel to the balls of your foot and helps to support your arch by absorbing the stresses caused when walking and running. It can become irritated and swollen with a lot of stress, perhaps as a result of obesity, calf muscle tightness or repetitive overuse from activities like running.
Benefits of Exercise
Strengthening exercises can help prevent plantar fasciitis from occurring, because the movements better prepare the ligament to handle stress from walking and running. Once the ligament becomes irritated, however, strengthening exercises might irritate it even further. Once the plantar fasciitis becomes inflamed, stretching exercises can alleviate calf tightness and help treatment and recovery.
Strengthening Exercises
Exercises to strengthen the plantar fascia and the entire foot structure include toe walking, toe grasping and calf raises. For toe walking, stand tall without shoes on. Rise up on your toes and take slow, small steps. Walk for 20 yards and then rest for a short period before completing subsequent sets. To practice toe grasping, once again stand tall without any shoes on. Alternating between feet, curl your toes under your feet, imagining that you are grabbing something tightly with your toes. Complete 25 repetitions on each foot. Do toe raises by standing on the edge of a box or step with your heels hanging over the edge. Lower your heels down toward the floor and then rise up onto your toes.
Stretching Exercises
Stretching exercises can help prevent plantar fasciitis from occurring by keeping your calf muscles from becoming tight. Stretching can also help during a case of plantar fasciitis by alleviating discomfort. To complete a calf stretch, stand in front of a wall and place your hands against it at shoulder height with one foot in front of the other and toes pointed straight ahead. Lean forward, keeping both heels on the floor until you feel a slight stretch in the calf muscle of the back foot. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side. To complete the plantar fascia stretch, sit on a chair and cross one foot over the knee of your other leg. Grab your toes and pull them toward you until you feel a slight stretch at the bottom of your foot. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat with the other foot.
