The warrior Achilles is said to have had one area of weakness, in his heel. If you have heel pain, you may sympathize. Pain when standing, walking or even sitting can limit your activity and make you miserable. A number of conditions cause heel pain, including tendonitis, plantar fasciitis or a bruise. Exercises can help stretch ligaments and tendons and relieve pain in some cases. If your pain doesn't respond to exercise or worsens, consult your doctor.
Heel Raises
Stand flat footed on the floor and slowly rise up on your toes. Slowly lower yourself until you are flat-footed once more. This exercise stretches the muscles in your shins and calves. For a variation of this exercise, stand on a step with your heels extended off the step behind you. Lower your heels an inch or two, until you feel a stretch. Hold for a few seconds, then bring your feet back to level. Hold onto the stair railing to help you keep your balance.
Toe Curls
Stand flat footed. Curl up your toes and hold for the count of five. This stretches the tendons in your feet. For a variation, try to lift your toes one at a time, then lower them one at a time. You can also slip an elastic exercise band beneath the ball of your foot, grasp the ends and use this to pull up on your toes. Another way to exercise the muscles in your feet is to practice picking up items with your toes. Start with something large and easy to grasp, like a towel, and progress to smaller items, even coins.
Extensions
Sit with your legs in front of you, feet together, toes pointing up. Slowly roll your feet outward, away from each other. This stretches the tendons that connect your ankles and calves. To increase the difficulty of this exercise, slip a large rubber band, such as the kind used to keep stalks of broccoli together, over your big toes. Now roll your feet apart, with the rubber band providing resistance. Separate your feet by a foot or so and roll them toward each other to stretch in the other direction.
Simple Stretches
Stand 2 feet from a wall. Lean forward and press your forearms flat against the wall. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Hold for a few seconds, then straighten. Repeat. This stretches your Achilles tendon. This is a good exercise to do as a warm up before a walk or run.
