The heel, the rounded rear portion of your foot, absorbs the weight of your entire body. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, for every mile you walk, each foot absorbs an astounding 60 tons of stress. While your feet can handle heavy loads, standing, walking, playing sports and wearing inappropriate shoes can lead to aching, sore heels. After consulting your physician, begin stretching and strengthening exercises to increase flexibility and help relieve heel pain and fatigue.
Tennis Ball Pump
Alleviate aching heels by performing a simple pumping exercise with tennis balls. Sit on a bench and place a tennis ball under the heel of both feet. Leaning your trunk forward, place your forearms on your knees. Use your body weight to create resistance while pumping your heels up and down on the tennis balls for 40 to 60 seconds. For a more challenging variation, stand with a tennis ball under the heel of each foot. Inhale and shift your body weight from your right foot to your left foot. Exhale and shift your weight again. Continue to shift weight from one foot to the other while rolling the tennis ball to a new area of your foot with each shift.
Wall Stretch
The single plantar flexor, or wall stretch, works to alleviate stress placed on the heel by stretching your calves and ankles. The stretch also aids in decreasing the risk of developing heel spurs, abnormal growths of the heel bone that often cause severe pain. Stand 18 inches to 2 feet away from a wall. Bracing your hands against the wall and keeping your left foot in place, move your left foot 12 inches behind your right foot. Keep your left heel firmly planted on the floor. Bend your right knee slightly and lean your chest against the wall. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
Step Stretch
You can also relieve heel spur pain by performing the step stretch, or plantar flexor, and foot inverter stretch. Stand upright on a step with the center of your right foot on the edge. Tilt your right foot on its inner side and bend your right knee slightly. Hold on to the wall or stair rail for support. While keeping your foot tilted, lower your right heel as far as you can. Hold the stretch for 10 seconds and repeat on the opposite foot.
Heel Lift
Climbing stairs, uphill running and regular wearing of high-heeled shoes can cause strain on your Achilles tendons, resulting in heel pain. Heel lifts work to release tension in your tendons and relieve pain. Sit on a bench and place a small block of wood under each foot. Keeping the balls of your feet on the blocks of wood, raise your heels and hold the stretch for a count of 10. Lower your heels, hold for 10 seconds and repeat 10 times.
References
- Evolution Health: Fix Your Feet Balls
- "Heel Your Knees"; Robert Klapper, M.D., et al.; 2004
- Heel-That-Pain: Heel Spur Exercises
- Heel-Spur-Treatment: Heel Spur Treatment Options
- Dynamic Chiropractic: Rehabilitation of the Achilles Tendon
- American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons: Heel Pain
