5 Things You Need to Know About Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis

1. A Pain in the Heel

The plantar fascia is a dense fibrous band of tissue that extends from the back of the foot to the toes. You can't see it, but if it becomes inflamed you will feel it. When your foot pronates, or turns in, and your arches begin to fall, your plantar fascia tries to stabilize your foot and can tear. The area that tears heals with scar tissue, which can easily become inflamed. The inflammation causes pain, especially in the area around the heel. This heel pain is usually most severe in the morning because your foot has not moved during the night. Most people have plantar fasciitis in one foot, but it can occur in both feet. There are a number of things that you can do to relieve the pain of plantar fasciitis.

2. Play With Your Towel

Do the towel exercise. Take a towel and lay it in front of you. Scrunch your toes around the towel. Without moving your leg, pull the towel toward you. Keep pulling more towel toward you until you've pulled the whole towel next to your foot. Then reverse the procedure and push it away from you with your toes.

3. Do a Little Foot Golfing

Take a golf ball and place it on the floor. Roll your foot gently over the ball, concentrating on painful areas around the heel. This will help to break up some of the scar tissue in the plantar fascia and will provide some relief. You can also purchase some items that look like little rolling pins that can be used in the same way, but a golf ball will work just fine.

4. Stretch Those Muscles

Sit down, bend your knee and flex your ankle toward you. Hold for a count of 10. Perform this exercise several times a day. Another exercise is the plantar fascia stretch. Stand up straight with your hands on a wall. Place the leg with the injured foot slightly behind the other leg. Slowly bend both knees, all the while keeping your heels on the floor. Hold for 15 seconds, and repeat six to eight times.

5. And Stretch Some More

Having tight hamstring muscles can also aggravate plantar fasciitis, so stretch them a couple of times a day. Toe raises will also help. Stand up straight--near a wall if you need to balance. Raise yourself up slowly on your toes, and then lower your heels to the floor. Repeat 10 times.