1. Running Yourself Down
Plantar fasciitis has a way of sneaking up on people who have never had a symptom similar to the sharp, striking foot pain that springs from the heel. You can wake up in the morning, put your foot on the ground and find that, somehow, your foot turned into a pain festival overnight. As an overuse injury common to people who are either doing a lot of a given sport or are returning to physical activity after a long break, plantar fasciitis affects millions of people each year in the U.S. alone.
2. Nature's Medicine
After years of prescribing pain medications, experimenting with orthopedic shoe inserts and even using physical therapy to treat foot pain, doctors and scientists have recently discovered that one of the most effective ways of ridding yourself of plantar fasciitis is a very simple foot stretch. Sit on a chair with one leg crossed over the other. Reach over and grab the foot of your crossed leg by the base of your toes. Pull your toes back at the base and hold it for a few seconds. Do the stretch daily, 10 times on each side.
3. Tennis Anyone?
If you find that the plantar fasciitis stretch is simply not enough for your tough plantar fascia (the tissue that runs from the heel of your foot to your toes), then one of the most sure-fire stretches for the area is done with nothing more than a tennis ball. Place the ball on the ground and, from heel to toe, roll the ball under your foot. Place as much pressure on the rolling foot as possible and try to roll out all areas of your sole. Test the effectiveness of the tennis ball stretch by trying to touch your toes before and after you do the plantar tennis ball stretch.
4. A Medical Massage
Massage has a positive impact on virtually every part of the body, and the plantar fascia is no exception. While a foot massage from your "honey" might feel good, you need a professional massage therapist who has a background in sports massage to correctly treat plantar fasciitis with massage. You'd be wise not to refuse a full body massage while you're at it--since you're already there.
5. Ice, Ice Baby
When it comes to sports or use related injury, there's just about nothing that ice can't treat. If you get to your wits end with heel pain, keep a cool head since there is another option. Freeze a small bottle of water. Then gently roll the bottom of your foot over the frozen bottle after you do exercise or even simply walk. The ice and rolling motion help stretch the plantar fascia while keeping swelling and pain to a minimum.
