Relieving Pain Caused by Plantar Fasciitis

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Plantar Fasciitis is a common foot condition that causes your plantar fascia (the connective tissue that runs between your toes and heel) to become inflamed and irritated. This results in severe heel pain. In order to avoid this common foot issue, it’s important to learn more about who it impacts, how to deal with pain and exercises to provide pain relief.

Who should worry about Plantar Fasciitis?

Although anyone from young children to the elderly can develop this foot condition, plantar fasciitis appears to be more common in women who are either pregnant or overweight. This is due to the fact that the muscles in your feet would have to support more weight than normal. Other groups that can develop plantar fasciitis are active women, specifically those who participate in repetitive physical sports (e.g. running) as these sports can agitate your plantar fascia and increase the chance of developing this issue. Lastly, women aged between 40-70 are also at risk of developing this issue.

Tips for Dealing with Pain

Now that we know who are those that can be impacted, here are our tips do help you deal with plantar fasciitis the next time it flares up:

  1. Sit Down and Rest: this is the first thing you should do as sitting down takes the pressure off your plantar fascia. While sitting down, it is important to keep your foot elevated to increase the blood flow and reduce the swelling.

  2. Purchase a Pair of Custom Orthotics: Custom Orthotics are extremely beneficial for people that suffer from plantar fasciitis as it can improve the wearer’s pronation control. Orthotics can help reduce overall impact during physical activity (eg. walking, running, playing sports), minimize pain around the leg, back and neck, and reduce pain caused by foot deformities (eg. bunions, hammertoe, etc.). Wearing orthotics can help prevent foot conditions like plantar fasciitis from getting worse as it can help reduce muscle imbalances in the feet and lower body.

  3. Take Action and Be Prepared: Since your plantar faciitis can flare up at any moment, here are our recommendations to make your foot pain more manageable:

    1. Ice your foot: this is a quick and easy method to relieve and address swelling. If you’ve experienced a flare up in the past, we would recommend keeping an ice pack with you to give you quick access.

    2. take pain medication: Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication can help provide temporary pain relief so we would recommend keeping medication with you either in your vehicle or office.


Pain-Relieving Exercises

In order for your plantar fa to heal correctly, you should start doing exercises that can prevent your foot issue from getting worse. Here are some easy exercises to follow:

  1. Towel Stretch: This simple exercise helps strengthen the muscles in your feet without straining the rest of your body. Here are our step by step instructions:

    1. Find a sturdy wall and place your hands on it (at approximately eye-level)

      1. While your hands are on the wall, take one step back with the compromised foot

      2. Stretch your front leg inwards while bending your other knee (remember to keep your back heel on the floor during this step)

      3. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds

      4. Repeat the exercise two to four times per day

  2. Tennis Ball Roll: rolling a ball under your foot will apply pressure to the plantar fascia as this method massages the tissues and muscles in the bottom of your foot. Here is the step by step process:

    1. Place a tennis ball on a hard surface (preferably carpet)

    2. Without applying too much pressure, step on the tennis ball (if you have poor balance, you can use a chair or table for support)

    3. Roll the tennis ball around the affected area for 15 to 30 seconds at a time

    4. Repeat this motion two to four times, then repeat the entire process twice more throughout the day

  3. Marble Pick Up: This exercise works the muscles in your toes and upper portion of your feet. Here are our step by step recommendations:

    1. Place a small pile of marbles on a hard surface

    2. While sitting on a chair, pick up the marbles with your affected toes

    3. Repeat the process two to four times per day

If you’ve recently developed or suspect that you may have developed plantar fasciitis, we would recommend speaking with a podiatrist or foot health professional today. Click here to set up an appointment with our team at River Podiatry.  


Jungwoo Han