6 Exercises To Relieve The Painful And Annoying Symptoms Of Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis tends to appear when you are overweight or when you exert too much effort. To prevent it, you can practice a series of specific stretches and exercises.

Plantar fasciitis is one of the main causes of heel pain, which occurs when the band of tissue that supports the arch of the foot becomes irritated or inflamed.

Each year, more than two million people need treatment for plantar fasciitis, and many of them need to undergo different therapies in order to recover.

This problem causes severe pain in the heel.

If this can extend to the edges of the feet, the most normal is that the intensity of the pain decreases or disappears when you walk for a few minutes or if you do exercises with the affected foot.

What is plantar fascia?

The plantar fascia is a long, thin ligament that sits under the skin at the base of the foot.

It is a tendon-like tissue that connects with each of the bones that make up the small pad of the foot.

The ligament connects the heel with the frontal part and supports the arch of the foot so that it can perform the efforts when it has to support the weight of the body, with each movement.

However, when there is too much pressure, whether from being overweight or from prolonged exertion, the tissues are damaged and torn.

This then causes severe pain due to the inflammation and stiffness of the heel. This pain is known as plantar fasciitis.

Risk factors

Until now, research on this pain has not been able to identify a specific cause for the problem.

However, there are different factors that can increase the risk of suffering from this condition.

Suffer from overweight or obesity.
When the ankle muscles are tense and make it difficult to flex the foot, bringing it closer to the shin.
Have a very pronounced arch of the foot.
Carry out a repetitive impact activity (running or certain sports in particular).
Start a new activity of greater intensity than normal.

Symptoms

Pain is the general symptom of this condition. However, the following information can be taken into account:

Feel pain at the base of the foot near the heel.
Pain when getting up, or after a long period of rest.
Feeling severe pain after doing exercises or other activity that involves movement.

Exercises to relieve symptoms of plantar fasciitis

Exercise is one of the best therapies for reducing and preventing bothersome symptoms of plantar fasciitis, especially when they recur.

There are some easy stretches that can be done to strengthen the foot and combat this problem.

Exercise 1

Use a short step or straight platform and position yourself on the end with your toe and heels slightly elevated.
Lower the heel carefully without bending the knees, letting the toes rise naturally.
Straighten the foot for 30 seconds and return to the starting position.

Perform 10 repetitions of the exercise 3 times a day.

Exercise 2

Lean your hands on a wall, stretch out your arms and make sure that one of your legs is stretched straight forward.
Without lifting your heels off the floor, slide your body forward and tense your feet for 30 seconds to feel the stretch.

Perform 10 repetitions 3 times a day.

Exercise 3

Using a cold can or golf ball, put pressure on the tip of the foot and make small movements to relax it.

Perform 30 to 50 repetitions for the sole of the foot to release tension.

Exercise 4

Stretch the sole of the foot as much as you can and, using your hand, bend the toes back, especially the big toe.
Do the exercise with the knee bent first, then stretch it out.

Try to maintain tension for 30 seconds and do 10 repetitions 3 times a day.

Exercise 5

Stretch the sole of the foot, straightening the toes and with the fingertips of the hands, apply light pressure on the stretched plantar fascia, making circular movements.

Massage for a few minutes, until you feel the sole of your foot relax.

Exercise 6

Spread a towel on the floor and try to crumple it with your toes.
Hold the tension for 30 seconds and stretch the feet with a gentle motion to relax them.

Do 10 repetitions 3 times a day.