Plantar Fasciitis – Mobility/Strength

Now that your calf muscle is looser and you have been doing your stretches daily, we can add onto your routine to further decrease your pain and keep it away. Just like with any other body part, we have to lengthen the tissue that has the dysfunction. So here are two simple mobility exercises to perform.

Frozen Water Bottle Roll – 2 minutes

Start by freezing a plastic bottle, I like to use a Gatorade bottle because it has more texture and grooves. Once the bottle is frozen, take it out and place a towel on the floor. Sit and gently roll the bottle along the arch of your foot. Sitting allows you to control the amount of pressure you put throughout your foot. Roll from your heel to just below your toes. Roll the entire length of your foot. While rolling, you may find some sore spots along the way, you can concentrate on those areas by applying pressure on them and holding.

Tennis Ball Roll – 2 minutes

This is similar to the plastic bottle method, but you use a tennis ball or golf ball. Same concept, start by sitting. Place the tennis ball under your foot and begin to roll. You can also sit on the floor and put the tennis ball under your calf and roll that out as well.

Even though the foot doesn’t seem like it has muscles that would need to be strengthened, it does. The muscles in your foot are small, but have important roles. As you can see in the picture below, everything is woven together to give you the shape and functionality of your foot. If these structures are weak, everything has to work harder and work less inefficient.

Toe Crunches – 2 minutes

Start by sitting on a chair that allows your feet to touch the floor. Place a kitchen towel on the floor under your feet. Place your foot flat on the towel. Start by curling your toes, trying to scrunch the towel under your toes. Your goal is to be able to move the edge of the towel closer to you. Try to keep your heel down as best you can and only use your toes.

Toe Yoga – 20 each

You can either do this exercise sitting or standing. Start by keeping your foot flat on the floor. Next, you are going to try and lift your big toe only off the floor. Keep all other aspects of your foot down. Once you have mastered that, let your big toe rest. Next you will lift all 4 of your other toes, while keeping your big toe grounded.

Toe Pickup – 20 each

Find something around your house like marbles or lego pieces. If you don’t have either, you can get creative for what you use or you can simply use the kitchen towel again. The objective this time is to pick up the objects with your toes and then release them. Ideally, you will be picking up the objects off to the side and then releasing them on the other side.

Arch Cupping – 20 3-5 second holds

Start by sitting, foot flat on the floor. This exercise is very beneficial if done correctly. It doesn’t feel like you are doing much while performing this, but it is building the endurance of your arch muscles to build support. The motion is to try and curl your toes under, but without curling them. Pushing your toes into the ground in a sense, you should be feeling the muscle in the arch of your foot working.

Calf Raises – 10 each

There is a wide variety of calf raises that I am sure almost everyone has seen. Start off with traditional two footed calf raise. Stand at your counter and hold on if balance is an issue. Feet shoulder width apart. Begin by simply raising your heels off the ground and then slowly back down. Once this gets too easy, you can advance to one footed calf raises. Same setup just hold one foot off the ground. The next variation is more challenging. Start just like the traditional calf raise, except when you have your heels completely off the ground, slowly come down on one foot. Up on two and then hold one up and down on one, as seen in the second picture below.

Proper Footwear

Proper footwear is important in treating foot/ankle/lower leg issues. Having the right support for your feet is essential. There are many types of shoes advertised for walking, running, and CrossFit. How do you know what shoe is best? Many times, it is preference but, overall the shoe should fit comfortably, enough room for your toes, and have good support for the activity you are doing. Walking/Running/Standing – Hoka One https://www.hokaoneone.com

I love these shoes for standing extended periods of time and walking. I get the Bondi which has the most cushion. It is great for my 10 hour work days. Another reason why I love the Hoka’s is because it fits my high arch better than any other brand. They came highly recommended to me from a friend who is also in the healthcare industry. She also uses the Cliftons to run in, and thoroughly enjoys them. They have great support and cushion throughout the footbed. They also have trail running shoes, that I personally have not tried out. I recommend these shoes to many of my patients.

Walking/Running – Altra https://www.altrarunning.com

My husband loves this brand because it has a bigger toe box. It allows his toes to have plenty of room. They are another shoe that has great support throughout the foot. I have a pair of the Alta workout shoes, I love them. They provide the stability and support you need while lifting weights. They are a stiff shoe, so I would not recommended them for running or agility workouts.

Arch Support

Those are the two brands I know from experience and trust. There are many other brands out there that are great shoes as well. Asics, Saucony, Brooks, New Balance, and Nike to name a few. It doesn’t matter the brand just as long as your foot is supported. Make sure the arch of the shoe is touching your arch, if you have a high arch this can be challenging to find. If you have a flat arch, make sure the arch of the shoe is not too high to cause an increase in pain over time. You will still need a good arch support, but more of a mild/moderate one.

Sandals

My go to for sandals is Birkenstocks because of the great support you get from them. If you have ever tried a pair on, you might think they are uncomfortable. The first couple of days are uncomfortable because the shoes is meant to form to your foot and it has not found your shape yet. Once they form, you will never want to go back. Sandals that are flat and have no support at all, will not feel good on your feet long term. There are many other brands out there for supportive sandals as well, I am speaking on the brand that I know and trust. Ensure there is good support for your foot.

Just remember, if you are a runner, avid walking, or getting into working out, your shoes have an expiration date. The more used and worn out the shoe the higher the chance it can cause dysfunction in your foot, lower leg, knee, even into your hip and low back. Make sure you aren’t over wearing your shoes and allow yourself to cycle through a couple different pairs or buy new ones more often. It is hard to say exactly when to get new shoes, but your feet will let you know.

Disclaimer: I am in no way diagnosing anyone, if you have persistent pain you need to call your local physical therapist and schedule an appointment.