Plantar Fasciitis: Self-Treatment

If you have plantar fasciitis, it is very painful and can last a long time (months-years), but the more you do the following, likely the sooner your foot pain will go away. Here are some of the components of a Physical Therapy treatment plan and home exercise program. If you do these consistently and aggressively, you may be able to avoid PT.

Rest: Avoid aggravating activities, such as excessive walking. Avoid jogging and any exercises that increase your foot pain. If you want to exercise, try biking or swimming laps.

Motion Exercises: Move your ankles around (up/down, side to side, circles) whenever you are sitting or lying down, especially just before you stand up (for example: before getting out of bed in the mornings). Or spell out the alphabet using your ankles/feet (spell each letter of the alphabet 1-2 times before standing up).

Calf/Achilles Stretching: Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds, and repeat 3-4 times. Do this several times throughout the day (3-5 or more times per day). The first 3 pictures show various ways to stretch the calf muscle (gastroc), so choose at least 1-2 of these. The fourth picture is a soleus stretch (lower part of calf) which is also important. The last photo is a plantar fascia stretch which is easy to perform anywhere in the sitting position.

Photo: foothealth.about.com

Photo: www.runwithholly.com

Photo: fitbie.msn.com

Photo: www.dailystoke.com

Photo: www.drwolgin.com

Deep Tissue Massage: Massage your heel and arch with very firm, deep pressure for 10-15 minutes, 1-2x/day.

Ice Massage: Rub an ice cube on your heel/arch for 5 minutes or until it becomes numb. Do this 1-2x/day.

Modification of shoewear: Modify your shoes if they aggravate your pain. Find the shoes that give the most relief. Ideally, stay off your feet as much as possible. It may be helpful to try various shoe inserts if you need additional arch support.

Which Is Better For Pain Relief: Ice Or Heat? Part 1

If you have a local area of pain (back, neck, shoulder, knee, etc), you may have tried some over-the-counter remedies, including ice and heat. But which one should you use?

1. Use ice to treat swelling. This is especially true for swelling in the lower body (knee, ankle, foot). Prop your leg up so that the affected body part is higher than your heart and put a bag of ice or frozen vegetables on it for 10-15 minutes at a time. Be sure to have 1 layer of cloth (such as a pillowcase) between the ice and your skin. Swelling in the leg will increase whenever you walk, so rest it as much as possible.

2. Use ice for an inflammatory problem, such as tendonitis (shoulder, knee, elbow, ankle, etc). Ice is more effective than heat for these conditions.

3. Use ice for pain control. It will help to numb the affected area in order to provide short-term pain relief.

4. Use ice if using heat for your painful area has not provided good pain relief.

5. Use ice if you have pain and are not sure whether to use ice or heat. Most people tend to use heating pads and have never tried ice to see if it is more effective for their pain.

6. Use ice for heel/arch pain related to plantar fasciitis.

7. Use ice to treat a new injury for the first several days or longer.

8. Use ice for your back pain. You may be surprised and find that it gives more relief than your heating pad.

To Be Continued!

Foot Pain from PLANTAR FASCIITIS

If you already have plantar fasciitis, here are some things you can do to help treat it. These things can also be done regularly to help prevent plantar fasciitis (foot pain in the arch and/or heel from inflammation of the plantar fascia).

1. Wear proper shoewear, especially when doing excessive walking, running or exercising.
2. Stretch your plantar fascia and calf frequently, especially before/after exercise.
3. Use ice or an ice pack for 5-10 minutes at least 1-2x/day.
4. Massage the arch/heel of your foot with deep pressure for 10-20 minutes at least 1x/day.
5. Avoid the activities that aggravate your pain (excessive walking/standing activities).
6. Move your ankles around a lot, especially upwards (toes up toward your nose). Do this when you are sitting or lying down, right before you stand up.
7. If you notice pain just starting, prevent it from getting worse by increasing the amount you do numbers 1-6.