Plantar Fasciitis

What You Can Do About Heel Pain

Nancy Hausauer, LMP
706 Sixth Avenue * Tacoma, WA 98405 * 253-686-1214
Massage, lymphatic massage, and energy healing serving Tacoma, Seattle,
Federal Way, Puyallup, Lakewood, Olympia, and the Puget Sound region

By the time we're middle aged, many of us have experienced plantar fasciitis--pain and stiffness in our heel that's especially bad when we first get up in the morning or after we've been sitting for a long time. At best it's uncomfortable, and at worst it's disabling.

I've had it, and it's no fun. It made me feel old before my time--plus it hurt like the dickens. But, after trying various remedies with little improvement, I found an incredibly easy, no-cost solution that gave me relief in a very short time--and I'm going to share that solution with you!

Click here to skip directly to the single best thing that you can do to relieve and heal plantar fasciitis.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis involves inflammation and resulting pain in the thick band of connective tissue, called the plantar fascia, that runs lengthwise across the bottom (also called the plantar surface) of your foot, from heel bone to toes.

It usually causes a sharp, stabbing or burning pain in the arch of your foot, usually close to the heel. The pain is sometimes also felt behind the toes, and occasionally throughout most of the bottom of the foot. The pain is especially intense for the first few steps after you arise from bed in the morning, or after you've been sitting for a long time.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?
What initially causes plantar fasciitis is usually hard to trace, although there are some pre-disposing factors.

But what perpetuates it and makes it hard to heal is clear--and in many cases, fairly easy to remedy.

If you're interested, you can find out more about predisposing factors, the mechanics of the problem, and what perpetuates plantar fascitis here.

Can Massage Help Plantar Fasciitis?
Massage can help, though it should be just one part of a multi-pronged approach. (You'll have to take it seriously and do some home-care as well (read on for self-care techniques).)

Massage for heel pain should focus on the calves, and should include both general massage to relax and lengthen the muscles, and trigger point therapy (if trigger points are found). Cross-fiber friction to the plantar fascia might also be helpful. Massage to the thighs and hips is also in order.

The Single Best Piece of Advice for Plantar Fasciitis Relief

OK, here it is--the advice you've been waiting for!

Simply put a pair of shoes with 1 1/2 to 2 inch heels by your bedside. When you get out of bed (whether during the night or in the morning), put your feet immediately into those shoes. Don't take a single step without them. Leave them on as you walk around in the morning, until your feet have a chance to warm up. After a while, you can take them off and gingerly test to see if it hurts to step down on your feet. If it doesn't, you're good to go, with or without shoes. But if it does hurt, leave the shoes on (or switch to another pair with similar heels if you need to).

Continue with this practice until your heel pain goes away completely and you've totally forgotten about it. In the interim, practice some of the other tips that you'll find below (stretching, wearing good shoes, etc.)

The reason this works is that wearing a shoe with a moderate heel places your foot in the same position as it was while you were in bed--toe pointed slightly down. This keeps the calf muscles and heel fascia in a shortened position, so that it doesn't stretch and re-tear when you first step down on it. As the heel warms up, you can often switch to lower heels. (But be kind to your feet and wear moderate heels, with good arch support and shock absorption.)

Night Splints
Learn about the night splint, a simple device that you wear at night to keep your plantar fascia in a stretched position during the night. It's the same principle as wearing heeled shoes first thing in the morning, except in reverse.

Plantar Fasciitis Exercises and Stretches
Learn plantar fasciitis exercises and stretches for the calf muscle and arch of the foot. They are part of the overall program that you need to follow to heal and prevent further injury to your heel fascia.

Other Self-Care Advice for Plantar Fasciitis

• Ice: if your heels are acutely painful, hold a cloth-covered ice pack over the painful area for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times a day or after activity. Or if you're really determined to make a difference, perform ice massage on yourself, 2 minutes per session, approximately 10 (or more) times per day. Just give your foot time to warm up between sessions.
• Rest or reduce impact on your feet: decrease your mileage (if you're a runner), or take up a lower impact form of exercise such as swimming or cycling until you're better. The worse it is, the more likely you'll need to actually take some time off from your high-impact activity in order to heal.
• Add arch supports to your shoes: experiment with over-the-counter arch supports to take tension off the plantar fascia and cushion shock. I like Superfeet (green) orthotic, but you may have to experiment to find what works best for you.
• Replace worn-out athletic shoes; avoid high heels, thin soles, no-arch-support shoes. Throw out your flip flops.
• Morning warm-ups (and throughout the day): when you awake (and often throughout the day), repeatedly roll your ankles and flex and point your feet.
• Massage your own foot using a tennis ball. Just roll the tennis ball around with your foot, applying a pleasurable amount of pressure.