6 Ways To Relieve Plantar Fasciitis

6 Ways To Help Relieve Plantar Fasciitis:

1. Invest In Flat Shoes
When suffering from heel pain one of the most important things to look at is your footwear! Why? Because you spend a large portion of your day in shoes.

If your shoes have a heel (even a 2 cm heel) they can contribute to your heel pain. The raised heel of a shoe basically has you standing on your toes which tightens your calf muscles, affects ankle movement and can contribute to heel pain. Invest in a pair of wide toed flat shoes.

2. Move Your Toes
Can you move your toes independently? If you can't, this is something that is good to practice. The muscles that move your toes aid in arch support, balance and foot stability. If they are not strong or responding well this can lead to issues of  the foot and heel.

3. Ball Massage
When suffering from heel pain the soft tissue in the foot and calves can be get a bit grumpy and need to be soothed. One of the best ways to cheer them up is with a ball massage.

Have a tennis ball ready next to your bed and let the first task of the day be a 5 minute massage of the bottom of your feet.
You can take it one step further and spend 10 minutes before bed ball massaging those tight calf muscles also. More supple calf muscles can equate to more ankle range of motion and less heel pain.

4. Keep Your Feet Straight
Take notice of how you walk and stand. Are your feet pointing straight ahead or do they turn out? If they turn out, make a conscious effort to walk and stand with your feet straight. This will make a big difference in helping to reduce your heel pain and preventing its reoccurance.

5. Go Barefoot
Your feet are full of tiny muscles and the only way to keep the muscles strong and healthy is to use them. Unfortunately, the majority of today's footwear do not allow us to use the muscles of our feet properly. So make an effort each day to spend a few extra minutes going barefoot.

6. Get Professional help
If you feel you have tried everything and the heel pain just won’t go away, then perhaps it is time to seek help from a professional that assesses and offers Plantar Fasciitis treatment in Port Macquarie on a regular basis.

To find out how we can help or to book a FREE 15 Minute foot assessment enquire today.

Related blog posts:

• Does Plantar Fasciitis Have You Limping?

• Pain Mangement 

Ryan Samuels, Dr TCM, Reg Acupuncturist