Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain that affects millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot, known as the plantar fascia, becomes inflamed.
The primary symptom of plantar fasciitis is a stabbing pain in the bottom of the foot near the heel. This pain is usually worse in the morning when you take your first steps or after long periods of sitting or standing. The pain may decrease with activity but can return after prolonged periods of rest.
The Importance of Stretching/ Plantar Fasciitis Exercises
Here’s why:
- Reduces Tension: Stretching helps to relieve the tension and stress on the plantar fascia, reducing inflammation and pain.Improves
- Flexibility: Keeping the plantar fascia and surrounding muscles flexible helps to prevent the recurrence of plantar fasciitis.
- Enhances Blood Flow: Stretching increases blood circulation to the affected area, promoting healing.
- Strengthens Muscles: Stretching can also help to strengthen the muscles in your feet and lower legs, providing better support for the plantar fascia.
Our Top 5 Plantar Fasciitis Stretches
Incorporating these five stretches for plantar fasciitis into your daily routine can help alleviate the pain of plantar fasciitis and prevent it from returning.
1. Calf Stretch
How to Do It:
- Stand facing a wall with your hands placed on the wall at shoulder height.
- Step one foot back, keeping it straight with the heel on the ground.
- Bend your front knee and lean forward until you feel a stretch in the calf of your back leg.
- Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
- Repeat 3 times on each side.
Why It Helps:
Tight calf muscles can increase tension on the plantar fascia. Stretching the calves helps to reduce this tension and alleviate pain.
2. Belt Stretch
How to Do It:
- Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you.
- Place a belt (towels work great too) around the ball of one foot.
- Hold the ends of the towel and gently pull the towel towards you, keeping your knee straight.
- Hold for 30 seconds, then switch feet.
- Repeat 3 times on each side.
Why It Helps:
The belt (or towel) stretch helps to stretch both the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon, which can help reduce heel pain.
3. Toe Stretch
How to Do It:
- Grasp your toes and gently pull them back towards your shin until you feel a stretch in the arch of your foot.
- Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds.
- Repeat 3 times on each foot.
Why It Helps:
This stretch focuses on the toes and the bottom of the foot, helping to relieve tension in the plantar fascia.
4. Hamstring Stretch
How to Do It:
- Sit on the floor with one leg extended straight in front of you and the other leg bent, with the sole of your foot resting against the inner thigh of your extended leg.
- Keeping your back straight, reach forward toward the toes of your extended leg.
- Try to touch your toes, or if you can't reach them, grab your ankle or shin.
- Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat.
- Perform 3 repetitions on each side.
Why It Helps:
Tight hamstrings can contribute to lower back and leg tension, which can indirectly affect the plantar fascia. By stretching the hamstrings, you relieve some of the overall strain on your lower body, which can help reduce the stress on your feet and support the healing of plantar fasciitis.
5. Using Orthotic Inserts
How to Do It:
- Purchase a pair of orthotic inserts specifically designed for plantar fasciitis.
- Avoid products that are just cushioned foam or squishy gel, these will likely not help.
- Obtain a quality pair of shoes (preferably running shoes) with a removable insole.
- Place the orthotic inserts into your shoes following the directions carefully.
- Wear your shoes with the orthotic inserts throughout the day, especially during activities that involve standing or walking for extended periods.
Why It Helps:
Using orthotics helps maintain the limberness of your tendons and muscles following the other stretches by keeping your feet in proper alignment and reducing unnatural stress. By incorporating orthotic inserts into your daily routine, you can enhance the benefits of your stretching exercises.
Incorporating orthotic inserts not only aids in relief of plantar fasciitis but also supports long-term recovery and prevention, making it a valuable addition to your plantar fasciitis management plan.
Don't waste your time and energy on stretching without using a quality pair of orthotic arch supports to maintain your hard work in between stretching sessions.
Top 3 Plantar Fasciitis Inserts for 2024
🏆 "Our 2024 Top Pick" 🏆
#1- Samurai Insoles Ninjas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why are Samurai Insoles Ninjas our top pick for 2024 for plantar fasciitis?
✔️ Great Reviews: "They work", "Amazing", "A Miracle", "A must have"; this is just some of the tremendous feedback Samurai Insoles Ninjas are getting from customers with plantar fasciitis recently.
✔️ Design: Samurai Insoles Ninjas are one of the few products on the market that are an ACTUAL ORTHOTIC that is not super rigid. This gives your feet the support they need to comfortably relieve plantar fasciitis.
They also can be worn in ANY shoe with a removable insole, giving you the flexibility of using them in many types of shoes! And the best part?
Because they aren't an insole made of foam and fabric, they last SO LONG!
There isn't anything to wear out, just put them under the factory insoles of a new pair of shoes and you're good to go.
✔️ Price: At $39.99 these are an absolute steal! (Edit: It looks like these are currently on sale on Amazon for $29.99)
Custom orthotics for plantar fasciitis can easily cost more than $500. For less than 1/10 the price, these are nearly as good.
✔️ Greater than 30 Day Return Policy: Samurai Insoles Ninjas have a 60 day return policy, and a one year warranty!
No other product (that we're aware of) even comes CLOSE to a one year warranty.
Samurai Insoles will even accept a return if you've worn them for 59 days and then decide they don't work for you. Wow!
✔️ Made in the USA: Samurai Insoles are made in an orthotic lab in the USA.
The fact that an American made orthotic can be purchased for under $40 still amazes us.
Here is the founder of Samurai Insoles demonstrating:
#2- Protalus Insoles ⭐⭐⭐⭐
#3- Superfeet GREEN Insoles ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Superfeet have been around a LONG time. They got their start being sold in retail sporting goods stores, and have transitioned to selling online in recent years, but this has presented the company with some challenges.
❌ Great Reviews: When looking through the reviews for Superfeet you'll surely find many who have been helped by the GREEN insole line. Unfortunately, they have apparently had issues with cheap knock offs sneaking their way onto Amazon and Ebay, which has led to many complaints by customers that they have received fakes when buying online.
✔️ Design: If you've checked out the Protalus design, just know that the Superfeet did it first. They were one of the first to incorporate an orthotic plastic layer on the outside of the insole. Once again, this does the job, but it also makes them thicker than the Samurai, reducing the choices of shoes they'll fit well in.
✔️ Price: Superfeet retail for $49.99, that's getting into the pricey range.
✔️ Greater than 30 Day Return Policy: Superfeet GREEN has a 60 day return policy.
❌ Made in the USA: Superfeet are not made in the USA unfortunately. Once again, for this price we had hoped they would be.
Whichever you choose to fight your plantar fasciitis pain, choose now!
The longer you allow plantar fasciitis pain to linger, the harder it is to get rid of, and the longer it will take!
We, Samurai Wellness, LLC, are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Samurai Insoles are branded products made by our company, Samurai Wellness, LLC, but we truly believe that our products are the best on the market! It is important to know that our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
