Self-Care Treatments for Plantar Fasciitis

Rest

One of the most effective things you can do if you have plantar fasciitis is to rest your foot. It is important to relieve stress and strain from your plantar fascia.

The R.I.C.E. method of treating acute musculoskeletal injuries is often used to treat plantar fasciitis. This is an acronym for rest, ice, compression, and elevation.

In recent years, a different and more proactive acronym to treat acute plantar fasciitis is the P.O.L.I.C.E method. This is an acronym for protection, optimal loading, ice, compression, and elevation.

The protection phase of healing is still first and foremost, and this requires that you rest your foot for a short time before starting any exercises. This protection phase of injury management usually lasts from three to five days.

Your physical therapist can help you during this phase of rest to help decide when it is time to start optimal loading, which involves gentle stretching and strengthening of the supporting musculature of your foot and ankle.

Stretching Exercises

When you have plantar fasciitis, gentle stretching of your plantar fascia and muscles around your foot and ankle help improve your mobility and can help promote optimal healing.

The plantar fascia wall stretch is a simple way to gently elongate your plantar fascia. Using a towel to stretch your calf muscles may also help to improve flexibility and mobility of the muscles around your foot and ankle.

You might also find it helpful to rub or massage your feet or roll a ball or water bottle under your foot. This helps stretch the plantar fascia ligament. Try sitting in a straight-backed chair and placing the ball or other round/cylindrical object under your foot. Roll the object back and forth across the arch of your foot. 

Strengthen Muscles That Support Your Foot

Sometimes, weakness in muscles that support your foot and ankle may contribute to your plantar fasciitis. Strengthening muscles like your calf, anterior tibialis muscles, or posterior tibialis muscles may help improve your symptoms.

The toe towel grab is also a simple way to contract the muscles in your foot to help support your foot's natural arch. This involves using your toes to pick up a tissue or small towel.

Check in with your physical therapist to see which strengthening exercises are right for you.

Try Ice bottle Massages

During the acute and early phases of managing plantar fasciitis, you may benefit from using ice to help control the inflammation and pain associated with your condition.

An ice bottle massage is a simple and effective method to provide ice to your foot while you gently massage your plantar fascia. Simply freeze a bottle of water, and then slowly roll it underneath your foot for 10 minutes.

Use Orthotics or Shoe Inserts to Support Your Arch

Changes in the arch of your foot may contribute to the heel pain associated with plantar fasciitis. Your physical therapist can help determine if your arch has fallen or if it is abnormally high and if this is contributing to your pain.

Shoe inserts or orthotics can help to support the arch of your foot to help take pressure off your plantar fascia as it is healing from injury. The orthotics can support your foot and help keep it in a neutral position while walking and running.

Custom molded shoe inserts may be necessary to help treat your condition, but these can be costly. A simple, low-cost solution is to try off-the-shelf shoe inserts first that support your foot's medial arch. These may provide the necessary support and relief for your plantar fascia.

Try Kinesiology Taping

Kinesiology taping may be another method to use to help treat your plantar fasciitis by supporting your foot's natural arch while providing neural stimulation to your foot and ankle.

Kinesiology tape is a cotton tape that is flexible. It can help provide support to your foot while still allowing your foot and ankle to move properly. The tape is also thought to gently lift the skin of your foot and ankle, which may help improve circulation to the injured area and promote healing.

Check with your physical therapist before applying kinesiology tape to learn the proper techniques and ensure that it is safe for you to use.

Take Over-the-Counter Medications

You may find over-the-counter pain relievers like Advil (ibuprofen) or Aleve (naproxen) helpful for relieving the pain of plantar fasciitis.

Wear Appropriate Shoes

If you have plantar fasciitis, you must wear appropriate shoes. Avoid high heels while you are caring for your painful condition, and opt for more sensible shoes that support your foot.

Many people do not wear shoes in their house, but walking barefoot may be painful (or impossible) if you have plantar fasciitis. Wearing supportive shoes at all times is essential to taking pressure off your plantar fascia and allowing your foot to heal.

Sometimes persistent plantar fasciitis may require more invasive treatments such as cortisone injections or, as a last resort, surgery. If your condition is rapidly worsening or lasts for more than a few months, check with your healthcare provider to ensure that you are doing everything you can to treat the problem.