Heal Plantar Fasciitis with These Strengthening Exercises
Plantar fasciitis can be an extremely painful and frustrating condition. The sharp heel and arch pain it causes can make even basic activities like walking, standing, or exercising nearly unbearable.
While rest and conservative treatments are usually recommended first, one of the most effective ways to fully heal plantar fasciitis is through targeted foot and calf strengthening exercises. By building strength and stability from the ground up, you can relieve the strain on your plantar fascia and get back to pain-free living.
In this post, I’ll explain how strengthening your feet, calves, and toes helps alleviate plantar fasciitis. Then provide a complete exercise routine you can do at home to speed up healing. Let’s get started!
How Can Strengthening Exercises Help Heal Plantar Fasciitis?
In the previous article, I explained what the plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue band that runs from your heel to your toes along the bottom of your foot. It helps support the arch and acts as a shock absorber.
Plantar fasciitis occurs when the fascia becomes inflamed, usually due to repetitive strain and trauma. Tight calf muscles and weak foot muscles often contribute by overloading the fascia.
Targeted strengthening exercises that improve the stability of your feet and calves take pressure off of the aggravated plantar fascia. This reduces the tension and tugging it endures with everyday motions, allowing the inflammation to resolve.
Building foot and lower leg strength also helps correct any biomechanical imbalances that led to the plantar fasciitis, so the problem is less likely to return.
Now let’s get into the specific foot and calf exercises that can help you overcome plantar fasciitis for good!
Foot Foam Rolling
Before starting any exercise program, I highly recommend foam rolling and active stretching to get the blood flow going and prepare your body mentally and physically for the session ahead. Below is an excellent video on how to foam roll your feet. You can use various tools for foam rolling such as a tennis ball, lacrosse ball or a peanut.
(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you purchase through these links at no additional cost to you.)
Foot Stretching
Now that you’ve warmed up your feet, we can go ahead and do active stretches, starting with:
Hand-Foot Shake
Quadruped Toe Dorsiflexion Rock Backs - Perform 10 rockbacks with a 2-second pause. Alternatively, you can hold the stretch at the bottom for 15-20 seconds, for 5 reps before moving to the next exercise.
Standing Foot Plantarflexion Stretch
Toe and ankle stretches to improve flexibility. Stand holding the wall or a counter for balance. Curl your toes underneath and place the top of your foot on the floor. Slowly bend the knee and lean forwards until you feel a stretch in the top of your foot/toes. Hold for 3-5 seconds and repeat 5-10 times.
Foot Strengthening Exercises
Start by performing 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps of these foot strengthening moves:
Big Toe Lifts - Perform each toe lift with a 2 second hold at the top and a 2 second hold at the bottom while pushing the big toe into the floor, creating a foot arch. Repeat for 10 reps each.
Towel Scrunches - Sit in a chair and place a towel on the floor under your painful foot. Curl your toes to scrunch the towel toward you. Repeat for 10 reps each foot.
To progressively overload this exercise, place a 5-10lb dumbbell at the end of the towel. Curl your toes to scrunch the towel towards you. Stop when the dumbbell has reached your toes.
Foot Doming Exercise - Follow the video above and repeat for 10 reps each foot.
These are the exercises I performed 2-3x a week until the pain diminished. These exercises improve small muscle control and stability from your toes through your soles and arches.
Calf Strengthening Exercises
Perform 4 sets of 12–15 reps with a 2 second hold in each position. Aim to do the exercises 2-3x per week and most importantly, I highly recommend that you do these exercises barefooted.
Heel Raises - With feet hip-width apart, riase up as high as possilbe on your toes then lower back down. Hold onto a chair or wall for balance if needed. To progressively overload this exercises, you can grab a pair of dumbbells and perform the exercise.
Single Leg Heel Raises - Stand on one foot. Raise up to that foot’s toes, then lower slowly. Aim for 10 reps with a 2 second pause at the top. Repeat on the other foot.
Standing Calf Stretch - Place your hands on a wall in front of you. Step one leg back and bend the front knee, keeping the back leg straight. Hold for 15-20 seconds for 5-7 reps. Repeat on the other leg.
Calf strengthening enhances support and shock absorption for the foot. Stretches help lengthen tight calf muscles.
When to Expect Results
Be patient and stick to these foot and calf strengthening exercises daily. Consistency is key. You should begin feeling gradual relief within 2-4 weeks if not sooner.
Listen to your body - ease back if any movements aggravate your symptoms. Maintaining these exercises even after the pain resolves will help prevent reoccurrence.
Along with rest and standard treatments, targeted strengthening of the tissues supporting your plantar fascia speeds the recovery process. Say goodbye to heel and arch pain for good!
