At-Home Therapies and Techniques
You may be able to treat plantar fasciitis at home. Most treatments involve a combination of resting the foot, avoiding activities that can aggravate the condition, pain management, and muscle-strengthening activities.
Resting Your Foot
Doctors typically recommend starting with resting the foot in which you have pain. This could mean avoiding the activity that caused plantar fasciitis as well as sports and other things that put pressure on your foot for at least a week.
Icing Your Foot
Ice can help with inflammation. You can apply a cloth-covered ice pack to the bottom of your foot for 15 minutes at a time, three to four times a day. You can also roll a frozen water bottle under your foot.
Be sure to protect your foot from extreme cold, however, and talk to your doctor if you have other foot conditions for which ice may not be appropriate.
Stretching and Strengthening Exercises
Exercise can help relieve plantar fasciitis pain while also loosening tight muscles, increasing flexibility, and building muscle strength in the foot. Your doctor or physical therapist may recommend stretching and strengthening exercises to stretch your plantar fascia and Achilles tendon and to strengthen your leg muscles, especially when you wake in the morning or after you sit for a long time.
These exercises may include:
- Curling your toes with a small towel underneath
- Extending your toes to stretch the arch of your foot
- Using a towel as a band around the arch of your foot to stretch it
- Stretching your calf muscles while standing or taking a step
- Rolling a frozen water bottle under the arch of your foot
Using Orthotics and Shoe Inserts
Arch-support devices called orthotics can help distribute pressure in your feet and manage pain. You typically place them inside your shoe or on your foot. They include foot pads or heel cups that cushion a sensitive area on the foot, like a callus, and shoe inserts that provide support and correct ankle or heel movement.
Over-the-counter inserts and custom, prescription orthotics are available. Talk to your doctor about which might be best for your situation and how long you should wear them.
Remember to use inserts on both feet, even if your pain is only in one foot, to avoid gait imbalance or hip pain down the road.
Taping Your Arch and Using Night Splints
Arch taping involves applying athletic tape to your foot to reduce stress on the ligament by reducing strain on your fascia. Some people tape their arch only before physical activity. Others apply the tape to reduce strain throughout the day. Arch taping may be recommended alongside exercise and education about plantar fasciitis.
Night splints gently stretch your calf and the arch of your foot while you sleep. They support your foot with your toes pointing up.