Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

This is one of my favourite plantar fasciitis exercises.  It helps to strengthen the intrinsic muscles which support the foot arches.  Easy to do while you sit and watch TV

Starting Position: Lay a towel out on the floor and sit with your foot resting on towel, flat on the floor

Action: Try and draw the towel towards you by scrunching your toes. Keep the heel in contact with the floor throughout

Repetitions: Spend 1-2 minutes doing this

Top Tips: You can still do this plantar fasciitis exercise without a towel, just mimic the action

This is another fun one of the plantar fasciitis exercises.  It helps to improve the strength and control around the foot

Starting Position: Place some marbles and a bowl on the floor

Action: Pick each marble up with your toes and drop it in the bowel

Repetitions: Spend 1-2 minutes doing this, twice a day

Variations: You can use any small items e.g. dice or pencil instead of marbles

Foot arch lifts are good plantar fasciitis exercises to start with as they specifically targets the muscles underneath the foot that support the foot arches. Weakness here is a common cause of plantar fasciitis

Starting Position: Sit on a chair with your foot resting flat on the floor

Action: Draw the arch of the foot up off the floor, keeping the heel, big toe and ball of the foot on the floor.  Hold for 3 seconds and relax

Repetitions: Spend about 1 minute doing this

Progression: Perform the exercise in standing

Top Tips:  It may take a few goes to work out how to get your foot doing this action correctly.  You can place a coin underneath the base of your big toe and ensure that you keep resting on throughout for extra feedback.  It won’t feel like you are doing much, but it really makes a difference

Starting Position: Stand with your feet resting flat on the floor.  You can hold onto a chair or the wall for balance if needed

Action: Push up, lifting your heels of the floor as you come up onto tiptoes.  Hold for 3-5 seconds and slowly lower down

Repetition: Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions

Progression: Once you can do 30 repetitions, try doing one leg at a time

Top Tips: Try to take your weight equally on both feet.  If that is too difficult to start with, let your good foot do more of the work and gradually progress to equal work as able.

This is a simple but effective way to improve the strength of your calf and improve the control and stability around the ankle as part of your plantar fasciitis exercises

Starting Position: Standing

Action: Rise up onto both tip toes and walk around, staying up throughout. 

Repetitions: Spend a couple of minutes doing this every day

Variations: Walk forwards, backwards, sideways and in circles

Starting Position: Standing by a chair or the wall for balance

Action: Lift one foot off the floor so you are balancing on one leg

Repetition: Spend 5 minutes doing this, 2x daily. 

Progression: Once you feel confident with this exercise, try closing your eyes – you should find it a lot more challenging

Top Tips: Build this plantar fasciitis exercise into part of your daily routine by doing it e.g. when brushing your teeth, waiting for the kettle to boil etc.