Foot pain comes in many forms, one of them being plantar fasciitis. It causes you to feel sharp, stabbing heel pain when you step on the floor. The pain is usually worse when you take your first steps in the morning and reduces during the day as you move around. The pain might return after you stand for long periods of time or if you stand up after sitting for a while.
Plantar fasciitis happens when the plantar fascia becomes inflamed. The plantar fascia is a thick band of connective tissue (ligament) that connects the heel bone to the toes. It is a problematic area for many people and can become inflamed due to being overweight (even from a pregnancy), wearing shoes that don’t provide adequate support and running (which is why plantar fasciitis is common in many athletes).
If plantar fasciitis has become a staple in your life, don’t despair. You can manage this pain with some simple stretching and strengthening exercises.
Which Muscles Should I Stretch?
You should focus on stretching the plantar fascia. Stretching it makes it more flexible, which has the benefit of reducing inflammation and preventing further injury. You should also stretch the taut muscles in your feet and calves. These muscles are known to worsen plantar fasciitis.
When to Stretch?
Stretching before an exercise is essential because it helps prepare your body for the oncoming exercise. Warming up loosens tight muscles, making them relax, and increases blood flow as well. It’s also important to stretch after the exercise to reduce soreness and inflammation and prevent muscle fatigue. Although stretching before and after is vital, this is not a hard rule that you must follow; the most important thing is that you find some time to stretch during your day.
How to Stretch Properly?
If you don’t know how to stretch properly, you could just end up doing more harm than good. Follow these simple tips below to get the most out of your stretches:
Before you begin stretching, warm up your body and muscles with some light jogging or some calisthenics to increase your range of motion. This is a good way to prevent injury when stretching. One of the biggest causes of plantar fasciitis is a sudden increase in activity without adequately preparing for it.
Pain Relief Medications
If you want to enjoy the exercises a little more, taking pain relief medication 30 minutes before exercising is a good idea. That way, they will have time to kick-in, effectively reducing the pain as you perform the exercises. Take some NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) like aspirin, ibuprofen, and diclofenac. You can even take them after you exercise for better results.
Stop If You Feel Pain
As you work on stretching your heel, feeling some pain is normal. What you need to be aware of, however, is when to stop. If the pain you’re feeling ceases after you finish the exercise, then it is okay to continue. If it remains, then you should stop the exercise altogether and rest before you worsen the problem.
Ice for Heel Pain
After exercising, your heel will probably have some inflammation-related pain due to the stress that has been exerted on the plantar fascia. Icing your heel works wonders when it comes to reducing the pain and inflammation in this scenario. You should also regularly ice your heel to prevent the plantar fasciitis from turning into chronic pain (once the pain becomes chronic, icing your heel does nothing).
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