Help Getting Rid of Plantar Fasciitis in My Feet

Plantar fasciitis (also called heel spur syndrome) is inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick connective tissue on the bottom of the foot. The pulling of the plantar fascia away from the heel bone causes calcium deposits called heel spurs to develop. The pain is caused by stress and inflammation of the plantar fascia pulling on the heel bone. There are several self-treatment strategies that can help to alleviate plantar fasciitis.

Activity and Ice

• If you are involved in sports, especially running, it's important to temporarily decrease the intensity and length of your workout. Also, if you have a training program, carefully check it for training errors that could be putting excessive stress on your feet.

  Apply ice (or a bag of frozen peas) to the bottom of your feet for 15 minutes once or twice day. You can also roll your foot over a frozen water bottle. It's especially good to ice after activity.

Shoes

• According to podiatrist Stephen M. Pribut, DPM, the most important self treatment is to wear shoes that have motion control to control the forces that contribute to plantar fasciitis and heel spurs. If your feet pronate (turn outward), wear shoes that have anti-pronation control. If a good stability shoe doesn't do the job, try over-the-counter orthotics. If they don't work, consider seeing a sports podiatrist for custom orthotics.

  Check shoes for flexion stability. You want shoes that bend only at the ball of the foot, where your toes attach to the foot. Avoid any shoe that bends in the center of the arch or behind the ball of the foot, because those shoes do not have enough support and will stress your plantar fascia.

  Also, check your shoes to make sure that they are not excessively worn and replace them if they are. In addition, do not go barefoot at any time for six weeks and do not wear slippers, flip-flops, or open-back shoes or sandals.

Stretching and Strengthening

• Because the muscles of the calf run into the foot, gentle calf stretching exercises reduce stress on the plantar fascia. Stand with your hands on a wall and one foot behind the other in a lunge position. Keeping the alignment of your body, lean into the wall, stretching the back calf. Pribut suggests 10-second stretches, repeated 10 times. Do two sets of 10 repetitions on each side.

  To strengthen the muscles in your arch, do toe curls. Place a towel on a floor and curl your toes to pull the towel toward you. Do this exercise for 20 seconds three times a day.

  Pribut notes that you can usually control plantar fasciitis with this self treatment. If needed, you can see a podiatrist, who may recommend cortisone injections, physical therapy techniques such as electrical stimulation and ultrasound, or taping. Surgery is considered a last option.