How to Do Massage for Plantar Fasciitis (to Heal the Fascia and Reduce Heel Pain)

Plantar fasciitis benefits greatly from massage. A painful foot condition that is caused by injury to the plantar fascia, the stretchy band of tissue on the arch of the foot, plantar fasciitis leads to heel pain and is sometimes associated with bone spurs in the heel. Learn how to treat plantar fasciitis with massage.

Things You'll Need

• Can of soda kept in the refrigerator to use for massage

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Instructions

• 1

  Massage the affected foot frequently during the day, and especially before you stand up from a sitting or lying position. Use a slow, deep, stroking motion with your thumbs and the side of your hand along the arch from heel to toes. Don't press so hard that it hurts. The idea is to get the foot muscles loosened up as much as possible.

• 2

  Next, massage your calf, going only lightly on the area directly behind the foot, which is your Achilles tendon. Use slow and deep kneading and stroking motions (known as the petrissage and effleurage techniques in Swedish massage) on the gastrocnemius, the large muscle of the calf that can get very tight and bunched.

• 3

  Stretch the calf to further take advantage of the loosening up of the muscles of foot and calf. This will make your plantar fasciitis heal much faster, since you're training your muscles to take the strain of bearing weight, rather than the injured plantar fascia.

• 4

  Also massage the other leg and foot at least once a day, to make sure you're balanced and to prevent injury to the other foot.

• 5

  Twice a day, when you go to sit down or lie down to rest, take a can of soda that has been chilled out of the fridge. Sit down on a chair and put the can of soda under your painful foot. Gently roll and massage the arch of your foot with the cold can. This will both bring down the inflammation caused by standing and walking and further massage the foot muscles.

  Use these simple massage techniques on your plantar fasciitis as part of your treatment to hasten the healing.