Dealing with plantar fasciitis can be a really daunting experience. This is a condition where there is plantar fascia inflammation, which is the area of the connective tissue that runs along the bottom portion of the foot. If you have had the experience of pain in the bottom area of your foot upon getting out of bed in the morning, you probably have experienced this painful condition on some level.
This is a condition that is often associated with a sudden change in activity or overuse, which means that temporarily cutting back on the activity may help with pain relief. For people who are sedentary, the weight will often be a factor and losing weight could become a major benefit from anyone dealing with the pain of plantar fasciitis.
Whether you are an active or sedentary person, there are a number of reasons why you could be dealing with plantar fasciitis, such as poor arch support, previous foot injuries, or tightened foot muscles. While there are plenty of advanced treatments to quell the discomfort as well as shoes for plantar fasciitis. However, before you fork out money there are some no-cost and easy things that you can do at home to help prevent or even reverse your plantar fasciitis.
Calf Stretches In Bed
When it comes to your first few steps out of bed in the morning, they can be very painful if you have plantar fasciitis. They can even aggravate the condition, which will put you in an endless cycle of pain and inflammation. Breaking the cycle can be done by stretching your calves prior to getting out of bed in the morning. Tight calf muscles can pull on the heel bone and make the plantar fascia prone to injury because it is very taught in nature. You can loosen these muscles by taking a belt, towel, or blanket and putting it around the ball of the foot. While keeping the leg straight, you can pull toward the body so that you feel stretching in the lower portion of the leg. Keep it in place for about 30 seconds and then repeat a few times before you even get out of bed in the morning.
Sitting Calf Stretch
You can loosen up the irritated tissues as long as you do it properly. You can just pull your toes up using your hand until you feel a bit of stretching along the ball area of the foot. You can feel the stretch from the ball all the way up to the heel. Just hold this position for about 30 seconds up to a few minutes and you will see a difference in pain levels.
More Calf Stretching
Anything that you can do to stretch your calf muscles will help a great deal and work wonders for recovery. The lower leg has two main muscles that are attached to the heel, so working these into a stretch will be very beneficial. Stand up against a wall of your choice and then slide a leg back while pushing the heel toward the floor. Once you feel a lower leg stretch, hold the position for 30 seconds. Then bend your knees until you have a deeper stretch a bit lower in your second leg. Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat until this has been done three times in each of your legs.
Tennis Ball Massage
While you always have the option of paying someone to rub the sore muscles and the tissue in the bottom of your foot, you can get a quality massage on your own by simply using a tennis ball. Just place a regular tennis ball on the ground and roll it under your foot gently for just a few minutes. What this does is loosen the plantar fascia and make it less prone to irritation. Just be sure that you are putting enough pressure on so that you get a deep massage. There could be a bit of soreness that develops, but you can back off if you start to feel any pain.
Tennis Ball Massage With Ice
By simply using the tennis ball massage you have already learned, you can add a bit of ice for the ultimate result. Icing helps to cut back on inflammation, which can be very uncomfortable. Simply freeze a water bottle and place it under your foot. Roll it back and forth for 10 minutes at the end of each day and you will be able to reduce inflammation while loosening the area. While the cold may take a bit of getting used to, the results are well worth it.
