Today you will discover some great Home Remedies For Plantar Fasciitis.
You wake up in the morning and get out of bed. You place your feet on the floor and–ouch!
Your feet hurt like hell and you’re walking stiffly.
You wonder what is wrong.
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Then you walk about a bit more and the pain is gone. You forget about the pain and go about your day.
You’re sitting at your work desk–or maybe you’ve been standing for a while. Out of nowhere, the searing pain comes back.
You feel the pain coming from the bottom of your foot around your heel. What is happening to you?
You may be suffering from plantar fasciitis, a common cause of heel pain which affects many people. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, plantar fasciitis is caused by injury followed by inflammation of the heel region. If left untreated, plantar fasciitis can worsen and cause chronic pain.
Natural Remedies for Plantar Fasciitis![bones of the foot]()
Fortunately, plantar fasciitis is a benign condition that can be easily treated. In other words, you can cure this problem in your own home! Listed here are some simple remedies for plantar fasciitis.
1. Rest!
If your body is sending you pain signals, it is doing so for a good reason. In the case of plantar fasciitis, your heels are signaling you to cut them some slack. Think of the daily activities you do which put pressure on your heels.
Try and limit–or stop if you can–those activities until your heels get better. For example, you may be a teacher, surgeon etc. who has to stand for long periods of time while working. See if you can change your work habits to get results.
Exercise is also a common culprit here. Cut back on certain exercises (sprinting, jogging, walking etc.) which strain your feet. In particular, you should “avoid running or walking on hard surfaces, such as concrete.” Try alternative exercises such as swimming which don’t impact your feet as much.
2. Put Some Ice On It
Many forms of pain, including plantar fasciitis, can be relieved with the application of an ice-pack. So put some ice on those aching heels.
MayoClinic recommends two specific routines to the ice application. According to the website, you should “hold a cloth-covered ice pack over the area of pain three or four times a day for 15 to 20 minutes.” Alternately, try an ice massage: you have to “freeze a water-filled paper cup and roll it over the site of discomfort for about five to seven minutes.”
Regular ice application, in most cases, should make the pain and inflammation subside.
3. Check Your Footwear
Your footwear may also be the problem. Avoid high heels entirely if you have plantar fasciitis. Also, ditch any ill-fitting or worn-out shoes which have poor cushioning. Choose shoes with “a low to moderate heel, good arch support and shock absorbency”.
Consult your doctor and your local footwear store for help.You may also want to avoid walking barefoot since that can aggravate the problem. Therefore, we recommend that you wear well-cushioned shoes everywhere you go.
4. Lose Weight
Obesity is considered as a strong risk factor for plantar fasciitis. When you’re overweight or obese, “excess pounds put extra stress on your plantar fascia.” Put simply, your weight is putting pressure on your heels and making them hurt.
Therefore, we recommend that you follow a healthy diet and exercise regimen to lose weight. That said, avoid exercises that put stress on your heels.
5. Plantar Fasciitis Treatment Exercises
Stretch exercises are by far the most effective way to treat plantar fasciitis. These simple exercises (see below) help to stretch the plantar fascia, An Achilles tendon and calf muscles
Calf Stretch:
In the calf stretch, you start by “leaning forward against a wall with one knee straight and heel on the ground”. This knee should be fully extended out. Next, you place the other leg in front while bending the knee.
The calf stretch is now performed by pushing the hips (i.e. leaning) towards the wall, holding the position for 10 seconds before relaxing and straightening up. Perform this stretch 20 times for each foot. See video below for exercise ideas:
Plantar Fascia Stretch (Toe Stretch):
To perform the stretch, make sure you’re seated and cross one leg (i.e. the sore heel leg) over the other leg. Next, you must “grasp your toes and gently pull them toward you until you feel a stretch in the arch of your foot”. Hold the toe in this position for about 10 seconds before letting go. Here’s an illustration to give you a better idea:
The toe stretch should be performed 30 times (in three sets) each day. We recommend that you do this before getting up in the morning or before sitting/standing for a long time.
Towel Stretch:
This stretch exercise can be done in two ways using a towel. In the first method, put a towel on the floor, place your affected leg on it, then grab the towel with your toes and pull towards you. Doing so will bolster your arch muscles.
In the second method, you sit down on the floor and stretch your legs out. Then place a towel on the underside of the affected leg, grab both ends of the towel and pull for 15 to 30 seconds. See this illustration to get a better idea:
Conclusion
About two million Americans are treated for plantar fasciitis each year. Fortunately, most patients do not need surgery and get well by following the remedies we have outlined above. We hope you enjoyed reading our list and found it useful.
Please let us know what you think in the comments section! We would especially love to hear if you tried these solutions.
What worked and didn’t work for you? Also, please share this article on social media. You may know someone who suffers from this condition. They deserve to know what they are going through. You would do a good deed by sharing our list with them!
Author Bio: Lilly Derrah is the founder of ShoesTracker, a foot health blog dedicated to provide honest foot health advice and information. She aspires to help her readers improve their foot heath condition by sharing personal tips learned through both years of experience and thorough research. Follow her on Twitter @lillyderrah to learn more about Lilly and her work.
Sources & Further Reading:
WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/tc/plantar-fasciitis-topic-overview#1
MayoClinic: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20268536
American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society: http://www.aofas.org/footcaremd/conditions/ailments-of-the-heel/Pages/Plantar-Fasciitis.aspx
American Society of Orthopedic Surgeons: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00149
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