Got heel pain, well, I'm going to show you ways to relieve it. So let's get started, Rems.
So speaking of relieving heel pain, I wanted to take a second to thank FitMyFoot for sponsoring
this video. They make 3D custom insoles. They also make recovery sandals, and custom sliders. So
thank you. And if you're interested in purchasing any of these products, click on the link up there.
So for these stretches and exercises, you're going to need either a stretch strap
a belt or dog leash, and something either like a little small foam roller, you can use a ball or
a frozen water bottle to get things going. So the first one is just going to be working the
soul or the bottom of the foot. A lot of times with heel pain, it can come from heel spurs,
it can come from plantar fasciitis. It can come from Achilles tendonitis, but it can also come
from an imbalance or an alignment issue further up the chain. So make sure you're getting checked
out by a doctor or physical therapist to see what the actual causes. But if it's a true heel pain,
then you can take a small little foam roller, this is just a cut up piece of pool noodle,
and just start rolling up and down the whole foot. So even if you have heel pain, you want
to get that fascia underneath the foot nice and loosened up. So I'm not pushing too hard to start
off with just getting a nice roll, you can kind of go on the outside, you can go on the inside,
go all the way to the ball of the foot, and then all the way to the heel. If you don't
have something like this, they're usually pretty cheap, especially in summertime,
you could use this is just a lacrosse ball. But you can use a tennis ball, a racket ball,
and same thing just kind of rolling on the bottom of the foot. If you feel like is really inflamed
or irritated, you can take a water bottle, freeze it and then do that. So then you're getting that
ice cold component as well. And just doing the same thing kind of rolling on, it doesn't need
to be a long time, maybe 30 seconds to a minute or so just to get it nice and loosened up.
After you do that, then I like to work on some massage techniques on the bottom of the foot.
So just really kind of getting, again, this fascia underneath. Because that's a lot of times
what general heel pain is caused by tightness on the bottom of the foot. So a lot of times,
it's just super simple, I like to do a fan out technique where I kind of start my thumb's in,
and then just pull out almost as I'm pulling out I'm pulling up to so I really feel
that stretching out of that fascia under there. So you know, if you're pretty tender,
you might not want to push too hard to start off with. But same thing, just kind of working all the
way down. Sometimes I'll start in the middle, as you can see, go down to the heel, but then also,
again, go all the way up the foot as well because that fascia, and then those, those muscles and
tendons come all the way underneath. It's not just always stopping here that Achilles tendon does,
but the other muscles go. So really just working that whole foot spreading out that feels really,
really nice. You can use some cream or lotion if you want to, but you don't have to.
So again, that doesn't have to be a super long time, maybe a little bit longer a minute to two
minutes just to get everything nice and loosened up. And then you want to start stretching
everything else. So then grab that stretch strap or that belt or dog leash, if you have it,
I'm switching feet. But again, you want to work on the one that's bothering you. And if you
have time, work on both, because if there's an imbalance going on somewhere, you really
want to work both sides. So I like the ones that have the loop where you can make a little loop,
just put it around the ball of your foot, you don't want to put it up on your toes,
because then it might slide off and hit you. And you don't want to put it down at your arch because
then you're not going to get a good stretch. If you happen to have the roll, you can place
it underneath. And that just gives a little bit more movement at your heel. But you don't have
to use that if you don't want to. And then you're using the strap or the belt to pull so you're not
actively moving your foot towards you. You're pulling, keeping everything nice and relaxed.
And now I'm getting that nice stretch underneath in that calf area. Now if you have heel pain,
you might feel it more at the heel, you might feel it kind of where that Achilles tendon is.
Or if the whole calf is tight, you might even feel it behind the knee so you can feel it in different
spots. So if you're not feeling the stretch, or you know that tension at the heel, that doesn't
mean that it's not working the heel, that means maybe something higher up the chain is causing
that heel pain. So this is a full 30 seconds stretch, you want to hold it for 30 seconds,
relax, and then do that three times. So again, if you have time, I would always
work both sides. But if you don't, and if you're you know, strapped for time, then maybe just do
the one side or if you don't have time for the three, make sure you're holding it for a full 30
seconds and then do that once or twice, not just a short stretch three times. Make sure you're
holding it for that 30 seconds because that's what really helps and works. So now we're going to do
some stuff standing up. So for some of the sanding stretches if you are a little off by Let's make
sure you're holding on to a wall pushing against the wall or using a chair or a countertop just
for balance. But if you don't need that you don't have to. So the next one is just going to be what
we call a runner stretch. So a runner stretch is, this is the side that I want to stretch,
I'm going to put that back behind me. So if I'm holding on to a chair, something for balance,
that's how I would be standing, the back leg, you want to make sure your feet are pointed, your toes
are pointing forward, and also the one in the front. So the feet and toes pointed forward,
make sure your heel stays down, that's what's going to really get that good calf stretch in
there, keeping the back leg straight, and then bending the front one forward. So I'm just kind
of going forward, if I'm holding on to something I can kind of lean over. But the key is to keep
that back heel down, and keep those toes pointed forward to get that nice calf stretch. So again,
this is a full stretch where you're holding it for 30 seconds, come back, do that three times,
if you have time, stretch both sides, for sure. And then so in this position,
then you can go into a soleus stretch. And so that soleus muscle just sits under that cap area.
And again, it kind of goes down and has a lot to do with if it's tight, it could could possibly
cause heel pain. So it's the same position, you want those feet forward, feet and toes forward.
But this time the back leg, you're going to bend it, so you're bending the front, you're bending
the back, still keeping that heel down, and then going forward again, or you could kind of sit
into it to get that nice bend. So when you're bending that back knee, you're taking the calf
out of it. So you can get that stretching the muscle underneath that soleus stretch. So again,
same thing, holding it for 30 seconds. Coming back doing that three times. If you're interested in
some real time videos, where I'm doing the full stretches and doing the whole thing,
I have a whole bunch of those, so you can check those out as well. And then we're just going
to go into heel raises. So after you've kind of stretch everything out after you've worked that
fascia underneath in the foot and you've gotten everything loose, then you just want to do
some exercises to help strengthen that area. And that will help with that heel pain as well. So
feet just about hip width apart, shoulder width apart. Again, if you feel like you have some
balance issues, make sure you're holding on to something like a chair or a countertop or
being next to a wall so you can kind of hold on to the wall and you're just coming up lifting those
heels. And then nice and slow coming back down. So the key is to control it coming back down.
So it's not just up and down like this, it's a nice up and then really slow coming back down.
You don't have to do a whole lot if you're controlling it, you're really going to feel it
especially if you've got some pain in there. So just kind of take it as you go you know if it's
not super painful, you can kind of progress your way up but I wouldn't start off with a lot because
even if it's not hurting right away my hurt just a little bit later. So there you have it. Those were
ways to relieve heel pain. If you're interested in purchasing any of the FitMyFoot products,
click on the link up there. And remember, be safe, have fun, and I hope you feel better soon.