- In this video I'm gonna show you three simple stretches
to help you overcome the pain and frustration
of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is an injury
that quite a number of you guys have messaged me about
asking for more information.
The typical heel pain that comes with this
often stubborn injury is often quite debilitating,
and can hang around for a long time if not managed properly.
Thankfully, there are a number of simple techniques
you can use to treat your plantar fasciitis at home,
or more specifically,
deal with some of the common contributing factors,
such as tightness in those calf muscles.
Let's start with understanding the anatomy
around the bottom of the foot and the ankle region.
The plantar fascia runs from the heel bone, the calcaneus,
along the bottom of the foot,
and across the metatarsal heads, the balls of the foot.
As we walk and run the action of us loading these toes
adds tension to the plantar fascia,
which helps create a more rigid and solid base
to push off through.
That's a good thing,
it's how the foot's supposed to function.
Going back to the heel bone, the calcaneus,
another structure which attaches to this bone
is the Achilles tendon,
which transfers force from the calf muscles.
If the calf muscles are chronically tight,
the Achilles is going to be subtly pulling the calcaneus
in a direction which places constant strain
on the plantar fascia, which it won't like.
So to effectively manage your plantar fasciitis symptoms,
it's important that we deal with any tightness
in the calf complex and ensure
that the big toe in particular
is able to dorsiflex properly.
Here are some stretches for you to try.
Standing and facing a wall with one foot forward,
one foot back, so that the rear foot is so far back
it feels like you're about to lift the heel,
place your hands on the wall
and push your heel down into the ground.
You should feel a stretch in those calf muscles.
Be sure to watch the position of your rear foot,
keeping it straight rather than allowing it
to turn outwards as you stretch,
and hold this stretch for three to five sets
of 20 to 40 seconds on each leg.
Try this twice daily.
To stretch the soleus muscle, lower in the calf region,
you need to repeat the same set up,
keeping both knees bent
and both feet flat on the floor this time.
Drive the rear knee forward as you drop
your weight down into that back foot.
You should feel this stretch lower in your calf region
than with the previous exercise.
Hold this stretch for three to five sets
of 20 to 40 seconds, again, twice daily.
It's important that we also work
on the mobility of the big toe in particular,
as walking and running gaits both require you
to be able to roll through the big toe.
A lack of range of motion here can result
in the plantar fascia becoming dysfunctional
if you're not being loaded properly over time.
There are a couple of reasons why the big toe
can lack range of motion.
It could be a consistent structural problem,
or a functional issue,
which would be more present in weight-bearing.
So if you do struggle with big toe motion
and are suffering with plantar fasciitis,
I'd suggest a visit to the podiatrist
to further assess the issue.
A great stretch for motor big toe motion
uses the wall once again.
Place your big toe up against the wall,
and try to keep the rest of your foot, as much as you can,
flat on the floor.
From there, drive your knee towards the wall
and hold this stretch for three to five sets
of 20 to 40 seconds.
You should feel this through the underside of the foot
and into your lower calf region.
It should be a strong stretch, but not painful.
Feel free to try this twice daily.
An area less commonly discussed when it comes
to plantar fasciitis stretching is the front of the shin.
The tibialis anterior muscle that sits at the front
outside of the shin crosses the ankle
and is an important antagonist muscle to the calf complex,
meaning that it performs the opposite function,
dorsiflexion, rather than plantar flexion.
It's a pattern noticed in runners who suffer
with plantar fasciitis, that they often tell us they've
been tight through tibialis anterior
and weak through soleus.
This anterior tightness is well worth working on.
So to stretch tibialis anterior, begin kneeling up
and place the tops of your feet flat on the floor.
Gradually sit back onto your knees,
and feel tight through tibialis anterior
you'll feel a stretch through
the front of your shins as you sit back.
Hold this again for three to five sets
of 20 to 40 seconds twice daily.
As with almost every injury,
stretching isn't the be all and end all,
strengthening is really important, too.
Exercises to strengthen your calf muscles in particular
while this balance rechecks the sides
for the soleus muscle,
are an important part of the rehab process.
Self-massage techniques are usually really effective, too.
In fact, I'll leave a link below
to our calf foam rolling tutorial.
Don't forget to hit the like button
if you found this video helpful,
and subscribe so that you don't miss future updates.
I have a question for you,
I want to know your experience in dealing
with plantar fasciitis.
Jump into the comments below
and let me know what you've tried.
What's worked for you, and what hasn't?
I'll be back soon with another one of these videos,
so I'll speak to you then.
Bye now.