| Pains / Injuries |  | | Exercises To Help Manage Plantar Fasciitis | | Standard Home Physical Therapy Exercise Program | 1. Gentle warm up on a bike for 10 minutes. | 2. Strengthening exercises for the plantar intrinsic muscles | a) Towel gripping exercise to fatigue: 3 sets with a 1 minute rest between each set. You should pull with your toes pointing inward towards each other |  | b) Full weight-bearing arch isometrics can be performed later upon advisement from your therapist. |
| 3. Stretching of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and hamstrings | a) Gastrocnemius- with knees straight and toes elevated, lean slightly forward to stretch |  | b) Soleus- bend knees slightly to stretch |  | c) Hamstrings- elevate foot on stable platform about waist high. Bend knee and lunge trunk toward thigh. Then apply light pressure to straighten knee while keeping back straight. Stretches a + b should be held for 1 minute and progressed to 3 minutes as tolerated. Repeat 3 times with a 1 minute active rest i.e. if weight-bearing is painful then do non weight-bearing ankle up and down movements and then curl and splay your toes with your feet elevated above your heart. If weight bearing is only a mild discomfort, then do gentle slow walking between sets. Stretch c should be held for 30 seconds and progressed to 1 minute, repeat 2-3 times. |  |
| 4. Apply an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas to the sole of your foot with a tensor and elevate it for 15 minutes. | | Also… | Nose Creek Physical Therapists advise you to review your footwear. An important step that is often missed in rehabilitation is a careful review of footwear worn for exercise and for work. They will often ask patients to bring in their work and play footwear for review. The three most critical issues are a firm well fitting heel counter for rear foot stability, good heel cushioning to absorb impact at heel strike, and sufficient medial longitudinal arch support. |
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