Plantar Fasciitis treatment & exercises

Original Blog Post from Gary Ward of Anatomy in Motion

“Flat foot – this increases tension in all of the tissues on the underside of the foot, often in multiple dimensions of movement. Being unable to get out of this flat footed position means the tension in the tissues remains perpetually under the foot.

Tension = stress

High arch rigid foot – this compresses the tissues and joint spaces on the underside of the foot, lack of mobility here often means the force is not dissipated well upon impact when standing, walking or running and as a result the underside of the foot remains compressed full time. 

State three = no motion in the foot bones. Unable to dissipate forces. Tension in the tissues remain fixed. Poor foot mobility and interaction with the ground

Tips: 

• check your calcaneus [heel bone] can roll forwards when you dorsiflex [bend] your ankle 

• check you have sufficient pressure through your first and fifth metatarsal heads {base of your big and little toe] (you should not be able to lift them off when you are weight bearing)

• When you lift your toes up your foot should increase in arch height and shins rotate outwards 

• When you rotate your body to the right, your right foot should follow by increasing in arch height BUT the big toe knuckle should remain on the ground (or left)

Oh… the final unconsidered thing:

Your spine moves in ways that mimic and couple with your feet. Almost as if they give each other permission to move the way they move. So restrictions on your feet will impact movement in your spine and vice versa.”

As you’ll see from the above, there is no single exercise that ‘fixes’ plantar fasciitis - the cause of each person’s pain will be different and therefore requires a personalised treatment and exercise plan

Need help treating your plantar fasciitis? Unsure if this is actually what you have? Book an appointment with me to help you understand WHY you are having this foot pain and help you resolve the problem as quickly & effectively as possible.

Original Blog Post By Gary Ward, Anatomy In Motion / Gary Ward Instagram