Plantar Fasciitis Early Exercise Programme
Aim to perform this programme a minimum of once per day unless prescribed otherwise. As with any new exercise, start slowly (repetitions as able) and build up as you are able within the guidelines below.
Pain should not exceed 5/10 whilst completing this exercise programme.
1. Seated heel-to-toe
- Sit with your feet flat on the floor, knees bent.
- Rise up on your tip toes and hold for a count of 3 seconds.
- Lower back down to feet flat and then lift the toes and front of the feet up, bending from the ankles and keeping the heels in contact with the floor – hold for 3 seconds.
- Return to feet flat and repeat.
2. Seated towel crunches
- Sit upright in a chair and place a towel out flat on the floor in front of you.
- Place the front of your foot on the towel.
- Curl and release your toes so as to pull the towel towards you.
- Keep the foot flat on the floor throughout.
- To progress, place a small weight on the towel.
3. Knee to wall
- In standing, face a wall where you can access the skirting board with your legs.
- Place the affected toes of the affected leg against the skirting board.
- Keep the whole foot flat on the floor and push your knee towards the wall by bending at the ankle.
- Push your knee forwards until you feel resistance at the front of the ankle joint which you should feel just before your heel starts to come up off the floor.
- If you can reach your knee to the wall easily, start with the toes slightly off the wall.
We recommend consulting a musculoskeletal physiotherapist to ensure exercises are best suited to your recovery. If you are carrying out an exercise regime without consulting a healthcare professional, you do so at your own risk. If you have any concerns whilst completing these exercises, please contact a healthcare professional.
More Plans
This is the next progression. More focus is given to progressive loading/strengthening of the tissue. As with the early programme some pain is to be expected but ideally, we do not want this to be any more than 4/10 on your self-perceived pain scale.
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 910
This programme is a further progression with challenging progressive loading of the affected tissue. Again, some pain is acceptable but ideally, we do not want it to exceed 4/10 on your self-perceived pain scale.
- 0
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 910