Plantar Fasciitis Intermediate 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 4/10 whilst completing this exercise programme.
1. Single leg balance - knee straight
- Perform this exercise barefoot or in socks, in a clear space near a wall/stable object and on a flat, non-slip surface.
- Shift your weight on to the affected leg then lift the supporting leg slightly off the floor – keep the knee straight.
- Look down at the knee and focus on balancing whilst keeping the knee in line with the hip and ankle – use the object/wall to prevent yourself falling.
- To progress, try looking straight ahead rather than down at the knee. To advance further, this can be performed with the eyes closed.
2. Bodyweight squats
- Stand with your feet hip width apart and your arms across your chest.
- Sit back as if you are sitting into a chair.
- At the same time, your head should move forwards to keep your balance.
- As you do this, aim to keep your back straight.
- Go down as far as you feel comfortable or until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
- Come back up to standing and repeat.
3. Heel raise from a step with toes extended
- In socks/bare feet, stand at the bottom of the step facing it and place a rolled-up towel across the step.
- Stand upright on the step with only the front half of each foot on the step and the toes on the towel so that they are raised towards the ceiling – the heels should drop down below the step.
- Have a wall/stable object nearby to assist with balance.
- Push down through the front of the feet and toes so that your heels rise.
- Lift the heels as high as possible and then with control, slowly lower the heels all the way down over the course of a 5-second count.
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 programme focuses on maintaining range of movement/flexibility within the foot and ankle, appropriate loading of the affected tissue and maintenance of lower limb strength and stability. We suggest you carry this out once a day for approximately 2-6 weeks as pain allows. We can work into pain during these exercises but ideally, this should not exceed any more than 5/10 on your self-perceived pain scale.
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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.
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