Be sure to share this with your friends suffering from heel pain.
Plantar fasciitis is a common problem for many people. It's really not hard to get rid of it as long as you are diligent about stretching, icing and strengthening.
The majority of people skip the icing part or in effectively roll it on an iced bottle of water. You need total saturation of the area. I always recommend a bucket of ice water filled to just above the ankle and sit with your foot fully submrged for 10 minutes just before bed every night until its gone. You can use a meat thermometer to make sure the water is at least 53°.
The rest of your home work is simple. Two calve stretches and one toe stretch.
Gastroc stretch
This muscle is the big calf muscle. You much keep the knee straight to stretch this. Hold for 90 seconds.
The Soleus Stretch
The Soleus is the other calf muscle deep inside. To stretch this one requires you to bend the knee first. Then drop your heal off a step. Hold for 90 seconds. You must stretch both if you have the heel pain.
The Big Toe Stretch
The third most over looked stretch is the big toe or foot flexibility. This best done next to a wall. Put your heel on the ground and toes elevated on the wall. Now slide your foot down the wall letting your toes bend back to almost 90°. Hold for 90 seconds.
I'll post more about the strength exercises in later post. You must do this every night before bed and finish with the ice. If you stay diligent you are looking at it going away within a couple weeks. Depending on how bad it is of course. I hope this helps. Let us know if this helped you. Email us at NH@hadlcenter.com.
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