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Plantar
fasciitis rehbilitation
Rehabilitation exercises
Alternative exercises
When can I return to my sport or activity?
How long will the effects of the injury last?
Read more about
plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis
rehabilitation
As an athlete, your number one concern is getting back to full strength
as soon as possible so that you can return to training and competition.
That is why appropriate rehabilitation is extremely important. Rehabilitation
for plantar fasciitis often includes the following:
- reduce activity
during the acute phase
- ice injury multiple
times per day (place foot in bucket of ice water)
- use 1/8" felt
pad heel lifts in both shoes until symptoms are gone
- use anti-inflammatory
medications such as ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and speed up recovery
It's important to
stretch and strengthen the injured foot 3 to 4 times a day, beginning
when you wake in the morning. For symmetrical development of both legs,
and to prevent plantar faciitis in the uninjured foot, exercises should
be applied to both the right and left foot.
If pain at the heel
or sole of the foot occurs during stretching exercises, back off from
the amount of stretch. Pain indicates possible further damage to the already
injured fascia.
Tightness of the calf
muscles may contribute to plantar fasciitis, so stretching the calf muscles
is important to rehabilitation, as is stretching of the plantar fascia
itself.
Rehabilitation
exercises
The following exercises stretch the plantar fascia, the calf muscles,
and the Achilles tendon:
- Assisted Dorsiflexion/Plantar
Fascia Stretch
Sit on the floor or ground with both legs outstretched. Use a towel
or elastic band and wrap it around the affected foot. Use the towel
to provide resistance to upward movement of the forefoot. Pull toes
upward with the help of the elastic band, and then allow them to return
to the starting position. It's recommended to do ten repetitions several
times a day.
- Calf and Achilles
tendon stretch
Face a wall, standing an arm's length away. Place both hands on the
wall. Bend the elbows so that your forehead nearly touches the wall,
or until significant stretch is felt in the muscles of the calves. Hold
this position for 10 to 15 seconds. Extend elbows and maintain this
position for 10 seconds. Repeat this cycle 15 to 20 times.
Strengthening the
muscles of the calves may contribute to successful rehabilitation of plantar
fasciitis as well as prevent recurrence. The exercises below strengthen
calf muscles.
- Double-toe raises
Stand facing a chair back or other supporting structure, resting fingertips
on the chair back for balance. Press downward with toes and raise heels
fully. Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds.
Repeat 15 to 20 times.
- Single-toe raises
When double-toe raises (exercise 3 directly above) can be easily performed
20 times, begin doing single-toe raises. Stand next to a chair back
or other supporting structure, resting fingertips on the chair back
for balance. Flex the knee of the leg farthest from the chair so that
the foot raises completely from the floor. Press downward with the toes
of the opposite foot, raising the heel fully. Hold this position for
10 to 15 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds. Repeat 15 to 20 times. Reverse
the positions of the legs and perform single-toe raises with the opposite
leg.
Alternative exercises
During the period when normal training should be avoided, alternative
exercises may be used. These activities should not require any actions
that create or intensify pain at the site of injury. They include:
When can I return
to my sport or activity?
The goal of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity
as soon as is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your
injury, which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury
at a different rate. Return to your activity is determined by how soon
your plantar fasciitis recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has
been since your injury occurred.
You may safely return
to your sport or activity when, starting from the top of the list and
progressing to the end, each of the following is true:
- You have full range
of motion in the injured foot compared to the uninjured foot.
- You have full strength
of the injured foot compared to the uninjured foot.
- You can jog straight
ahead without pain or limping.
- You can sprint
straight ahead without pain or limping.
- You can do 45-degree
cuts, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
- You can do 20-yard
figures-of-eight, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
- You can do 90-degree
cuts, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
- You can do 10-yard
figures-of-eight, first at half-speed, then at full-speed.
- You can jump on
both feet without pain and you can jump on the injured foot without
pain.
How long will the
effects of the injury last?
With proper rehabilitation, a first occurrence diagnosed and treated in
its early stages usually lasts a month. If the injury has recurred several
times, full recovery may take as long as 6 to 12 weeks.
Recurrences of plantar
fasciitis are more difficult to treat. An injury duration of 6 months
is not uncommon in recurrent cases. Sometimes, even with aggressive treatment,
recovery is delayed for a year or more. Unfortunately, recurrences are
fairly common, and a pattern in which plantar fasciitis reappears every
several months may evolve.
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