7 plantar fasciitis exercises and stretches you should try
Discover the best plantar fasciitis exercises and stretches for relief, learn how to perform them safely, and get physical therapy tips for prevention.
Table of Contents
Your feet are key to helping you power through your day, from a morning workout to grocery shopping to standing in your boss’s office for a meeting that just won’t end. So when the bottom of your feet hurt it can really impede everyday activities.
The most common cause of bottom of the foot pain is plantar fasciitis. It happens when the plantar fascia — a band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot and supports your arch — becomes inflamed, says Courteney Kemp, PT, DPT, a physical therapist at Hinge Health. The good news: Targeted plantar fasciitis exercises and stretches can help ease the pain.
Read on to learn how to get plantar fasciitis relief at home with exercises recommended by Hinge Health physical therapists.
Interested in getting a personalized exercise therapy plan? Learn more about Hinge Health’s digital physical therapy program and see if you’re eligible.
Reviewed by our clinical and medical experts
Courteney Kemp, PT, DPT
Jonathan Lee, MD, MBA
Dylan Peterson, PT, DPT
Plantar fasciitis exercises and stretches for pain relief
This exercise is great for strengthening calf muscles, which in turn reduces strain on the plantar fascia and promotes good foot alignment and support.
How to do it:
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place one hand on a table for balance.
Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels off the floor. Focus on squeezing your calf muscles as you hold this position.
Relax your heels back to the floor.
Get more information on how to do a calf raise.
This stretch increases your ankle’s range of motion, which can help reduce symptoms of plantar heel pain. “It reduces the strain in the plantar fascia from the calf muscle when you stand and walk or run,” says Dr. Kemp.
How to Do It:
Sitting on the ground, straighten one leg out in front of you and bend your other knee to place your foot flat on the floor.
Wrap a towel around your foot and hold the ends of the towel with your hands.
Pull the towel to stretch the top of your foot back toward your chest. Focus on relaxing breaths as you hold this stretch.
Relax the tension on the towel to return your foot to the starting position.
3. Plantar fascia stretch
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →This movement loosens the plantar fascia, which reduces inflammation and keeps the tissue limber during activity. “I suggest doing this one in the morning, before you stand for long periods of time or doing exercise,” says Dr. Kemp.
How to do it:
Sit in a chair with one ankle resting on your opposite thigh. Your other foot should be resting flat on the floor.
Use your hand to pull your toes and the top of your foot toward your shin.
Focus on creating length along the bottom of your foot as you hold this stretch.
4. Hamstring stretch
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →Research shows that people with tight hamstrings are much more likely to experience plantar fasciitis. “If your hamstrings are tight, it puts more pressure throughout your foot,” points out Dr. Kemp.
How to do it:
Start by standing comfortably. Straighten one foot out in front of you, placing your heel on the floor with your toes lifting toward the ceiling.
Hinge at your hips to move your chest toward the floor while your legs remain straight.
Return to standing.
Get more information on how to do a hamstring stretch.
Physical therapy (PT) is for more than just recovering from surgery or injury. It’s one of the top treatments for joint and muscle pain. It helps build strength, improve mobility, and reduce pain. And it doesn't always need to be in person.
Hinge Health members can conveniently access customized plans or chat with their care team at home or on the go — and experience an average 68% reduction in pain* within the first 12 weeks of their program. Learn more*.
This exercise strengthens your lower body muscles, including your hips, which helps relieve stress on the plantar fascia ligament.
How to do it:
Lie comfortably on your back.
With your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, push through your feet to raise your hips off the floor.
Squeeze your butt muscles at the top of the move.
Relax your hips back to the floor.
Get more information on how to do a bridge.
6. Towel scrunches
Want expert care? Check if you're covered for our free program →This move may seem simple but it can do a lot to help strengthen your toes, which, in turn, takes pressure off your plantar fascia.
How to do it:
Sit with your feet flat on the floor and a towel between the front of your target foot and the floor.
The towel should lay flat on the floor, extending away from the front of your foot.
Use your toes to scrunch the towel toward you.
Focus on using the tips of your toes to pull the towel.
Lift and straighten your toes to continue scrunching the towel.
Toe presses help to improve toe and foot strength. They activate muscles in each layer of your feet to help you feel stronger and more resilient when you stand and move.
How to do it:
Sit with your feet flat on the floor and push both sets of toes down into the floor.
Focus on feeling the pressure between the pads of your toes and the floor.
Relax your toes.
One of the best ways to prevent and manage plantar fasciitis is to strengthen and stretch your lower body frequently. “Plantar fasciitis is aggravated by tight foot and calf muscles,” explains Dr. Kemp. And strengthening the structures in and around your feet keeps them resilient to aches and pain. Hinge Health physical therapists recommend the above moves to treat and prevent plantar fasciitis.
The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition. Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.
Benefits of plantar fasciitis exercises
The vast majority of people with plantar fasciitis feel better with simple treatment methods. Staying active is important to recovery. Being sedentary will only cause the plantar fascia to become less tolerant to daily activities. While weight-bearing movements may feel scary or uncomfortable at first, they’re key to your recovery and can lead to the following benefits:
Pain relief. Targeted exercises can help alleviate the pain caused by plantar fasciitis by stretching and strengthening the muscles and tissues around the heel and foot arch.
Improved foot strength. Exercises for plantar fasciitis can strengthen the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the foot.
Lower risk of pain and reinjury. When all the muscles in your lower body are strong, your feet don’t have to work as hard to support you as you stand, walk, run, and perform a range of functional movements. As a result, you’ll set yourself up for less pain and lower risk of plantar fasciitis in the future.
Enhanced circulation. Exercises can improve blood flow to your feet, promoting healing and reducing inflammation.
Improved mobility. As your foot pain and stiffness decrease, your overall foot and ankle mobility can improve, making it easier to walk, stand, and engage in daily activities.
How to treat prevent plantar fasciitis
The vast majority of people with plantar fasciitis feel better with simple treatment methods. Here are some ways to handle bottom of foot pain.
Do physical therapy. A physical therapist can create an exercise program to help you stretch and strengthen your calf muscles and plantar fascia. You can see a physical therapist in person or use a program like Hinge Health to access a PT via telehealth/video visit.
Modify your activities. You should absolutely continue to be active, move, and exercise, stresses Dr. Kemp. If certain activities hurt, find a gentler alternative. For example, if you’re a runner and it hurts the bottom of your feet to run, consider switching to brisk walking or cycling temporarily.
Stretch first thing in the morning. Stretch out your plantar fascia when you wake up in the morning or after you have been sitting for a long time, says Dr. Kemp. You could even roll your foot over a frozen water bottle for five to 10 minutes. “The bottle provides a massage to loosen up tight tissue, and the ice helps to decrease pain and inflammation,” she explains.
Wear silicone heel pads. These raise and cushion your heels. They may help relieve pain, especially if used along with frequent stretching.
How to prevent plantar fasciitis
If you’ve had plantar fasciitis once, you don’t want to have it again. Here are some tips to help prevent bottom of foot pain flares from recurring.
Stay active. This helps keep your feet, as well as your hips and lower legs, strong. Be sure to increase the frequency and intensity of your exercise gradually to help your body adjust and stave off pain.
Wear supportive shoes. Strappy sandals are fine for an hour or two, but in general, everyday shoes should be sturdy, well-cushioned, and have good arch support.
Change out your athletic shoes more frequently. The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine recommends replacing shoes every 300-500 miles of running or walking, and every 45-60 hours of activities like basketball, aerobic dance, or tennis (that’s roughly a new pair of shoes every year if you do these activities an hour a week).
Consider orthotics. If you have flat feet or high arches, orthotics can help foot arch pain, which can reduce the risk of plantar fasciitis, says Dr. Kemp.
Cross train. If you normally do activities that involve running or jumping every day of the week, try mixing in some biking, swimming, stretching, and strengthening exercises a few days in place of your normal activities. This gives you a chance to work a lot of different muscles and helps your body build up strength, tolerance, and resilience to activities that tend to cause foot pain.
PT tip: Build up your tolerance
It’s important to remember that there’s no such thing as a “bad” activity, even if you have plantar fasciitis and certain activities cause some pain. “It's all about building up your tolerance to activity,” says Dr. Kemp. For example, if you're a runner or an avid walker and those activities hurt your feet, start with short walks or runs and do them more frequently throughout your day or week, Dr. Kemp suggests. Then, gradually increase the duration or intensity of your workouts. This allows the tissue to build up tolerance and be able to handle more stress placed on it.
How Hinge Health can help you
If you have joint or muscle pain that makes it hard to move, you can get the relief you’ve been looking for with Hinge Health’s online exercise therapy program.
The best part: You don’t have to leave your home because our program is digital. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app when and where it works for you.
Through our program, you’ll have access to therapeutic exercises and stretches for your condition. Additionally, you’ll have a personal care team to guide, support, and tailor our program to you.
See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.
This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.
Looking for pain relief? Check if your employer or health plan covers our program
References
Gulrandhe, P., Yadav, V., & Naqvi, W. M. (2023). Correlation Between Foot Posture and Hamstring Muscle Tightness. Cureus, 15(7), e42046. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.42046
Trojian, T., & Tucker, A. K. (2019). Plantar Fasciitis. American Family Physician, 99(12), 744–750. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0615/p744.html
Buchbinder, R. (2022, November). Plantar Fasciitis. UptoDate. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/plantar-fasciitis
Perri, M. J., Beahrs, T., & Kadakia, A. R. (2022, August). Plantar Fasciitis and Bone Spurs. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/plantar-fasciitis-and-bone-spurs
Furman, A. (n.d.). How Do I Know When It Is Time To Replace My Athletic Shoes? American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine. http://www.aapsm.org/replace_shoes.html
Bonanno, D. R., Murley, G. S., Munteanu, S. E., Landorf, K. B., & Menz, H. B. (2017). Effectiveness of foot orthoses for the prevention of lower limb overuse injuries in naval recruits: a randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52(5), 298–302. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-098273