Plantar fasciitis: Simple exercises that can help relieve foot pain

Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the thick band of tissue called fascia that runs from the heels to the toes at the bottom of your foot.

This inflammation causes a lot of pain in the heels, especially in the morning or after you have been sitting for a long time. It mostly affects women, between the ages 40-60, according to webmd.com.

To treat plantar fasciitis, it is advised to wear the correct form of supportive footwear and undergo physical therapy.

Taking to Instagram, Bhagyashree, who keeps sharing health tips, suggested simple exercises to cope with plantar fasciitis. Try these:

*Take a soft medium-sized ball, almost the size of a tennis ball. Place it under the arch of your foot. Roll your foot forward and backward a few times.

*Place a towel just under your foot. Using your toes, gradually crumple it towards yourself. Then release the towel the same way. Repeat this exercise thrice.

*Sit on a surface and stretch out a leg. Use the middle portion of a band or dupatta and place it under the arch of your foot. Hold either end of the band in your hands tightly. Bring your toes towards your body, flex them and then release.

Similarly, hold the band or dupatta around your toe and repeat the exercise.

*Stand on the corner of a step with half a foot in. Stand on your toes and then press your heel towards the floor. Do 10 repetitions.

Bhagyashree recommended doing these exercises twice a day. She also wrote, “What can start off with a simple problem of wrong footwear, can get aggravated into something extremely painful. Most people keep ignoring it or mere use painkillers to combat the problem, making it even worse.”

One should ideally contact a doctor if they experience heel pain early in the morning or are unable to stand or walk without sole pain, she said.

“Cold compress when painful. When not in pain make sure you do these exercises,” she added.