12 Plantar Fasciitis Exercises and Stretches

plantar fasciitis exercises

That sharp pain you feel in your heels every morning could indicate plantar fasciitis, the most common musculoskeletal disease of the foot. But you don’t have to put up with it. Physical therapy can help counteract the heel pain, strengthen your feet, and protect them from further injury. If you’re ready to get serious about treating your plantar fasciitis, keep reading for a roundup of the 12 best therapies for heel pain, including 5 plantar fasciitis exercises and 7 stretches.

Quick Overview of Plantar Fasciitis

Your plantar fascia is a band of tissue that connects your heel to your toes, acting as a natural arch and shock absorber. When stressed or strained, it can tear, leading to inflammation and pain.

Although the cause of plantar fasciitis is unclear, there are many risk factors that contribute to its development. A tight Achilles tendon can predispose you to plantar fasciitis. Tight calves, too, may be to blame; your calf muscle inserts at the heel bone, so if it is shortened and strained, it will pull on the plantar fascia.

Physical therapy can help you stretch tight muscles—those in your feet as well as your legs and hips—that worsen your heel pain. Once you’ve massaged and stretched them, a regular routine of plantar fasciitis exercises can build strength where it’s needed to prevent further pain.

Physical Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis

Most every physical therapy strategy includes a combination of stretches and exercises. But perhaps the most important ingredient is your consistency with the program. Stretching once is not enough, and you can’t expect results from a single rep. 

Therefore, try to perform these stretches and exercises every day. Hold each stretch for 10–30 seconds to the point of slight discomfort or tightness (but not pain), performing each stretch 2–4 times a day. 

For the exercises, aim to perform 10–15 repetitions every set. Consider repeating the set once or twice every workout, eventually performing as many as 45 repetitions a day of each exercise. 

Just be careful that you don’t overdo it and that you don’t ignore sharp pain. Begin slowly and increase frequency or intensity gradually, always stopping if it becomes painful. To be super safe, check with your doctor before attempting these stretches and exercises. 

7 Plantar Fasciitis Stretches 

1. Plantar Fascia Stretch/Massage

plantar fascia massage plantar fasciitis exercises

The plantar fascia is a superficial tendon, which means that it lies just below the surface of your skin and is easily accessible. Gently massaging this tight band can help release the tension behind your heel pain. 

Sit on the edge of your chair or bed, and cross your legs so your painful foot is on top of your other knee. Use one hand to gently pull back your toes and stabilize the top of your foot, while the other hand massages the plantar fascia. Simply follow the contour of your arch and apply pressure as you go. You should feel a strong but not uncomfortable stretch. Hold for 20–30 seconds, repeating 3–5 times per set. You can do this up to 10 times a day. 

foot massage

2. Foot Massage with Tennis Ball or Ice 

Another technique for massaging your plantar fascia requires a tennis or lacrosse ball. While seated, place the ball on the ground under your arch, then roll it back and forth and from side to side, 20 times in both directions. You can repeat this 5–10 times per day.

For a cryotherapy touch, swap the tennis ball for a frozen water bottle. An ice massage, with its cold shock, can abate painful inflammation while also relaxing your tight tendon. Wear a sock and roll the bottle under your arch and heel for 5–15 minutes a day.

calf release calf massage

3. Calf Release and Massage

I mentioned before that a tight calf muscle can prime the conditions for plantar fasciitis. Before stretching your calf, however, massaging it can help loosen up the muscle so it lengthens better. 

To begin, you’ll need a tennis ball or foam roller. Sit on the ground with your legs out in front of you and the tennis ball or foam roller under your calf. Roll your calf muscle over the ball or roller, stopping for 20 seconds to lean into areas that feel tight or tender. Repeat 5–10 times daily.

calf release

For an equipment-free version of this, you can use your other knee to work out the knots in your calf muscle. Lie down on your back with your knees bent and feet on the ground. Then cross your legs, resting your affected calf on top of your other knee. Use the weight of your leg to gently press into the knots in your calf muscle, holding each spot for 20 seconds. Repeat 5–10 times daily.

4. In-bed Calf Stretch   

Now that you’ve worked out the kinks, it’s time to stretch your calves. The easiest way is to stay seated on the floor and grab a towel or belt. You can also do this stretch in bed before getting up in the morning. Wrap the towel around the wide part of your foot, just above the arch, and gently pull the other ends toward you. Hold for 30 seconds, repeating 5 times

calf stretch

heel drop stretch

5. Heel Drop Stretch

Find a curb, a single step, or the foot of your stairs, preferably with a handrail for support if needed. Step onto the edge of the step with both feet so that your heels hang over the edge. Now, slowly lower your bodyweight into your hovering heels. You should feel a strong stretch in the back of your calves. Hold for 30 seconds, repeating 5–10 times

at the wall calf stretch plantar fasciitis exercises

Instead of a step, you can achieve a similar effect at a wall. Stand in front of a wall and place your foot up against it, with your toes on the wall but your heel on the ground. Straighten that front leg and lean forward until you feel a stretch, holding for 30 seconds. You can also vary this stretch—and work on your soleus muscle—by bending the front knee first. 

6. Lunge Stretch

lunge stretch

While facing the wall, try this lunge stretch. Switch legs so that your affected foot is behind you and your good leg in front of you. Make sure your back leg is straight and that back foot is in line with your shoulder and pointing to the wall (not flaring out to the side). Keep your front leg bent and in line with your corresponding shoulder. Now, place your hands on the wall and lean into it, keeping your back leg as straight as possible. Hold for 30 seconds, repeating 5–10 times daily.

7. Hamstring Stretch

Believe it or not, your hamstring muscles may be contributing to your plantar fasciitis. When the backs of your legs are tight, your knees have to bend more, which front-loads your foot and can overwork the plantar fascia. That’s why stretching your hamstrings is a necessary but often overlooked step to treating plantar fasciitis. 

Lie on your back and bring your knee towards your chest using your hands or a towel behind your leg. Gently extend this leg with your foot toward the ceiling. You should feel the stretch behind your leg along your hamstrings. Hold for 30 seconds, repeating 5–10 times daily. 

hamstring stretch

Alternatively, you can stretch your hamstrings at a step. Face your stairs and place your foot on the bottom step. While holding on to the handrail, gently lean forward into the step, keeping your front knee straight and your back upright. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, repeating 5–10 times daily. 

5 Plantar Fasciitis Exercises

1. Foot Dome Exercise

If you have plantar fasciitis, there’s a good chance you have weak arches. Making “foot domes” is a way to strengthen the intrinsic muscles of your feet that uphold your arch. 

To make a foot dome, stand barefoot and place a penny under your arch. Now lift just the arch of your foot to reveal the penny—it’ll feel somewhat like cupping your hands. Don’t scrunch your toes as you do this; focus instead on lifting from the middle of your foot, where the penny is. Hold each foot dome for a second or two before releasing, then repeat 10–15 times. 

Once regular foot domes become easy, step it up with a foot dome squat. Stand with feet hip-width distance apart. Dome your feet and perform a squat while maintaining the dome. Be sure to squeeze your glutes and leg muscles as you rise from sit to stand. Shoot for 3 sets of 15 reps of foot dome squats. 

2. Heel raises with weight shift

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, near a counter if you need it for balance. Rise up onto the balls of your feet, then gently shift your weight to the affected side. Slowly lower down on both feet, with 75% of your bodyweight still shifted onto the affected side. Reset and repeat 10–15 times.

plantar fasciitis exercise heel raise weight shift

To challenge yourself further, try a couple variations of this move. First, rise up on both heels as before, shifting your weight onto your affected side. Lower down on only that affected foot, with your other foot still elevated. This way, your other foot assists only on the way up, but your affected foot carries your weight on the way down. 

Or, take this exercise to the bottom of your stairs. Stand on the edge of the bottom step and hold onto the handrail for support. Shift your weight onto your affected foot, lift your other foot, and lower down until your heel is just below the edge of the step. You should feel a stretch as you do this, but back off if you feel pain.  

heel drop at step plantar fasciitis exercises

On that note, this move is challenging, and you should only attempt it after a few weeks of consistent stretching, foot doming, and regular heel raises.    

3. Side-stepping

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then perform a shallow squat with knees bent, as if you’re about to sit down. From here, step sideways, keeping your knees pointing forward, your abdominals tight, and your glutes active. To work both sides of your body, perform 5 steps in each direction, repeating 3 times

lateral stepping sidestepping

Eventually, you can challenge yourself further by looping a mini resistance band above your knees before performing sidesteps. 

4. Standing Hip Abduction

To fix your plantar fasciitis for good, you’ll need to change your alignment: the way your hips, knees, and feet relate to each other spatially. One part of that process involves strengthening your hip muscles, which can reduce the load that your feet carry. This simple move targets the hip abductors. 

standing hip abduction plantar fasciitis exercises

Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart. While staying upright, open your leg out to the side and slightly behind you at a 45º angle. Be careful not to lean as you do this, and hold onto a countertop if you need support. Alternate sides and repeat 10–15 times per set. When you’re ready to further challenge this movement, loop a resistance band around your ankles. 

5. Clamshell

The clamshell exercise targets your gluteus medius, a rear muscle which helps position your hip. Strengthening this muscle helps ensure stable mechanics all the way down your leg, from your hips to your knees to your feet.

Lie on your side with your head, trunk, and hips in line and bend your knees to 90º. From here, squeeze your abdominals and slowly lift your top knee towards the ceiling. Keep your feet together as you do this; it should feel like you’re hinging at the hip. You also don’t want your pelvis to rotate forward or backward as you lift your knee, so try performing this with your back against a wall to stabilize your pelvis. In total, aim to perform 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.

clamshell exercise

Final Thoughts

Research affirms that stretching can improve outcomes of plantar fasciitis without the need for surgery. And plantar fasciitis exercises, like the ones in this post, can help correct the problem so it doesn’t reoccur. 

However, there are many other contributors to plantar fasciitis besides tight or weak muscles. Chronic factors such as age, excess weight and occupational activity can all play a part. A recent change in activity level or exercise, such as a new running plan, can irritate and even tear the plantar fascia. Poor footwear is one example of how even small changes can have a big impact on your plantar fasciitis. 

For more ways to address and fix your plantar fasciitis at home, check out this article

Tim Fraticelli DPT, MBA, CFP®

Tim Fraticelli is a Physical Therapist, Certified Financial Planner™ and founder of PTProgress.com. He loves to teach PTs and OTs ways to save time and money in and out of the clinic, especially when it comes to documentation or continuing education. Follow him on YouTube for weekly videos on ways to improve your financial health.