I would like to know how to do the exercise for Plantar Fasciitis.  Do you have a video or instructions?

Plantar fasciitis is diagnosed by history and physical exam.  One person with plantar fasciitis describes it as “feeling like I’m trying to walk on shards of glass that have been shot out of a volcano.”  The history is plantar (bottom of the foot) pain, especially in the morning, that typically decreases as the day progresses.  On physical exam, there is tenderness on the plantar surface of the foot, along with tight calf muscles.  The calf muscles tighten up at night because the ankle is in extension, which permits the shortened muscle to tighten further, thus contributing to the early morning pain.  The tightening pull of the calf muscles, exacerbated with impact on the foot, stretches and inflames the bottom of the foot.  This can happen with such triggers as poor shoe support, walking on cement, playing basketball in sandals, dancing in incorrect shoes, weight gain, etc.

Since the impact on the feet and subsequent tight calf muscles are the causes, massage of the feet and relaxation of the calf muscles are the treatments.  These require a massage therapist who knows how to release the calf muscles, while placing the ankle in flexion.  I have found it most beneficial when the massage goes gently across the grain of the muscle.  The exercise you can do at home is stretching your calf muscles-just lean forward with your back foot (especially the heel) on the ground.  You can also stand on a step and allow the heels of your feet to descend below the angle of the step, allowing a pull in the calf muscles as the heels drop down below the toes.  A good massage therapist will also gently massage the feet, to work out the inflamed areas, as soon as the feet can tolerate massage and stretching.

These stretches will be important to do for a long time.  For most people, plantar fasciitis takes years to recover from, but complete recovery is indeed possible.    Some have tried a boot while sleeping that keeps the ankle in flexion during sleep, but most have found that to be very uncomfortable.  Another option is to sleep on one’s stomach and allow the toes and most of the foot to hang over the edge of the bed, or extend the calf muscles while sleeping on the side.

Some have suggested surgery as an option, but I do not recommend it at all.  Surgery may provide symptomatic relief (or it may not), but it does not address the core problem.