First 4 Therapy

Plantar fasciitis
Planta - Fash-ee-ahy-tis) usually presents as heel pain sometimes radiating to the arch of the foot. Studies have found that reduced calf flexibility as well as foot muscle weakness correlates with plantar fasciitis.

To avoid this all too common pain - first, make sure you have the correct footwear when you go exercising. This doesn’t mean going to buy the most expensive trainers on the market, but make sure they are light, comfortable, the right size and done up correctly to support your feet (not too tight though!). Flat feet/ high arched feet are more predisposed to Plantar Fasciitis. Runner’s World shops do a slow motion video assessment of your feet whilst running, assess abnormalities and suggest footwear.

Find out more about this here: http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/acatalog/Gait-Analysis

Alternatively it may be a good idea to see a musculoskeletal podiatrist and have your feet assessed for insoles. This is a great way to make sure that you can keep up a sustainable exercise regime which will provide the long term benefits you are looking for.

Here is a video of some simple and fun exercises you can do to strengthen the small muscles of the foot .

1. Begin by sitting and progress to standing scrunches with both feet, then to scrunches standing on one foot.

2. Pick up a small object – for example a cotton ball - with one foot and place it into a small cup on the floor.

Begin in sitting and progress to standing - sets of 10 reps of each exercise.

Aim to do these exercises x 3 times per week, this will mean you stand a much better chance of avoiding Plantar Fasciitis.

I will show calf stretches in my next post on the Ankle