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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staff
Follow these self-care tips to ease pain and discomfort in your foot:
- Put your feet up. Stay off your feet for several days when the pain is severe.
- Apply ice. Hold a cloth-covered ice pack over the area of pain for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times a day or after activity. Or try ice massage. Freeze a water-filled paper cup and roll it over the site of discomfort for about five to seven minutes. Regular ice massage can help reduce pain and inflammation.
- Decrease your miles. You probably won't have to permanently retire your running or walking shoes, but it's a good idea to cover shorter distances until pain subsides.
- Take up a no- or low-impact exercise. Swap swimming or bicycling in for walking or jogging. You'll likely be able to return to your regular activities as heel pain gradually improves. However, some people find that the only way to avoid a recurring problem is to give up high-impact activities, such as running and some forms of dance.
- Add arch supports to your shoes. Inexpensive over-the-counter arch supports take the tension off the plantar fascia and help absorb shock.
- Stretch your arches. Simple exercises using household objects can stretch your plantar fascia, Achilles tendon and calf muscles.
References
- Plantar fasciitis and bone spurs. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00149. Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
- Sheon RP, et al. Plantar fasciitis and other causes of heel and sole pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 27, 2011.
- Pasquina PF, et al. Plantar fasciitis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Musculoskeletal Disorders, Pain, and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1678/0.html. Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
- Thomas JL, et al. The diagnosis and treatment of heel pain: A clinical practice guideline — Revision 2010. The Journal of Foot & Ankle Surgery. 2010;49(suppl):S1.
- Running and jogging injuries. American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/documents/ST%20Running%20and%20Jogging%2008.pdf. Accessed Feb. 7, 2011.
- Stracciolini A, et al. Sports rehabilitation of the injured athlete. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 2007;8:43.
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