Foot pain can really slow you down. Whether it’s pain in your heel or your big toe, it can make every step excruciating. Walking can be painful and running can feel impossible! Fortunately there are solutions that will help you stop living with foot pain.
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, we see lots of people who suffer from pain in their feet. We are able to resolve most foot issues without surgery or injections.
Some basic exercises can provide relief and help you stop living with foot pain. Here are 3 easy exercises you can do to restore your foot to health and start living without pain again.
Plantar Fascia Stretch
This stretch is good when you have pain across the arch of your foot or the bottom of your heel. It stretches the plantar fascia and the tendon that attaches it to the heel on the bottom of your foot.
You should feel this stretch along the bottom of your foot and into your heel. Be sure to pull up on your toes to get the most stretch.
Hold this stretch for 30 seconds relax for 10 seconds, then repeat for another 30 seconds. Do this 3 times a day.
Eccentric Heel Raise
This exercise increases the strength of your calf, Achilles tendon, plantar fascia and even your big toe. Even if your calf is strong, if the plantar fascia or Achilles tendon is irritated or degenerating, doing calf strengthening exercises will actually stimulate the healing process.
This exercise can help your big toes muscles get used to work correctly again as well. You just don’t want to push through any pain more than a 2 on a 0 to 10 pain scale.
Start with 2 sets of 10 reps, spending 3 seconds on the lowering part of the exercise. Work up to 3 sets and then increase the reps up to 15. If that gets easy, you can try them on the edge of a step or add some weight.
Do these 3 days a week. Remember, 2 out of 10 pain is ok with this exercise and a lot of research suggests it actually helps the healing process. It should not be sharp though and it should not be so bad that it makes you grimace.
Loaded Big Toe Flexion
This exercise is great if you are having big toe pain when you walk or run. Sometimes the muscles in the arch that control the big toe aren’t working and this exercise can help.
While sitting down, raise you heel as high as you can while keeping your big toe flat on the floor. Once you’re there, alternate between pushing the big toe into the floor and letting the pressure off.
You may feel some muscle cramping in your arch when you do this too. That will go away as it gets easier.
Do this 20 reps for 5 sec holds, 2 times a day. As this exercise gets easier, you can progress it to other positions, like standing or in a partial lunge.
None of the exercises above should make you hurt more.
If you’ve tried these and you’re still hurting, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, our physical therapists are experts at treating foot pain and will develop a plan to help you stop it.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request and appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What happens if you don’t have a plan to stop living with foot pain?
- You hate to walk with your family and friends because your foot hurts
- You stop running or playing sports because it hurts your foot
- You get out of shape and are more likely to get other diseases and injuries
But WITH a plan to stop living with foot pain you can live the life you want again.
The exercises above are a great way to get started. They don’t require a lot of time and are pretty easy to do correctly.
But if you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to stop living with foot pain and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and start your path to healing.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team
