Exercise for heel pain – Let's Get Stretching

Exercise for heel pain is a great way to relieve the severe pain in your heel.

Stretching is the main exercise to relieve the heel pain. Heel pain is often brought on by plantar fascitis.

Plantar Fascitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The muscles in the sole of the foot support the arch of the foot by connecting the ball of the foot to the heel.

The pain is normally in the front and bottom of the heel and described as being a dull aching pain and is often reproduced by flexing the toes upward.

Severe heel pain will sometimes interfere with your normal exercise routine and regular stretching may not fully relieve the pain. Exercises for heel pain are very specific and are highly recommended by both podiatrists and physical therapists. The two most common exercises are the stair stretch heel exercise and the heel pain wall stretch. Both of these stretches should be performed while wearing proper tennis or running shoes.

You begin the stair stretch heel exercise by locating a step or curb to stand on and then placing your hands onto a firm surface such as a wall or hand rail to maintain your position and balance. Stepping up, balance yourself on the ball of your feet on the edge of the step or curb then slowly allow your body weight to stretch the calf muscle by dropping the heel of your foot below the edge of step or curb slowly until you can feel the tension. Do one foot at a time and slowly repeat for 20 repetitive stretches.

After completing the stair stretch heel exercise you might consider then doing the heel pain wall stretch. You begin the heel pain wall stretch exercise by facing the wall near a doorway.

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If you are suffering from heel pain from disorders such as plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, calcaneal bursitis and arch pain, you will apprecieate the HTP Heel Seat™. These heel seats feature a "Fasciitis Bar" that applies acupressure directly beneath the part of the foot where the heel meets the arch of the foot. This patented feature restretches the plantar fascia and redistributes your heel's natural fat pad while providing support to prevent collapse of the midfoot and won't interfere with the fit of your shoe.

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Using the hand closest to the doorway, lightly grasp the doorway frame to steady yourself. Begin by positioning one of your feet so that the ball of that foot is firmly against a wall; then slowly press the heel of that foot into the ground. Then slowly begin to apply pressure by pulling your weight towards the wall, by keeping your back foot flat to the floor, then repeat with other foot for 20 repetitive stretches. Be sure to take the time to do this stretch slowly to allow for the stretch to work.

It is recommended that you continue the stretches on a daily basis along with the recommended stretches of the calf muscle in order to begin to deal with your heel pain. Once your heel pain is resolved then you can slowly resume your normal workout exercises. To avoid re-injury be sure to stretch before any activity and never exercise through your pain.

Exercise for heel pain can be helpful to eliminate pain in the heel. By doing these exercises daily you should see a decrease in your heel pain symptoms.