Plantar fasciitis

KrisJ125

I have had bottom of the heel pain for a couple of weeks. I suspected plantar fasciitis and my doctor agreed (based on my description of symptoms--no tests were done). My question is what's the best way to deal with it? Doc said to stretch it via calf stretch which in turn stretches Achilles tendon and then plantar fascia. However I have seen advice saying the foot needs rest-not stretching. What do you all think?
It doesn't hurt all the time: in sneakers or earth shoes it feels pretty good, but if I venture onto my ceramic floors without shoes it begins hurting within a minute!

jemhh

stretch stretch stretch

I just finished PT for Achilles tendinitis. That involved a lot of stretching and balance work. The last week, I started having PF symptoms in my other foot. I looked online and it seemed like the same stretches I'd been doing for AT were advised for PF. When I asked my PT about it, he said yes that is the case so I should just do the same stuff on both sides. This is what I do twice a day:

- Sit on floor with legs straight out in front of me. Take a towel or strap around one foot and pull it toward me so that I feel the stretch. Hold for 30 seconds. Do 3 sets on each foot.
- Sit in a chair or lie on the floor with my leg up in the air. Write the alphabet with my toes. You can use cursive or printing, uppercase or lowercase, doesn't matter ( ). Do it once with each foot.

Then once a day I use one of these things. I stand on one leg (holding on to a chair) and flex foot forward and backward 20 times, side to side 20 times, counterclockwise 20 times, and clockwise 20 times.

I'd always been fairly lax on doing calf exercises but now I do standing calf raises twice a week. Often it is 20 with just bodyweight, though I'm starting to add a tiny bit of weight (I hold a dumbbell in one hand because I do this at home and it's easiest for me to hold a weight in one hand and hold onto something else with my other hand so I maintain my balance.)