WalkitoComing soonExercises for plantar fasciitis
For heel pain from plantar fasciitis, the 2023 clinical guideline gives its top grade to plantar fascia and calf stretching, and a B to strength training. In a trial of 48 people, slow single-leg heel raises with a towel under the toes improved pain and function faster than stretching alone — though by twelve months the two groups had caught up with each other.
The exercises, with starting doses
These are the exercises Walkito uses for heel pain, at the doses it starts from.
Plantar fascia stretch
10 × 10 s, each foot — the first before you stand up
Sitting, cross the foot over the other knee and pull the toes back until you feel the stretch in the arch, not the calf.
Calf stretch
3 × 30 s, each leg
Hands on a wall, back leg straight, heel down, hips forward. A tight calf pulls on the heel all day.
Soleus stretch
3 × 30 s, each leg
The same position, with the back knee bent until you feel it lower, near the heel. The deeper calf muscle only lets go with the knee bent.
Heel raises with a towel
3 × 12, each leg, every other day
On a step, on one foot, with a rolled towel under the toes. Three seconds up, two held at the top, three down. The towel is what makes this load the fascia rather than just the calf.
Single-leg heel raises
3 × 15, each leg
The version to keep once the pain settles. Slow — three up, three down. Speed is what makes it useless.
Strength or stretching?
In a randomised trial of 48 people with plantar fasciitis confirmed by ultrasound, one group did high-load heel raises and the other plantar-specific stretching. At three months the strength group scored 29 points lower on the Foot Function Index (95% CI 6–52, p = 0.016).
At twelve months the two groups had converged — 22 against 16, no significant difference. Strength work brings improvement forward; it does not make it bigger. Doing both is what the guideline supports.
Rathleff MS, Mølgaard CM, Fredberg U, et al. High-load strength training improves outcome in patients with plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial with 12-month follow-up. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2015;25(3):e292–e300.
What the 2023 guideline recommends, and against
- Plantar fascia and calf stretching — grade A
- Taping, for 1–6 weeks — grade A
- Night splints for 1–3 months, for pain on the first steps of the morning — grade A
- Resistance and strength training — grade B
- Orthotics — grade B, but not on their own
- Therapeutic ultrasound — grade A against using it
Koc TA Jr, Bise CG, Neville C, et al. Heel Pain — Plantar Fasciitis: Revision 2023. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2023;53(12):CPG1–CPG39.
Should you rest completely?
No. The guideline advises against complete rest, which increases stiffness. Change the load instead: on a bad morning, keep the stretches and drop the heel raises for the day.
Koc TA Jr, Bise CG, Neville C, et al. Heel Pain — Plantar Fasciitis: Revision 2023. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2023;53(12):CPG1–CPG39.
Why it comes back
Heel pain often returns, and the usual way is stopping the exercises the week it stops hurting. Walkito keeps two sessions a week after the twelve weeks for that reason.
If your arches are flat as well, the arch has its own exercises and its own timeline — see exercises for flat feet.
See a clinician first if
- the pain followed an injury or a fall
- it comes with numbness, tingling, burning, swelling or warmth
- it wakes you at night
- one arch has flattened suddenly as an adult
Doing it as a program
Walkito runs this as a 12-week plan that reads your morning pain: a bad morning drops the heel raises and shortens the session; a good one never speeds it up. Every 14 days it retests calf endurance, arch hold and single-leg balance. How the program works.
Walkito is an exercise program. It does not diagnose and does not treat. If pain is sharp, getting worse, or stopping you sleeping, see a clinician.