Plantar fasciitis stretches and exercises
Rahim Hudaykulyyev & Rahman BazarovHow we research
Medically reviewed by Dr. Carla Shayman, PT, DPT, OCS ·
The best plantar fasciitis stretches are the plantar fascia stretch (10 holds of 10 seconds, seated, before your first steps in the morning) and the calf and soleus stretches (3 holds of 30 seconds), which the 2023 heel pain guideline grades A, its top grade. The best exercises add calf strength work, graded B: heel raises that build up to slow heel raises with a towel under the toes.
This is for the pain of plantar fasciitis: a sharp pull at the heel on your first steps out of bed or after sitting, which eases once you’re moving. The 2023 clinical guideline for heel pain calls it the most commonly recognized cause of heel pain under the foot. If an X-ray shows a spur, heel spur exercises covers the same routine.
Printable version: these exercises on a free 2-page PDF with a week log. Download the PDF or see all printable sheets.
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Which stretches and exercises help plantar fasciitis?
Below are eight exercises: three stretches, four strength steps and a foot roll, in the order Walkito uses them. These are Walkito’s starting doses, not a prescription. A one-page summary is on printable exercise sheets. How these guides are written. If any exercise takes your pain to 6/10 or more, stop for the day. That is the point where Walkito ends a session.
| Exercise | Dose | How often | What you should feel | Stop if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantar fascia stretch | 10 holds of 10 seconds, each foot | Most sessions, the first seated, before you stand up | A stretch along the arch, not the calf | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Calf stretch | 3 holds of 30 seconds, each leg | Most sessions, in turn with the other stretches | A stretch in the calf of the straight back leg | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Soleus stretch | 3 holds of 30 seconds, each leg | Most sessions, in turn with the other stretches | A stretch low in the calf, near the heel | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Seated heel raises | 3 sets of 10, both feet | Strength days, 3 a week, never two in a row | Work low in the calf (the soleus), with almost no load on the heel | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Heel raises on both feet | 3 sets of 10, both feet | Strength days, once the seated raises feel easy | The calves working, with both feet sharing the load | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Heel raise hold | 3 holds of 20 seconds, both feet | Strength days, the next step up | The calves working to stay still at the top | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Heel raises with a towel | 3 sets of 12, each leg, with added weight | Strength days, once the goal moves on to calf strength | Hard work in the calf and a pull under the arch | Pain reaches 6/10 |
| Foot roll | 2 minutes | Recovery days | Firm pressure under the foot, never a wince | Pain reaches 6/10 |
Plantar fascia stretch
Sit down and cross the foot over the other knee. Pull the toes back until you feel the stretch in the arch, not the calf. Do the first one on the edge of the bed, before your foot touches the floor. Step by step: plantar fascia stretch.
Evidence: Strong. The 2023 heel pain guideline grades stretching A, its top grade.
Calf stretch
Put your hands on a wall. Keep the back leg straight, the back heel flat on the floor and the hips forward. A tight calf pulls on the heel all day, so this calf stretch matters even though you feel it higher up.
Evidence: Strong. The 2023 heel pain guideline grades stretching A, its top grade.
Soleus stretch
In the exercise library: Soleus stretch (bent knee)
Take the same position, keep the back heel flat, then bend the back knee until you feel the stretch lower down, near the heel. The soleus, the deeper calf muscle, only lets go with the knee bent.
Evidence: Strong. The 2023 heel pain guideline grades stretching A, its top grade.
How do you build up the strengthening exercises?
While pain is your goal, Walkito keeps the calf work gentle, one step at a time:
- Seated heel raises first, for the soleus.
- Then heel raises on both feet.
- Then a held heel raise.
You move up a step once the last two sessions with it felt easy. The towel heel raise loads the plantar fascia the hardest, so it only comes in once morning pain has come down and the goal moves on to calf strength.
Seated heel raises
In the exercise library: Calf raises
Sit with your feet flat and press up through the balls of your feet. Hands on the knees add resistance. With the knee bent, this mainly works the soleus, the deeper calf muscle, not the gastrocnemius you work in standing heel raises. So it is not just an easier version of the standing raise: it targets a different muscle, with almost no load on the heel.
Evidence: Moderate. The 2023 guideline grades strength work B. This step was not tested on its own.
Heel raises on both feet
Stand on both feet, rise straight up over the big toes, then lower slowly. Both feet share the load while the calf wakes up.
Evidence: Moderate. The 2023 guideline grades strength work B. This step was not tested on its own.
Heel raise hold
Rise onto your toes on both feet, then stay still at the top. Don’t sink back down. Holding at the top loads the tendon without the bounce.
Evidence: Moderate. The 2023 guideline grades strength work B. This step was not tested on its own.
Heel raises with a towel
In the exercise library: Towel heel raise
Stand on one foot on a step, with a rolled towel under your toes. Take three seconds to rise, hold for two at the top, and take three seconds to lower. At this level Walkito adds weight, such as a backpack. The towel is what makes this exercise work the plantar fascia and not just the calf.
Evidence: Moderate. This is the routine from a 48-person trial, and the 2023 guideline grades strength work B.
Foot roll
In the exercise library: Foot roll
Sit and roll the sole of your foot slowly over a massage ball, with firm pressure. If you’re wincing, ease off. It is comfort care, not a replacement for stretching and calf strength work. No ball? Use firm thumb strokes from heel to toes instead.
Evidence: Early. Not tested in the studies on this page. It is here for comfort between sessions.
Walkito puts these exercises into 3, 5 or 10 minute sessions on the 3, 5 or 7 days a week you pick, and a bad morning in your check-in makes that day’s session lighter. Doing it as a plan
When is the best time to do plantar fasciitis stretches?
Key findingIn a trial of 82 people with chronic plantar fasciitis, stretching the plantar fascia before standing eased first-step morning pain more than calf stretching alone by eight weeks (DiGiovanni and colleagues, 2003).
Before your first steps in the morning, and before standing after sitting for a long time. Those are the two moments when the plantar fascia is stiffest and most likely to hurt.
A 2003 trial of 82 people with chronic plantar fasciitis tested a plantar fascia stretch done before weight-bearing: 10 holds of 10 seconds, three times a day, the first set before the first step of the morning. At eight weeks, that group had significantly less pain on their first morning steps than the group doing a calf stretch alone. By two years, after all patients received the same stretch, both groups had improved.
Walkito puts the first plantar fascia stretch on the edge of the bed, seated, before your feet touch the floor, for the same reason: stretching before the tissue takes load is gentler than after. For people whose first steps keep hurting, the 2023 guideline also gives night splints, worn for 1 to 3 months, an A. Ask your clinician if they are right for you; Walkito doesn’t provide them. More on heel pain in the morning.
Is strength work or stretching better for plantar fasciitis?
Key findingIn a trial of 48 people, the heel-raise group scored 29 points lower on the Foot Function Index at three months (on this scale a lower score means less pain and better function), but by twelve months the two groups were about even (Rathleff and colleagues, 2015).
Both help, and strength work helps sooner. In a trial of 48 people with plantar fasciitis confirmed by ultrasound, all wearing shoe inserts, one group added heavy heel raises every other day and the other stretched the plantar fascia.
At three months, the heel-raise group was clearly ahead on pain and daily function. At twelve months, the two groups were even. Strength work brought the improvement forward; it did not make it bigger. The guideline supports doing both. The study-by-study reasoning is on the evidence page.
Scored on the Foot Function Index, where a lower score means less pain and better function: 29 points lower in the heel-raise group at three months (95% CI 6-52, p = 0.016), and 22 against 16 at twelve months, not a significant difference.
What exercises should you avoid with plantar fasciitis?
Avoid high-impact activity that spikes the load on your heel while the pain is flared, and walking barefoot on hard floors first thing in the morning.
Jumping, sprinting and plyometrics cause a sudden peak force on the plantar fascia, which can set irritated tissue back. The 2023 guideline recommends adjusting the load on your feet at work, in sport and in daily life, advice graded E. It does not ban specific exercises. The question is whether the load is more than the tissue can recover from overnight.
Barefoot on hard floors is a common trigger because the fascia is stiffest after rest and a hard surface offers no cushion. Until symptoms settle, always wear a well-cushioned shoe, at all times of day and even in the house. If you also have Achilles pain near the back of the heel, avoid deep heel drops off a step edge, which can load the Achilles insertion, and keep the towel heel raise on flat ground until a clinician clears the Achilles side.
Should you rest or keep running with heel pain?
If heel pain flares when you run, change the load instead of stopping everything. That advice is graded E in the 2023 guideline, which means it rests on theory rather than trials. Keep the stretches, and cut back whatever makes the heel worse. Switching some runs to low-impact cardio, such as swimming or a stationary bike, keeps up your fitness without flaring the heel.
On a bad morning, keep the stretches and drop the heel raises for the day. If your first steps are clearly worse after a run, that run was more than the heel could take. Walkito reads it the same way: a big day on your feet turns the next strength session into a lighter recovery one, and a painful morning makes the session shorter without canceling it.
Stop and see a clinician if running hurts sharply or the pain gets worse week after week. The same goes for pain that builds during runs after you added mileage, or pain when you squeeze the sides of the heel. Both can be signs of a stress fracture, one of the other causes of heel pain the guideline names.
What does the 2023 guideline recommend for plantar fasciitis?
The 2023 guideline grades each option by the strength of its evidence. A is the top grade. A grade marked “against” means the guideline advises not to use that option.
| Option | Grade |
|---|---|
| Plantar fascia and calf stretching | A |
| Manual therapy (hands-on work on the joints and soft tissue of the leg and foot), from a clinician | A |
| Taping alongside other physical therapy, for better pain and function over up to 6 weeks | A |
| Night splints for 1 to 3 months, if your first steps each morning keep hurting | A |
| Resistance and strength training | B |
| Low-level laser therapy and dry needling, from a clinician | B |
| Orthotics on their own, for short-term pain | B against |
| Orthotics combined with other care | C |
| Therapeutic ultrasound added to stretching | A against |
So insoles on their own are not enough for most people, though they can sit alongside stretching and strength work. The guideline does not grade shoe types, but unsupportive footwear is a commonly recognized risk factor. If your feet hurt after a long day on them, see feet hurt from standing all day or nurses and foot pain.
Questions people ask
What are the best stretches for plantar fasciitis?
The plantar fascia stretch and the calf and soleus stretches, graded A by the 2023 heel pain guideline. Sit, cross the foot over your knee and pull the toes back, 10 holds of 10 seconds, the first before you stand up. Then stretch the calf against a wall with the back heel down, back knee straight, then bent, 3 holds of 30 seconds each.
Is stretching enough for plantar fasciitis?
Stretching helps, and adding strength work helps sooner. In a trial of 48 people, heavy heel raises were clearly ahead of plantar fascia stretching at three months, but by twelve months the two groups were even. The 2023 heel pain guideline gives stretching an A and strength training a B, and supports doing both. The evidence page has the details.
When is the best time to stretch for plantar fasciitis?
Before your first steps in the morning, and before you stand after sitting a long time. In a 2003 trial of 82 people, a plantar fascia stretch done before standing, 10 holds of 10 seconds three times a day, eased first-step pain more than a calf stretch alone at eight weeks.
How often should I do plantar fasciitis exercises?
Stretch in most sessions and do the calf strength work on strength days. In Walkito you choose 3, 5 or 7 training days a week, with three strength days a week, never two in a row. In the 48-person trial behind the towel heel raise, the heel raises were done every other day.
What is the worst thing you can do for plantar fasciitis?
Walking barefoot on hard floors right after waking, and jumping straight back into running or jumping while the heel is still flared, are the clearest mistakes. Both load the stiffest, least-recovered fascia with sudden force. Until symptoms settle, wear a cushioned shoe even at home. The 2023 heel pain guideline recommends adjusting your load instead of pushing through pain.
Can I keep running with plantar fasciitis?
You don’t have to stop everything. Change the load instead. The 2023 guideline recommends learning to adjust the load on your feet, graded E, which means it comes from theory, not trials. Cut back whatever makes the heel worse, and swap some runs for low-impact cardio such as swimming or a stationary bike. If your first steps next morning are clearly worse, the run was too much. Sharp or worsening pain needs a clinician.
See a clinician first if
- the pain followed an injury or a fall
- you cannot put weight on the foot, or you are limping
- it comes with numbness, tingling, burning, swelling or warmth
- the heel is red, or you have a fever or feel unwell
- it wakes you at night
- it is sharp, or getting worse despite easing the load
- squeezing the sides of the heel hurts, or the pain builds during runs after you increased your mileage; both can be signs of a stress fracture
- you have diabetes, reduced feeling in your feet or poor circulation
- both heels hurt and other joints are swollen or stiff
- it has not improved after several weeks of exercise and a lighter load
- one arch has flattened suddenly as an adult
Doing it as a plan
You don’t have to work out the order, the doses or how long to stay on each exercise. Walkito builds a plan one week at a time around one goal. For heel pain, the first goal is a better morning: pain at or under 1/10 for 14 days in a row.
Every 14 days (then every 28 once that goal is met), a short test checks calf endurance, arch hold and balance, so you can see what’s changing. Once you reach the goal, the heel work stays in the plan at a lower dose, because heel pain can come back.
How long recovery tends to take is on how long does plantar fasciitis last. If your arches are flat as well, see exercises for flat feet.
Updated
Start with a 3-minute session.