If you have plantar fasciitis, you know it can be very painful and make it difficult to walk or even put weight on your foot. It’s actually the most common cause of pain in the heel. All of that pain is caused by a weak or inflamed plantar fascia, which is a flat band of tissue that connects your toes to your heel bone. This is what makes your heel or the bottom of your foot hurt when you walk.

Plantar fasciitis is usually found in middle-aged people and those who are often on their feet. Many find the pain is worse when they wake in the morning then eases later as they walk on the affected foot. Unfortunately, plantar fasciitis is difficult for doctors to treat.

A common approach for doctors is to use steroid injections, but these often do not offer much relief. Experts are starting to see that stretching and massage therapy can be extremely effective for plantar fasciitis relief.

Massage therapy for plantar fasciitis

An outpatient physical therapy clinic in Israel conducted research that concluded massage was a very promising treatment for plantar fasciitis. They studied 69 individuals that suffered from the condition and were referred by an orthopedic surgeon. They divided these individuals into two groups. One was given ultrasound treatment combined with stretches and the other was given massage therapy and stretches. Over six weeks they were given eight treatments, yet only 51 people completed the study.

After the study completed, the researchers found massage to be extremely useful. Ten minutes of deep tissue massage on the posterior calf muscle combined with certain stretches were more helpful than the ultrasound and stretching.

This is very easy for a massage therapist to fit into a session. If you have been suffering from plantar fasciitis, speak with your massage therapist. They can add some deep tissue work to your regular routine to help provide relief.

Plantar fasciitis stretches

For long-term relief, you should incorporate some simple stretches into your day. This will help keep everything loose and limber, which in turn will ease the pain you feel. It is recommended that you do these at least once a day for maximum benefits. WebMD has some great moves to help you stay on your feet for longer.