Plantar fasciitis has gained national attention lately as some highly paid National Football League players have been sidelined with the foot condition. Plantar fasciitis affects the plantar tendon running under the bottom of your foot and up along the backside of your heel. This condition is common in people who perform jobs where they stand all day long, who are overweight, and who have strained the muscles in their calves and foot. There are a number of exercises you can do while under the care of a chiropractor that can relieve the pain and help the tendon to heal. Here are 3 exercises you can do at your home or office to ease your condition. 

Isometric Toe Curls

Isometric toe curls help to stretch the front end of the fasciitis tendon. Here is how to do isometric toe curls:

• Place your foot flat on the floor on top of a towel.
• Pull the towel toward you with just your toes.
• Repeat this procedure about eight to ten times in a row.
• Rest.
• Repeat the procedure two or three more times before you stop.
• Try to do the exercise when you wake up, in the middle of the day, and before you go to bed at night.

You can substitute trying to pick up a pencil or pen with your toes if you don't have a towel handy during the day.

This exercise increases the amount of flexibility in the tendon and helps loosen it up.

Stretching Exercises

You'll also want to stretch the back end of the tendon and the calf muscles.

Stand with your feet flat on the ground and stand up on your toes. This stretches the plantar fasciitis tendon and the calf muscles on the back of your leg. Repeat this several times before resting.

To increase the effectiveness of the exercises, use a heating pad to warm up the tendon and muscles for a few minutes before you start stretching. Then, once you are done, cool the tendon down with a cold ice pack. This helps to limit the amount of scar tissue that can develop around the tendon.

Self-Massage

Place a can of soup or vegetables on the floor and roll the can back and forth with the bottom of your foot. Roll the can with the sorest spot on your foot or bottom of the heal – this may hurt a lot at first, but keep on doing it repeatedly as much as you can during the day.

The messaging helps to move blood through the tendon which speeds the healing process.