Note: we’ve written a full blown 4000 word comprehensive article talking about the various plantar fasciitis treatments available to you.

Symptoms are sharp pain when you first stand up in the morning. The pain decreases as you move around but may return when you stand for a long time. This ailment is common in runners, obese people, pregnant women and those who wear shoes with poor support.

A good treatment is proper plantar fasciitis shoes — be them running shoes, walking shoes, dress shoes, etc.  Shoes are the natural way to help ease the pain of plantar fascia. Another natural treatment is to warm up and stretch your foot before exercising or playing your sport, you may want to change your workouts for awhile. Switch from running and walking to biking or swimming. This may be a temporary change only, but some people may have to switch permanently for the plantar fascia to go away completely.

Stretches include flexing your foot up and down a few times before standing. You can also place a towel across the ball of your foot and hold onto both ends pulling gently toward you, keep your knee straight and hold for 15 to 30 seconds repeat stretch up to 4 times. You may roll a ball under the arch of your foot, first sitting down and increase to stand. Stretching should not cause pain. Get a new pair of walking shoes, look for good arch support and a raised sole. Heel cups and shoe inserts are a natural affordable treatment option. Try wearing walking shoes often even when getting out of bed to check on your children, or walking around your home. There are shoes made specifically for plantar fascia. Other products include a brace to support the plantar fascia, support sandals, cold booties to ice your foot right where you need it, night splints ( which stretch the plantar fascia and the Achilles tendon), and even slippers.

Plantar Fasciitis occurs when your heel becomes inflamed. The stress of an injury has caused this more then likely. More than a few people confuse this condition with heel spurs or other foot ailments, but plantar fasciitis has a few distinct symptoms that are hard to ignore. The number one symptom is that intense pain near the heel of the foot occurs on a regular basis and is usually worse in the morning or after sitting for a long time then getting up.

Basic causes to this condition are the following:
1. Incorrect motion of the foot when walking
2. Too much weight on the feet (obesity, sports) for a prolonged period of time

Now there are a few easy treatments available to help with the condition. Let’s give a brief list of them here.

Specialized Plantar Fasciitis Inserts or Insoles
A good treatment is using specialized inserts or insoles. You can also use arch support, splints and braces. Shoes that are well constructed will help as well. You will need to know the best shoes to buy to treat your condition.

Plantar Fasciitis Shoes (i.e. shoes with proper arch support)
To control (and eventually heal this condition), you will need shoes that have very good arch support. As much as it may feel uncomfortable walking around without shoes (which is not something you can always do anyways), don’t — it will slow down the healing process. You need to look for a good arch support shoe. Sometimes the foot doctor will recommend custom orthotics as. When you buy insoles, where them on both feet. You want to even your feet out. If you want a specific list of some of the better brands out there that can help with plantar fasciitis, check out our best shoes for plantar fasciitis post.

Plantar Fasciitis Stretches & Massages
Exercise like massaging the feet and calf stretching, you should do regularly. This will condition the muscles and MAY help relieve or prevent some of the pain. Stop doing what is causing the Plantar Fasciitis. Some walking can help this as well. You can also tape your foot for support.

Night Splints for Plantar Fasciitis
A night splint is designed to stretch the Plantar Faciitis and achilles heel during sleep. This will help relieve the pain and prevent further damage to the affected area. You also have heel seats on the splints that stops the pain quickly by applying acupressure. Night splints will begin to correct the disorder and combined with daily wearing of the proper plantar fasciitis footwear, may cure the condition.

Arch Brace for Plantar Fasciitis
You can also have a arch brace for the condition. An arch brace will, like some of the other treatments listed above, help relieve pain, heal spurs and treat foot strain in any shoe. Arch braces are easily used and are adjustable. They come with a hook and loop closures. Trying an ankle brace will help with the condition too.

Exercises for Plantar Fasciits
There are 3 exercises you can do to help the pain and heal this condition.

1. Achilles tendon stretch
Lift your foot up then press it down and away as far as possible, keeping tension as you do. Do this for 2 minutes.

2. Hamstring stretch and Marble Lift
Using your toes to pick up the marbles and drop them in a cup.

3. Towel Stretch
Hold a towel under the ball of your foot. In a slow motion, make sure you pull the towel toward you while keeping your knee straight. Hold it for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat 4 times.

Remember to see your foot doctor first and see what he recommends. Combining stretch exercises with insoles and good shoes will be effective for most people. I can sympathize with those suffering from this condition — having to wake up in the morning with incredible foot pain is not fun. So, do something about it! I highly recommend you pick up a solid pair of plantar fasciitis shoes. There are a whole whack of specific models out there. However, we can personally recommend any New Balance Arch Support Shoes as one of the better arch-support shoes on the market.

How is Plantar Fasciitis treated? There is no single treatment for plantar fasciitis that works best for everyone; but there are many options are available for relief. After your doctor assesses that your foot pain is definitely Plantar Fasciitis, his first recommendation will probably be to try resting your feet by cutting out activities that make your foot hurt. Walking or running on hard surfaces will have to stop. To reduce the pain and swelling, put ice on your heel and take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory such as Advil or Aleve.

Plantar Fasciitis Treatments through Stretches
Basic exercises for Plantar Fasciitis include calf stretches and towel stretches several times a day, especially when first getting out of bed. The calf stretch should be done 3 to 4 times a day, 5 days a week. Stand facing the wall with your hands at about eye level on the wall. Put the leg you want to stretch about a step behind the other leg. While keeping your back heel on the floor, bend your front knee until you feel a stretch in the back leg. Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds; repeat 2 to 4 times. The towel stretch may be done while sitting up in bed or on the floor. Hold both ends of the towel while the middle of the towel crosses the ball of your foot. Keeping knee straight, pull the towel towards you. Hold this position for 15 to 20 seconds, repeat 2 to 4 times.

Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis
When suffering with Plantar Fasciitis, it is also good to purchase a good pair of shoes. These should be shoes with good arch support and cushioned sole. If unable to find shoes meeting these criteria, investing in a pair of heel cups or shoe inserts (orthodics) is advised. Wear these in both shoes even though only one heel my be hurting. Heel cups and orthodics help to distribute pressure to your feet more evenly.

Plantar Fasciitis Night Splints
If these conservative measures do not offer any relief, your doctor may put you in a plantar fasciitis night splint, which is fitted to your calf and foot. This holds the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon in a lengthened position overnight so that they can be stretched more effectively.

Short Leg Cast Treatment
Another option is the short leg cast that goes up to but not above the knee. This cast is worn 3-6 weeks and is often successful in relieving the pain and inflammation. Alternatively, a cast boot, which looks like a ski boot, may be prescribed. It too is worn full-time, but can be removed for bathing. If the use of a cast does not work, your doctor may recommend steroid injections. These injections provide lasting relief for most patients, but are very painful and not for everyone.

Loss Weight
This condition is often caused by too much weight on the feet. As much as you might not want to hear this, you may need to look at losing some weight if you are obese. Less weight will put less pressure on your heel and may allow the condition to properly heal.

Don’t Do the Same Things
Finally, you may want to look closely at your activities and make some changes. If you are participating in a sport that is causing this condition, take a break for a few months or stop completely. If say running 10k a day is causing that pain, cut back the amount you run, change your shoes, etc. Changing your routine may help lessen the pain.

Plantar Fasciitis Surgical treatments
There are very few people that will have to have surgery. The procedure detaches the plantar fascia from the heel bone. Surgery is generally an option when the pain is so severe and all other treatments failed. Side effects include a weakening of the arch in your foot, but relief from the constant pain.

So there you have it, a list of SOME of the more popular cures for plantar fasciitis. I don’t want to promise you a definite cure here, but it’s definitely possible to treat this condition through one of the treatments listed above or some combination of them.

There are a number of ways to treat the pain associated with plantar fascia, and there are various number of effective and simple cures, as well. One simple way to treat the pain caused with this condition would be to apply ice packs and take an over the counter, pain relieving medication that contains ibuprofen. This helps to remove some of the swelling from the affected area. This is a treatment for the swelling and pain, not a plantar fasciitis cure, however.

As far as actually curing the condition, resting the foot is highly recommended. It is very important to give the affected area as much of a rest as possible. Using crutches and avoiding certain athletic activities for a few days will help get the healing process started.

Wearing the right shoes will help to relieve the pain and will also help to cure the problem. It is best to wear shoes that fit correctly and have thick soles. Wearing silicone heel inserts will help to relieve some of the pressure that is placed on the heel. There are a variety of specialty shoes and inserts to try. I detail some of these recommendations in my best shoes for plantar fasciitis and my shoes for plantar fasciitis posts.

Another good option for treating plantar fasciitis would to wear plantar fasciitis night splints. To give support during the day, there are numerous plantar fasciitis tapes
and braces you can purchase. These may or may not be effective, depending on how severe your condition is.

Generally the toes will point down during sleep, relaxing the plantar fascia. This causes the extreme morning pain. A night splint will keep the plantar fascia stretched and will help with the pain experienced first thing in the morning. This is method is very effective in treating this condition and does not have to be used one the pain stops.

Physical therapy and shockwave therapy are sometimes recommended. Physical therapy will work on stretching the calf muscles and the plantar fascia. Certain medications, massage and cold packs will also be used in physical therapy. In shockwave therapy, a high energy wave is used on the affected area, which is supposed to speed the healing process along.

So a quick summary of the cures for plantar fasciitis:

• Plantar Fasciitis Shoes
• Night Splints and Braces
• Physical Therapy (stretches, cold packs, massages, etc).
• Shockwave Therapy.

Combining the various therapies will usually cure plantar fasciitis, although in rare cases more aggressive treatment may be needed. Surgery may be recommended after other treatments have failed to relieve the condition. Getting rid of plantar fasciitis is usually an involved process – you don’t put on a night splint or wrap up your foot or even wear a pair of special shoes for a week and get “cured.” It could take months of treatments before the condition disappears. So, be patient when you attempt to treat the condition.