Those who have been diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis or have heel pain know how painful this condition can get. There are several different ways you can treat this condition and get good results. However there is one thing to remember, every treatment will not work for everyone. So just try them out and see how your heel pain feels using the following plantar fasciitis treatment options. Also, a treatment should be tried over a period of time, for sure it will not make your plantar fasciitis disappear over night.

1. Rest

This one is quite obvious. Rest, Rest and more Rest….The less you use your foot the more time the inflammation has to heal.

2. Ice

One of the best things you can do for your foot when your plantar fasciitis is acting up is to massage it with ice. This is very simple to do. Take a plastic water bottle, fill it and freeze it.

Once frozen, place it under your foot and slowly roll it from the heel to your toes. Do this for about 10-15 minutes a few times a day.

3. Streches/Exercise

There are a few essential exercises/stretches you should do to heal and also prevent future occurances of plantar fasciitis.

The first one that I use is to stretch out my toes. I stand with the affected foot on the toes and bend them back. This stretches under the toes and the bottom of the foot. Essentially this bends the toes upwards. You can also perform this stretch while sitting using your had to pull the toes upwards.

 The next stretch is to the calf muscle. Stand facing a wall with your hands on the wall at about eye level. Put the leg you want to stretch about a step behind your other leg.Keeping your back heel on the floor, bend your front knee until you feel a stretch in the back leg. Hold the stretch for 15 to 20 seconds. Repeat 4 times.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to keep your back heel on the floor.

The third recommended stretch is the towel stretch.  Place a rolled towel under the ball of your foot, holding the towel at both ends. Gently pull the towel toward you while keeping your knee straight. Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds, and repeat 2 to 4 times.

 This will also stretch your calf muscle.

 4. Anti-inflammatory painkillers/Joint Creams

Any of the common anti-inflammatory painkillers will help to relieve some pain. Keep in mind this alone will not solve the problem and make the pain permanently dissappear. It will however make it a little more bearable. Some people have adverse reactions to taking too much anti-inflammatories. You might want to consider a natural alternative.

Joint & Muscle Pain Cream

Pain Relief Complex

5. Orthotics/Insoles/Heel Cups

 There are all kinds of orthotics, insoles and heel cups available. These devices range from inexpensive to very expensive. Orthotics are usually custom made and molded to your feet. They are made to be put into your shoe to offer the most comfortable fit.

Insoles usually can be purchased in most drug stores, shoe stores and online. They are usually pretty inexpensive. They are also made to be placed into your shoe and can be moved from shoe to shoe. They are not customized to your own feet but do make a difference.

Heel cups are similar to insoles, but are just made to fit on your heel within your shoe. They are used to support your heel and protect it from further damage.

6. Night Brace

Braces for Plantar Fasciitis work by keeping your foot flexed at night so that your calf muscle does not have time to shorten and therefore tighten the plantar fascia. When this does happen, the pain you feel in your heel each morning when taking your first few steps occurs because the plantar fascia had time to tighten, and now walking on it, it must be stretched again.

7. Specialized Shoes

The right shoes make all the difference in the world. Wearing supportive shoes that have the proper arch support and a slightly raised heel reduces stress on the plantar fascia.

Here is a recent article that I came across which discusses the use of Shock Wave Therapy for plantar fasciitis treatment. This therapy is a non-invasive alternative to surgery and seems to have great success.

Suffering for months with Plantar Fasciitis, Eli Manning, one of the NFL’s star quarterbacks, continues to struggle with the intense pain as a result of Plantar Fasciitis (PF). According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons almost one of every six Americans (51 million) suffers from this injury commonly known as ‘Heel Spur Syndrome’ or heel spurs.

“Week-end sports warriors that continually use their injured foot can rupture the foot ligament and could eventually lead to permanent disability,” warns Dr. David Zuckerman, the country’s foremost medical expert on treating Plantar Fasciitis with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy. “If Eli Manning continues to wear cowboy boots as a treatment for Plantar Fasciitis in his present condition, it could cause his Achilles tendons to shorten permanently, thus causing other pain and disabilities.”

Foot and ankle medical specialists traditionally treated this painful ailment with physical therapy, especially stretching exercises, immobilization devices, drug treatments and, if all else failed, surgery. In the early ’90s, Dr. Zuckerman sought to change all that. A leading heel pain specialist in minimally invasive surgery, he began to experiment with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT), slowly replacing traditional heel surgery in chronic cases of Plantar Fasciitis, with amazing results.

He wanted to eliminate the pain associated with Plantar Fasciitis and even minimal invasive surgery. Passionate about ESWT, he discovered that this procedure’s application, in over 90% of all cases, reduced or eliminated foot pain. These statistics were confirmed in later years by FDA studies. His pioneering work soon attracted the attention of major hospitals, clinics and the medical community.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) is an 18-minute non-surgical procedure used to cure chronic Plantar Fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, shoulder tendonitis and other tendinopathies. It forces the body to create new cells in damaged areas without surgery.

In 2001, Dr. Zuckerman along with Denise Ashcraft, founded Excellence Shock Wave Therapy, a training and equipment provider, based in Woodstown, N.J. To date, they have trained over 500 physicians and surgeons affiliated with major hospitals and medical clinics based in the Northeastern part of the U.S. including Dr. Steven Sheskier, orthopedic surgeon, foot and ankle consultant to the NY Rangers, and Dr. Lee Cohen, podiatric consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Dr. Sheskier points out, “ESWT is a viable medical treatment alternative because there is no downtime to treatment as opposed to surgery that can take months for recovery. It is a highly effective treatment for professional sports figures.”

In a recent telephone interview, Dr. Cohen stated, “We have found ESWT to be a successful treatment for our athletes who have suffered from chronic Plantar Fasciitis.” To date, over 10,000 patients have successfully been treated by Excellence Shock Wave Therapy.

An avid jogger for almost 20 years, Dan Cunning suddenly experienced severe pain on his left foot. It was September 2008. “The pain got progressively worse,” said the 36-year old N.J. State trooper and resident of New Jersey’s Woolwich Township. He risked losing his job which required an annual physical training exam.

“I heard about Dr. Zuckerman’s work through my sister-in-law,” stated Trooper Cunning, who sought his medical help. “After my first and only ESWT treatment that took place in his office, there was immediate pain relief.” After 6 months, Dan was pain free and to this day still jogs without any painful effects.

Dr. Zuckerman recommends that everyone should wear good shoes that cushion the heel, have a stiff arch and allow flexion at the ball of the foot. He also emphasizes stretching exercises. He cautions that standing or bending on your toes or up on your heel for long period of time can cause Plantar Fasciitis. He urges treadmill users to cross train with other aerobic exercises to help prevent this painful condition. He warns, “If you suspect you have Plantar Fasciitis, you should see a podiatrist right away. This is not a condition to ‘work through’ the pain.”

Practicing medicine for over 29 years, Dr. Zuckerman is recognized as one of the pioneers and the foremost expert in ESWT in the United States. He developed the Achilles tendon protocol for the Dornier Epos Ultra. Patients from around the world, with long term heel pain, come to receive Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy from him. He also lectures to the medical communities around the country and in France about his medical discoveries. He has appeared on WABC TV New York, FOX’s Channel 17 and NBC’s channel 10 in Philadelphia and was featured in many articles including DEUCE Magazine.

Dr. Zuckerman, an expert on Plantar Fasciitis, is available for TV, Radio and print interviews.

Read our other posts on plantar fasciitis treatments and stretching exercises.