3 Ways To Ease Plantar Fasciitis Pain Within Minutes

Plantar fasciitis often needs long-term, intensive treatment, such as physical therapy or cortisone injections, in order to fully go away. However, when you're in immediate pain with your heel and arch tensing up with each step, you don't have time to wait for long-term relief. You need a quick way to reduce the pain enough for you to get through the day. Here are three ways to achieve plantar fasciitis relief within minutes.

Put your foot in ice water.

Plantar fasciitis is essentially an inflammation of the plantar fascia. The inflammation, even if it does not totally cause your pain, definitely makes that pain worse. If you can reduce the inflammation, your pain levels will go down in response. One of the best, quickest ways to relieve inflammation is to just dunk your foot in a bucket of ice water. It will be cold at first, but once you get past the initial shock, it will be tolerable. Keep your foot there for a few minutes. When you pull it out, your plantar fascia should be much less sore, if only for a few hours.

Roll a tennis ball under your foot.

If you have a tennis ball, it is the best choice since tennis balls are soft. But you can also use a lacrosse ball, baseball, or another similarly sized ball for this remedy. Just place it on the ground in front of you, and roll it back and forth under the arch of your foot. Start by only applying a little pressure to the ball, and increase the pressure as you go. This may be a little painful at first, but as your plantar fascia stretches out, the pain should subside and you should be more comfortable.

Massage your arch.

If you don't have a ball or are somewhere it would not be appropriate to roll your foot with your ball, then you may want to massage your sore arch. The secret is to massage your foot with long, straight strokes. Start at your heel, and work your way towards your toes. Each time you do this, push a little harder. When you no longer feel pain with the strokes, you know your plantar fascia is loose enough for you to stop.

In the long term, you really should seek care for your plantar fasciitis. But when you're in a pinch and need quick relief, the strategies above will work.