Essential Stretching Exercises for Preventing Plantar Fasciitis

Certified personal trainer, Amber Yang, and classical Chinese dance instructor, Rocky Liao, demonstrate exercises to help relieve fascia tension.

The best way to prevent plantar fasciitis, aside from reducing pressure on the feet, is to improve foot flexibility, strengthen foot muscles, and enhance ankle stability. staras/Shutterstock

The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue on the sole of the foot. It connects the heel bone to the toes and forms the arch. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia becomes inflamed due to excessive strain or pressure.

Common symptoms of plantar fasciitis include heel pain and stiffness. While many people turn to massage for symptom relief, preventing plantar fasciitis involves more than reducing pressure on the feet. It is crucial to improve foot flexibility, strengthen foot muscles, and enhance ankle stability. Rocky Liao a classical Chinese dance instructor, introduces four methods to help relieve fascia tension and activate the foot muscles.

Common Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

• Poor posture: Proper walking mechanics involve landing on the heel first, transferring weight to the ball of the foot, and pushing off with the toes. However, many people tend to drag their feet without fully lifting them while walking, or sit with their legs crossed or in a slouched position. These habits can negatively affect the health of the foot arch.
• Obesity: Excessive weight can cause improper foot posture while walking and flatten the arch, potentially leading to adult-acquired flatfoot.
• Inappropriate footwear: Wearing shoes that lack arch support, such as flat shoes or slippers, or using ill-fitting footwear over a long period, can result in uneven pressure distribution across the foot, eventually causing pain. Many people experience relief once they switch to proper, supportive footwear.
• Aging: As we age, the plantar fascia gradually degenerates and loses elasticity, reducing its shock-absorbing ability. This explains why plantar fasciitis is more common after the age of 40. However, modern sedentary lifestyles—characterized by prolonged standing, sitting, and a lack of exercise—can cause foot function to deteriorate earlier.
• Walking on uneven surfaces: Regularly walking on uneven surfaces over long periods, combined with insufficient shock absorption and foot flexibility, increases the risk of developing plantar fasciitis.
• Limited dorsiflexion: People with limited dorsiflexion (reduced ability to bend the foot upward at the ankle) often experience tight calf muscles, which can increase their likelihood of developing plantar fasciitis.

Pan Jiahao, a physical therapist at Jing-Her Chinese Medicine Clinic in Taiwan, stated that overly tight calf muscles are a common cause of plantar fasciitis. Therefore, relaxing the calf muscles is the first step in relieving the condition. Next, it is essential to improve the flexibility and strength of the ankle and Achilles tendon to prevent premature degeneration. Liao added that dancers’ ability to jump high and land silently is the result of strong foot muscles and flexible ankles. With this in mind, he shares four exercises designed to enhance foot health:

Exercise 1: Forward Bends

Tight calf muscles can also affect the knees and thighs. Rocky explained that if the tendons behind the knee are not stretched regularly, it can lead to poor knee coordination and decreased mobility, potentially accelerating degeneration and increasing the risk of ankle sprains or falls. Therefore, while relaxing the calf muscles, it is important to also stretch the tendons behind the knees and thighs.