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Should you do squats, and can you also do Calf raises, either on machines or free weights, if you have plantar fasciitis?

I have had this for 3 years now: I have stopped running. I also find stationary bikes do put some pressure on the plantar, which is not good, as does the eliptical trainer.

Thanks, desperate!

Dee
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  • I don't have an answer to your question, but does stretching the ankle help? Perhaps some compression with the stretching? Long chronic cases of plantar fasciitis might be degenerative. What have you done to correct the issue itself? – Berin Loritsch Jun 20 '13 at 15:20

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Dee,

As a sports physical therapist, I will recommend you to read this article first. You can download the full article with a click away. However, I will sum up the best available scientific evidence on how to treat plantar fasciitis.

Basically, you want to do these things (straight from the literature):

  1. Dexamethasone 0.4% or acetic acid 5% delivered via iontophoresis can be used to provide short-term (2 to 4 weeks) pain relief and improved function.

  2. Prefabricated or custom foot orthoses can be used to provide shortterm (3 months) reduction in pain and improvement in function. There appear to be no differences in the amount of pain reduction or improvement in function created by custom foot orthoses in comparison to prefabricated orthoses. There is currently no evidence to support the use of prefabricated or custom foot orthoses for longterm (1 year) pain management or function improvement.

  3. Night splints should be considered as an intervention for patients with symptoms greater than 6 months in duration. The desired length of time for wearing the night splint is 1 to 3 months. The type of night splint used (ie, posterior, anterior, sock-type) does not appear to affect the outcome.

Go and talk to a physical therapist who is either a board certified in Sports Physical Therapy or Orthopedic Physical Therapy to get indepth information about your problem. By the way, your physical therapist should be able to recommend you on what exercises or activities you can and cannot do in the meantime.

Hope this helps and good luck!

QikMood
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    So....if/when he does all these things, will squats and calf raises exacerbate PF? It's good information, but it doesn't address the basic question. – JohnP Jun 20 '13 at 17:47
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    @JohnP Currently, there is no evidence saying that squatting or calf raises will exacerbate PF as stated in the article. Also, I thought I already addressed the question by saying, "your physical therapist should be able to recommend you on what exercises or activities you can and cannot do in the meantime." Thanks! – QikMood Jun 20 '13 at 18:00