Plantar Fasciitis: Getting To the Root Cause

 If you’ve ever dealt with that nagging, burning pain in your heel or arch—especially first thing in the morning—you might’ve chalked it up to plantar fasciitis.

But here’s the thing: the foot isn’t always the root of the problem.
Tightness or dysfunction up the chain—particularly in the calf complex (gastroc + soleus) and tibialis posterior—can create tension that feels like plantar pain.

Here’s how it works:

• The gastroc crosses the knee and ankle and helps spring you off the ground when walking and running. When it is stiff, your heel may lift early during gait, placing even more load on the plantar fascia with every step.
  
  
• The soleus crosses the ankle and connects deep into the heel through the Achilles tendon. When it’s tight, it limits dorsiflexion and keeps constant tension on the plantar fascia.
  
  
• The tibialis posterior, which supports your arch, can become overworked or restricted, pulling on its insertion near the bottom of the foot.
  
  

Bottom line:
You can ice and massage your arch all you want, but unless you address these upstream restrictions, relief may only be temporary.

Try these simple stretches to get started:

1. Gastroc wall stretch
   
   
• Stand facing a wall with one foot back, heel flat.
• Lean forward, keeping your back knee straight and heel pushed to the floor until you feel a stretch in the back of the calf. 
• Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat 5-10 times per leg. You should feel the tension reducing during this time. 

2. Bent-knee calf stretch (targets soleus)
   
   

• Similar to the gastroc stretch, but keep the back knee slightly bent. You probably won’t have to slide your foot back as far as the last stretch.
  
  
• Slowly shift your knee forward over your toes. This stretch should be felt deeper in the calf. Stop when you feel the natural restriction in the back of your leg.
  
  
• Pulse slowly back and forth for 10-15 repetitions, breathe deeply, repeat both sides

3. 
    Foam roll or lacrosse ball to the tibialis posterior
   
   

• Sit on the floor with your leg turned inward, ball just behind the shinbone.
  
  
• Roll or pin and stretch the area between your tibia and calf muscle. You can flex your foot up and down to feel the muscles mobilizing under the ball.
  
  
• 1-2 minutes each leg.
  
  
  
• And there is always the good old reliable Plantar Fascia Roll: take your lacrosse ball and slowly work it back and forth with the tolerated pressure on the sole and arch of your foot for 1-2 minutes. 
  
  

These drills help release the brakes on your lower leg mechanics so the plantar fascia doesn’t carry all the load.

Of course, stretching and mobilizing is only part of the solution. The rest comes when we strengthen those tissues to be able to tolerate the loads of walking, running, and jumping again without the need to feel like they have to tighten up and get inflamed. That comes with time and consistently treating those areas the right way. 

If you have been experiencing these problems and want expert care and guidance back to full capacity, we are here for you! Hit that link and get scheduled with a free Discovery Call today to see how we can help you!