The advantage: It will enhance blood circulation in that particular area and give you temporary neurological pain relief, which will make subsequent stretches easier.
The Short Foot Exercise
It is the “plank” exercise for feet. It may look simple, but it is highly effective in firing up the muscles supporting your arches.
How to do it: Place your foot flat on the floor. Then, pull the ball of your foot towards your heel without flexing your toes. The foot becomes shorter while the arch lifts.
Goal: Maintain the arch lifting for 5 seconds before resting.
Purpose: This exercise strengthens the foot structure so that there will be no collapsing of arches, which usually leads to plantar fasciitis pain.
Why This Works
While the suffix “-itis” implies active inflammation, recent sports medicine research shows that chronic heel pain should be referred to as plantar fasciosis because it involves more than simply inflammation of the tissues.
Your foot is truly an architectural masterpiece and the plantar fascia is the “string” of the foot “bow.” If you do not have proper muscle support or your foot’s “strings” are too tight, then you are putting them under extreme strain.
