Fast Fixes for Plantar Fasciitis? Don’t Sell Yourself Short
- Marie Whitt
- Sep 15
- 6 min read
I know race day is looming ahead.
And you're scouring the internet for the exact number of calf raises, which fancy spikey tennis you need to roll your foot on, and whether heat or ice is better for curing your plantar fasciitis overnight (also referred to as plantar heal pain).
But I need you to take a beat.
And realize.
Fixing plantar heel pain is more holistic than you think.
Not to worry: I have your calf raise exercises here on this free toolkit because addressing the "problem area" is still important.
But you're going to want to finish this blog too.
Because there are some hidden culprits that are the REASON behind WHY your plantar heel pain lingers and/or keeps coming back.
Yes, we'll still get you fixed up in time for race day, but you need the whole picture inorder to run stronger and pain free on race day. So let me give it to you.
Why Calf Raises Alone Won’t Cut It
"Plantar Fasciitis is a chronic degenerative disease caused by repeated high mechanical stress and biomechanical overuse, with typical symptoms of plantar heel pain..."
Facts. This is what we know to be true about plantar heel pain: it's an overuse running injury that affects a tissue structure with not great blood flow, resulting in the condition potentially becoming "degenerate" (i.e. feel like it gets worse and worse).
I know it sounds absolutely terrifying: stick with me.
Front line solution: load up that plantar fascia tissue with slow, heavy lifting to encourage remodeling and an increase in tissue stiffness and overall activity tolerance.
This means slow heavy strength makes the plantar fascia strong again so it can handle those miles during race day without issues.
This above is science. It's tested and found to be true. We know this works and helps to actively reverse that "degenerative part".
Again, I got you covered with these exercises right here:
If you've even found this much on the internet, you're doing phenomenal.
Because typically you get served the "1000 calf raises and you should be fine" line.
But the bigger picture comes into focus when you realize there are other muscle teammates involved here.
To truly be ready for race day, you have to realize:
"external foot muscles such...posterior tibialis muscles and peroneus longus [play] an important role in supporting the arch of the foot. Weak muscle strength may lead to excessive pressure load on non-contractile structures such as plantar fascia, which may induce plantar fasciitis"
And Hip abduction asymmetry and knee flexion asymmetry are significantly associated with development of plantar fasciitis. The risk of plantar fasciitis is increased by 3.6x when hip abduction asymmetry was >32.5%.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Your plantar fascia pain is NOT just about calf raises.
You need to strengthen ankle muscles like your post tib, peroneals, but also your mega-move muscles such as your glutes and hamstrings.
Because when your glutes and hamstrings are NOT symmetrically strong, your risk for plantar fasciitis goes up by 3.6x!
Can you start to see how fixing plantar heel pain goes beyond icing and rolling your foot on a tennis ball?
Plantar Fascia Exercises That Actually Work
Circuit:
2-3 sets each // LIGHT & medium weights
Inline lunge
2 x10 3 x 6-8 @ RPE 8
Peroneal Calf Raise on Slant Board
3 x 6-8 @ RPE 8 3 x 6-8 @ RPE 8
3 Way High Knee Glute Push on Wall
hold each position for 10 secs x3 ea side
Bulgarian Split Squat with Foot on Edge of Step
3 x 6-8 @ RPE 8 ea side
Putting It into Practice: Instructions for Each Exercise
In-line lunge
If you're sick of seeing this....are you doing it yet? ;)
THE PURPOSE: Our research papers for this week made it pretty clear: when your ankle doesn't bend well, you're more at risk for developing plantar heel pain. Lacking mobility in your ankle overloads your plantar fascia requiring greater load and power production to come from a tissue, rather than the natural mechanics of a joint.
Lucky for you, 2 rounds minimum of this exercise tends to work pretty well ;)
Peroneal Calf Raise on Slant Board
This is a fun one ;)
Our papers this week told us peroneal weakness was one of the strongest predictors of the development of plantar fasciitis. So we'd be silly to ignore this. Yes, most exercises you'll see for this on the internet include a band. If you'd like to start there, you can. But you always have a race coming up so.....
We know that strengthening the peroneus longus is specially effective when treating plantar fasciitis since this muscle creates a downward pull on the first metatarsal, or big to, increasing pressure that the the inner forefoot has to handle. And when we do this, we off load the plantar fascia.
Be sure when you're doing this exercise that you PUSH and GROUND THROUGH your big toe! This helps emphasize that offloading of the plantar fascia and gives your peroneals + calf complex to "re-learn" how to work together correctly.
Ideas for at home slant boards: rolled up yoga mat or towels
3 Way High Knee Glute Push on Wall
Another oldie but goodie that I won't stop talking about. On Purpose.
If you're an OG, then you know. But if you're new here, your glute and ankle need to communicate together. And after treating thousands of patients, I can say THIS exercise works. I love how it resembles your running stride from start to finish and as you push your knee into the wall, BOTH glutes activate! Always work smarter, not harder.
From here, as one knee is pushing into the wall, the opposite ankle and glute MUST communicate together in order to not fall over. I've had a lot of luck with this exercise helping decrease pain immediately and help make the rest of the rehab and training easier.
Bulgarian Split Squat with Foot on Edge of Step
In case you didn't think BSS's could get any spicier ;)
It's OK if you don't get really "deep" into your squat here! But that doesn't mean don't entire the spicy-zone. The purpose of half your foot on the step is to directly load up that plantar fascia but in a slightly less intense form than your calf raise from earlier.
Yes, we need to strengthen glute, hammies, and the plantar fascia. But the greatest benefits come when we teach your body how to put it all together. So not only does this BSS look like your running stride, but it fires up all 3 of those listed teammates...., ok, including your quads.
Because everyone has different height "gym toys" at home or at thier neighborhood gym, it's perfectly acceptable to simply HOLD this as an isometric since this creates "time under tension", just another strength-building tool. But you still have to hold something heavy, sorry. ;)
WRAPPING UP
Let me run these numbers by you one more time to really let them sink in:
"Based on the current findings, the interlimb asymmetry of hip abduction isometric strength (think glute and hamstring strength) was associated with a greater likelihood of developing plantar fasciitis, and interlimb asymmetry of hip abduction isometric strength greater than 32.5% was a significant risk factor for the development of plantar fasciitis in male amateur marathon runners.
The risk of PF occurrence increased by 3.646 times if the interlimb asymmetry of hip abduction isometric strength greater than 32.5%."
REAL TALK:
Will any exercise fix you over night? Absolutely not.
But the purpose of the exercises in this blog post is to give you a place to start, to keep you running, and help you make it through race day.
Because even if you're 3 weeks away, you can still make a LOT of progress. You just need to be consistent.
And this is why running-specific strength training during your race training cycle and all year round is so important. You need a strength plan that understands what your body needs as a runner: unilateral strength that addresses glute and hamstring symmetry, quad endurance, ankle stability, and feet strength.
Because of all those different elements added together keep you running stronger for longer, getting you that next PR without the injury.
If you're looking even more running-specific strength exercises to help eliminate plantar heel pain ASAP and get you to the starting line pain free and ready to race, don't forget these exercises too. (the slow heavy lifting ones we mentioned at the very, very beginning ;) )
And until next time...
Dare to Train Differently,
Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit
REFERENCES
"Interlimb asymmetries of lower limb isometric strength for predicting plantar fasciitis in male amateur marathon runners: a prospective cohort study"
BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2025 Aug 28;17:255. doi:10.1186/s13102-025-01295-z
"Musculoskeletal and Activity-Related Factors Associated With Plantar Heel Pain"
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