Plantar fasciitis can be incredibly painful and uncomfortable. I’ve had it three times in my life, and the first two times it was “cured” by wearing orthotics. The last time it flared up was a few years ago and it was the worst of the three. This time around, though, I learned that Pilates can help with plantar fasciitis more effectively than custom orthotics. It will also help prevent future flare-ups.
Yes, I Had Plantar Fasciitis Three Times
The first time Plantar Fasciitis got me was in my twenties. I was teaching a lot of high-impact classes like step aerobics. I also worked three days a week at a bank, where I was on my feet all day, usually in high heels. I assumed the cause of the pain was because I’d let my shoes wear out and I didn’t have enough support. My doctor said I needed orthotics and referred me to a store to get custom ones made.
My second bout came after I had my three daughters. My feet had definitely changed after three pregnancies, and I remember wondering why my shoes were all so tight. It turns out my feet were a whole size larger than before. I had also taken up running on a regular basis and was adding longer distances. It was after a long run in the snow that the pain I’d been tolerating became too hard to ignore. Once again, orthotics were the solution I was given.
In both cases, by being consistent in using the orthotics the pain did go away. It wasn’t until the third time I got struck by plantar fasciitis that I realized what was causing it. I still got a new pair of orthotics for running support, but this time I used exercise, stretching, IMS, and massage to treat the cause of the pain.
The Last Straw
The third time I had plantar fasciitis was after I’d developed a heel spur. It all started when my calf got increasingly tighter. It began when I went over on a rock during a trail run. My calf spasmed and got very tight. A few months later, it spasmed again on another run. It was so bad that I had to stop and walk back. During this time I was consistent with stretching and mobility in my calves, hamstrings, and feet. But then Covid happened, and I increased my running but slacked off on stretching and mobility work. That did not go well.
The pain was unbearable and I actually thought I’d never run again. The arch of my foot near my heel felt super tight, as did the side of my heel. When I moved, it almost felt like something was tearing. The morning was the worst, but as I moved through the day it would improve. So what did I do? I saw the podiatrist, but more importantly, I got serious about Pilates, stretching, and mobility work again, and guess what? The pain is gone and I’m running again.
How Pilates Can Help With Plantar Fasciitis
Pilates can help with Plantar Fasciitis in two significant ways: It can help you recover from it, but even more importantly, it can prevent it from ever happening in the first place. This is because Pilates moves and stretches your feet in all the ways it was meant to while also strengthening them. Movement and building strength are the keys to getting rid of body pain.
Pilates has exercises specifically for the feet using apparatuses like the toe gizmo, 2×4, and the foot corrector. The feet are also worked out throughout any Pilates session. In some exercises you point your feet, other times they are flexed. The feet are circled, pushed into parts of the apparatus, and alternated through positions.
On the reformer, the feet get a lot of attention right from the beginning. You start with the balls of your feet on the footbar with slightly elevated heels, then you wrap your feet over the foot bar (it’s called “bird on a perch” ), really hugging the bar. This strengthens the arch of your feet while the top gets a good stretch. Next, your heels are on the footbar with your feet flexed toward your shins (dorsi flexed); this gives you a stretch through the sole of your foot and in your calves. Finally, we do the tendon stretch, where you stand with the balls of your feet on the footbar, lowering and lifting your heels.
Another Cause of Sore Feet
While weak, tight feet and calves can cause plantar fasciitis, so can weak glutes or hamstrings. When these muscles are weak, you have no “bounce” in your step and you sink or drop down into your stride. This overly stretches your calves which in turn tighten up. The tight calf muscle pulls on the tendons of the heel, then on the arch. Everything gets inflamed and irritated, and bam! Pain.
Pilates has a lot of exercises that also focus on strengthening the glutes (and the whole body). When your body is strong and mobile, injuries are less likely to happen; which is exactly why Pilates can help with Plantar Fasciitis.