Why walking CORRECTLY is so important in treating plantar fasciitis.
If you are walking incorrectly you are placing increased stress on the plantar fascia
with each step.
Tips for decreasing the stress on the plantar fascia while walking and allowing it to
heal.
- Walk with less heel strike. Your goal is to avoid full weight on your heel with
the initial foot contact with the floor. Attempt to take some weight on the
forefoot and heel at nearly the same time. - Do not walk or stand with your knees extended or hyper-extended.
- Shorten your stride. You may need to shorten your stride by as much as 50
percent to start. This will help you spread out the weight on your foot. You
will be able to use a normal stride length as you become comfortable with
the new walking technique. - When your foot first makes contact with the floor, attempt to spread out
the weight between the heel and forefoot. The heel should take 50 to 70
percent of the weight and the forefoot the remainder of the weight (at the
same time) - Lean slightly forward with walking. When your foot strikes the ground your
leg, pelvis, and trunk should all be directly over the foot. It may feel like you
are falling forward on to the advancing foot. - Always wear appropriate footwear. See our section on footwear.
- If you are a toe walker the opposite is true. Try to have your forefoot and
heel strike the ground at nearly the same time. Make sure the weight is
being distributed through all your toes- not just the big toe.