The Best Foot and Calf Stretches for Plantar Fasciitis

Why Are Calf Muscles So Important In Plantar Fasciitis?

The state of your calf muscles directly affects the state of your plantar fascia.  This is because the two calf muscles (the soleus and gastrocnemius) and the plantar fascia have one thing in common: they connect to the heel bone (calcaneus).  The plantar fascia reaches the heel bone along the bottom of the foot, while the muscles in the calf get to the heel bone by way of the Achilles tendon - that taut tendon a few inches long extending vertically from the back of the heel of the foot.  A pair of tight calf muscles causes the Achilles tendon, which is not supposed to be very stretchy, to yank the heel bone and strain the plantar fascia, which is also not supposed to be very stretchy.  So to ease up on strain of the plantar fascia, you need to keep your calf muscles loose and limber.

Whenever my plantar fasciitis would flared up, along with strengthening the foot, I regularly stretched my calves - both of them, as it's not really great to have one calf tighter than the other.

What I describe below are pretty standard calf stretches you'll find elsewhere.  But I've tried to describe them precisely, in great detail, so you can try them, yourself.  

And by the way, one kind of stretch isn't really enough, as the different calf muscles are targeted by different kinds of movements.  These are the three stretches I did most frequently.  If you want to see pictures of the stretches, there are pretty good pictures here at the University of Illinois's website.

Calf and Foot Stretch A

1. While lying down or sitting, I straightened one leg and gently pointed the toes upward toward  my head until I felt my calf muscles gently stretching.  If the foot muscles are tight, this will stretch them, too.  
2. I held the stretch until I felt the muscles in my calf release.  
3. I turned my foot to the left and right and stretched the calf in those positions, too.  
4. Stretches shouldn't be painful.  If there was pain during the stretch, I eased up on the angle of my foot until the stretch was very light.  I believe that frequent mild stretches are better than occasional extreme stretches.
5. I was sure to do this stretch right before rising in order to stretch the plantar fascia to prepare it for bearing weight.

Calf Stretch B

1. While standing, I stood arm's length from a wall or door or, if I was outside, a tree or really anything tall and sturdy enough to brace against.  
2. I faced the wall or door or tree in front of me and braced both hands on it, keeping my arms straight.
3. I put the leg I wanted to stretch farther back and simultaneously bent the front leg at the knee, putting half my weight on that bent front leg and the other half on my rear leg.  
4. I kept the rear foot flat against the floor and the rear leg straight, so the calf would be stretched.  
5. I made sure the bent knee in front did not extend farther forward than the toes of the foot on the same leg (it's generally a good idea whenever you bend not to let the knee go farther forward than the foot, especially if you have back problems like I do).
6. I'd shift a bit more weight onto the back leg until I felt the stretch in the calf, especially the upper calf (gastrocnemius).  
7. Usually, the calf stretch would be too intense at first and I'd have to move the back leg closer in toward my body so the stretch was mild enough to hold for about 30 seconds.  
8. I'd only stop after I felt the release of the calf muscle.  
9. Sometimes if I thought the stretch was too mild, I'd follow the first stretch with a slightly more intense stretch until it released, about 10 seconds.  I think that as a rule, it's better to understretch and repeat with a bit more intensity than to overstretch.  You're less likely to injure the muscle fibers that way.
10. Then I'd do the same stretch on the other calf.

Calf Stretch C

1. In the same basic position - arms straight and extended against a wall, one leg bent and forward and the leg to be stretched held straight and back - I'd do another calf stretch, this one targeting the deep lower calf muscles (soleus) and Achilles tendon.  
2. I'd simply bend the knee of the back leg slightly, shift my weight to be mostly on that back leg, and feel the stretch in the lower part of my calf.  
3. This stretch was harder, because I think I tended to be tighter there.

It was this area, in the lower calf and along the Achilles tendon, that was really tight when I got plantar fasciitis for the second time in a major way.  Stretching didn't help until my husband released this muscle with some rather painful massage (he has a brutish approach to massage - it is not soothing - but it is very effective for long-term release.)  Then I did lots of this particular stretch to keep the soleus limber and the Achilles tendon loose.

Calf Stretch D

1. I adapted this stretch from sports medicine specialist Jordan D. Metzl, MD's articles on foot pain in the Triathlete Magazine.  It's the classic "step" stretch for plantar fasciitis and he recommends doing it before and after you exercise.
2. Start by placing your heel on the ground and your forefoot against a step.
3. Keeping your back straight, lean forward very slightly and very slowly till you feel the stretch in your upper calf. You shouldn't have to lean over very far, but just in case, be sure your hands are braced against something.
4. Bend the knee and do it again to target the lower calf.

Foot Stretch


The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society describes a great foot stretch that feels really good. To summarize:  Sitting down, cross your bad foot over your other knee.  If the bad foot is your left foot, using your left hand, tug on the toes gently toward the knee so the fascia grows taut and stretches and hold for about 10 seconds.  Vice versa if your right foot is the one with heel pain.  Do this stretch frequently throughout the day.   For pictures, see the section called "Plantar Fascia-Specific Stretching Program For Plantar Fasciitis."

Stretching Tools

A product that assists in calf stretching that many people swear by, but that I haven't tried, is the ProStretch tool.  A couple of months ago, I did try a similar device called the foot rocker, which seems to be a cheaper but equally effective version of the ProStretch, but my foot was too tender to even stand on it, so I can't say yea or nay about it.