Best Heel Pain Exercises: Stretches & Strengthening Moves (With Video)

Last updated on June 25th, 2025 at 04:46 pm

Key Takeaways:
✅ 3 Stretches: Plantar fascia, calf, tennis ball roll
✅ 3 Strengthening Moves: Towel scrunches, toe stands, foot scooping
✅ Do daily for 4-6 weeks for best results

Pain exercises are very important for the long-term solution of heel pain. The most common cause of heel pain could be plantar fasciitis.

Research shows that several stretching and strengthening exercises can greatly benefit heel pain and the walking patterns of heel pain sufferers ¹.

In this article, we will cover easy but very effective exercises for heel pain. Anyone can learn and perform these exercises at home.

6 Best Heel Pain Exercises (With Step-by-Step Instructions)

Whatever exercises we are going to learn are aimed at releasing the stiff plantar fascia and muscles of the foot and strengthening the small muscles of the foot.

For stiff plantar fascia and muscles, we have stretching exercises. We will also learn strengthening exercises for weak foot muscles.

At the end of the article, I will also briefly discuss other helpful home tips to help you ease your heel pain. Heel pain is quite different from an ankle sprain, which can happen due to twisting or turning the ankle joint.

But before we proceed, if you would rather watch a video on these exercises, you can watch it here, or else you can proceed further.

1. Plantar Fascia Stretch: Relieve Heel Pain in 30 Seconds

To start with the stretching exercise, let’s focus on stretching the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a flat soft tissue structure that originates from the heel and extends through the sole, reaching all five toes.

Inflammation and stiffness in this structure can lead to a condition called plantar fasciitis, which causes heel pain. Stretching this structure is crucial, and fortunately, it’s quite simple.

1. First, find a comfortable seated position on a chair.
2. To stretch the right side plantar fascia, place your right leg over your left thigh.
3. Then, using your right hand, firmly hold your foot and gently bend the ankle towards yourself. While bending the ankle, also flex your toes using your palm. You should feel a good stretch on the sole of your foot.
4. Hold this position for 30 seconds, and then release slowly.
5. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times for each foot in a single session.
6. Next, repeat the same process on your left leg. Place your left leg over your right thigh and follow the same steps we discussed.
7. Again, repeat this 3 to 4 times for each foot. Stretching both sides in this way can help relieve tension and discomfort in the plantar fascia.

2. Calf Stretch for Heel Pain: Loosen Tight Muscles (With Band)

The calf muscle is the bulky muscle on the back of the lower leg. Due to the heel pain, these muscles also get stiff, and we need to stretch these muscles to get some relief. To begin the calf muscle stretching exercise for heel pain relief:

1. Find a comfortable spot to sit on a mat or a bed with both knees straight. You can use a towel, a bedsheet, or a resistance band for this exercise. For this example, we will use a resistance band.
2. Place the middle part of the resistance band over the ball of the toes of the leg you want to stretch.
3. Hold both ends of the band with your hands.
4. Gently pull the resistance band towards yourself, allowing the ankle to bend until you feel a nice stretch in the back of your lower leg.
5. Maintain this stretched position for at least 30 seconds and repeat the exercise 3 to 4 times in a single session.
6. This stretching routine can help alleviate stiffness and provide relief from heel pain.

Foot muscle strengthening exercises for plantar fascitis

Next comes the foot exercises. Numerous small muscles in our feet help maintain the arch of the foot. These muscles play a very important role in propelling the body forward during walking.

During heel pain, the small muscles of the sole and the foot may weaken. This can lead to increased stress on the heel and result in heel pain.

So, strengthening these small muscles of the foot is very crucial in the overall improvement of heel pain. 

3. Towel Scrunches: Strengthen Weak Foot Muscles (Easy Home Exercise)

To perform this foot muscle-strengthening exercise, follow these steps:

1. Sit comfortably on a chair with your foot flat on the floor.
2. Place a towel on the floor within reach of your foot.
3. Using your toes, grip the towel and pull it towards you.
4. Try to gather the entire towel length using only your toes, focusing on engaging the small muscles in your foot.

4. Foot Scooping Exercise: Improve Arch Support & Stability

The next exercise is scooping the foot. For this exercise:

1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Join both of your heels together and then take your feet apart.
3. After this, collect your feet and scoop them as shown in the figure.
4. Repeat this movement 20 to 30 times in a single session.

5. Toe Raises: Strengthen Calves & Reduce Heel Stress

1. Stand in front of a sturdy table or window and hold onto it for support.
2. From this position, lift your heels off the ground and rise onto the balls of your feet, maintaining your balance.
3. Hold this position for 5 seconds, feeling the stretch in your calves, and slowly lower your heels.
4. Repeat this motion 10 to 20 times in a single session to strengthen your calf muscles and improve your balance.

6. Tennis Ball Roll: Massage Stiff Plantar Fascia (Instant Relief)

1. Find a tennis ball and place it on the floor.
2. Stand next to the tennis ball and place one foot on top of it.
3. Apply gentle pressure on the tennis ball with your foot.
4. Roll the ball back and forth under your foot using the entire sole.
5. Continue rolling the ball for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Switch to the other foot and repeat the process.
7. This exercise effectively helps release tension in the stiff plantar fascia.
8. You can repeat these steps as many times as you feel comfortable.

Extra Tips to Relieve Heel Pain Faster

In addition to these exercises, you can also follow other home tips that will help you permanently relieve your pain. For example, when you go outside and wear shoes, you can put a silicone heel cup inside your shoes, which will help reduce the pain.

You can also use silicone gel socks when you are at home and when you are back from a tiring day at your workplace. But before getting one, you should know how to use a silicone heel cup.

You can also give a hot treatment to your feet to get instant relief from the pain. The process of hot treatment is very simple. Simply take a bucket of water or a bowl of warm water, put some salt in the water and dip your foot in it.

Keep your foot dipped in the water warm water till the water comes to a normal temperature. You can also visit your nearest Physiotherapy where you can expect ultrasonic therapy for quick relief.

Keep Reading: How do you relieve calf pain? Hint: 2 Stretching Exercise

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