I have that along with a few other things that are all related. Lately I've been getting treatments for them. I'd recommend your friend see a chiropractor, podiatrist, and possibly physical therapist
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Have her try to stand with her heels over the edge of a stair or a cinder block, hold onto chairs or the railing for balance, and let her heels drop down... just let her body weight pull the heels down and give the calf muscle a good stretch.
People gave me this advice too, but my PT said to do them while seated (see my above comment) because it is less strenuous, and it could be bad to strain them too much. So I just want to say to make sure that the OP's friend see a PT or doctor who can advise her specifically in case her PF is severe or has caused other problems where exercises such as these should be avoided.
Yes...you can actually cause the fascia to tighten further by straining it doing this type of exercise. It needs to done slowly, and with the help of a PT, or MT. The area needs to be well warmed up before this type of stretching is done to it as well, which is usually better done with the supervision of a therapist.
My husband and dad are both runners, and have both struggled with PF. Along with the other suggestions, they have some other techniques for stretching/massaging.
1. Get 2 cans of frozen juice concentrate (just buy what's on sale...you're not drinking it). Every night, roll them around using your feet. For example, put a towel down, put frozen the cans on the ground, sit on the couch, and roll them under your feet for a 10-15 minutes.
2. Put 2 golfballs in a sock. Roll thsoe around with your feet.
Oh goodness, I didn't realize what MBT shoes were! They sound awful. They would absolutely make my PF related issues much worse, I can tell that just from looking at them. From the name, I thought they would be more like the Vibram 5 fingers or something. I think those are awesome. I'm all in favor of going barefoot as much as possible. My PF and related issues are pretty severe right now so I'm trying to get my foot stable and strong enough to support its arch naturally and in the meantime I have insoles (which I kind of hate) but as soon as I'm given the all clear by my PT I'll be back to barefoot as much as possible.
Sorry for the massive runon sentence at the end. :)
Custom orthotics saved my life. I was in so much pain I couldn't walk but now I am pain free and have been for a year! I don't have to wear them all the time anymore, just 3 days a week or so, and I'm good. I can definitely run again, although I was never a big runner.
Also, lots of gentle stretching and exercising like others have mentioned. Also, a trip to the chiropractor wouldn't hurt. Because of my overpronation my knees were bending inwards which was twisting my hips etc etc. It's all interconnected!
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1. Get 2 cans of frozen juice concentrate (just buy what's on sale...you're not drinking it). Every night, roll them around using your feet. For example, put a towel down, put frozen the cans on the ground, sit on the couch, and roll them under your feet for a 10-15 minutes.
2. Put 2 golfballs in a sock. Roll thsoe around with your feet.
Reply
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Sorry for the massive runon sentence at the end. :)
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Also, lots of gentle stretching and exercising like others have mentioned. Also, a trip to the chiropractor wouldn't hurt. Because of my overpronation my knees were bending inwards which was twisting my hips etc etc. It's all interconnected!
Good luck to your friend!
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