Plantar Fasciitis exercises for seniors (hip & thigh exercise for seniors)
written by Nina Shantel, blog: RealDietHelp.com, published February 28, 2023
Plantar fasciitis is extremely painful. I ended up with plantar fasciitis shortly after taking up running because my form was incorrect, I was mostly running on the front of my feet without letting my heels touch the ground. I got rid of plantar fasciitis and the pain that accompanied it with the following exercises. I also helped a marathon runner who had to stop running due to plantar fasciitis pain at a gym I worked at. Her plantar fasciitis pain was gone and she was running again after only three weeks of working with her.
Many seniors also have weak hips with limited mobility and difficulty getting up and down so I’ve also included exercises to target the hips, glutes and thigh muscles. (Watch the video below to follow along and see the proper way to perform the exercises).
Here are the stretches I use for myself and my clients to get rid of plantar fasciitis pain and increase overall mobility and strength.
Perform 10 repetitions of each of these simple exercises for all ages, three times a day, every day.
If you follow this exercise plan and eat an anti-inflammatory diet by avoiding oils, sugar, dairy and animal products, and adding lots of greens, vegetables and fruit to your diet, you will see quicker improvements because you will have less inflammation and the nutrition necessary for healing.
Perform these exercises three times a day, every day:
- Standing cross body front toe taps for balance, hip strength. 10 reps, each side.
- Standing calf stretch. 10 reps, each side.
- Downward facing dog. This is most effective when performed on the floor but you can also modify this pose by holding a chair while hinging backwards. Make sure to keep your feet flat on the floor. 10 reps.
- Lift toes while keeping the rest of the foot flat on the ground. You can do this exercise seated or standing. 10 reps.
- Lift front of feet while keeping the heels on the floor. This exercise can also be done seated or standing. 10 reps, each side.
- Not shown in the video: point and flex the feet while seated or laying on your back with your legs up in the air. 10 reps.
- Chair squats. 10 reps.
- Not shown in the video: While holding onto the back of a chair, lift one foot an inch off the floor so you are standing on one leg (don’t allow either of your hips to drop). This single-leg exercise will strengthen the hip that is bearing the weight, a technique called loading. Alternate from one side to the other. Perform ten repetitions on each side.
- Bent leg standing side leg lifts to strengthen the hips. 10 reps, each side.
If this post is located on any other website other than mine, which is RealDietHelp.com, it’s been unauthorized, plagiarized (copied without my permission). The other social media sites where my articles and videos are approved to be published are on my YouTube channel (Nina’s Nutrition & Exercise Videos), my Fit Girl Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheHighFiveDiet/ and my Twitter account https://twitter.com/medairyfree
