Plantar Heel Pain: What To Do
Pain under the heel, often worst on the first steps of the day.
Last revised
It usually settles over months with loading and stretching, and the commonest mistake is resting and waiting.
Key takeaways
- Classic feature: worst on the first steps in the morning
- Main treatment: calf and plantar fascia stretching, and graded loading
- Most useful single change: Stretch the calf and the sole daily, including before the first steps.
- Commonest mistake: Complete rest, which does not speed recovery.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Do
- Stretch the calf and the sole daily, including before the first steps
- Use supportive footwear and consider an insole
- Reduce but do not stop activity
Do not
- Complete rest, which does not speed recovery
- Repeated steroid injections without specialist advice
- Walking barefoot on hard floors while symptomatic
The figures behind the list
Each item above follows from these, published in the guidance named at the foot of the page.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Classic feature | worst on the first steps in the morning |
| Main treatment | calf and plantar fascia stretching, and graded loading |
| Timescale | months rather than weeks |
| Footwear | cushioned with some arch support helps |
Where to go next
- Plantar Heel Pain: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Understanding Plantar Heel Pain: A Plain-English Explainer
- Plantar Heel Pain — the reference entry
- Ingrown Toenails: What Published Guidance Supports
- What the Guidance Really Says About Athlete's Foot
When to get help
See a GP or podiatrist for heel pain with numbness or tingling, pain that is worse at night, swelling, redness or fever, or pain following a specific injury. Sudden severe pain with a snap at the back of the ankle suggests an Achilles rupture and needs urgent assessment.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.