The first step hurts most: plantar fasciitis

Why the morning's first step is the stab, and the five evening minutes that answer it.

The question: what exercise helps plantar fasciitis after a day full of walking? Day and morning are one problem.

What it is: the tough band under the foot, strained where it grips the heel. The tell is the first step out of bed: overnight it tightens, and the morning's first load is the stab people remember. Long days on your feet feed it.

The evening set, five minutes:

1. Toes drawn back toward you, seated, towel under the foot. 30 seconds, three times.
2. Calf stretch at a wall: back knee straight, then bent. 30 seconds, twice.
3. Roll the arch on a firm ball or a cold bottle, a minute or two.

Then feet up. Supportive shoes at home; barefoot on hard floors undoes the work.

The 30 seconds that matter most: the toe pull before your first morning steps, before standing.

Over weeks: towel scrunches, and slow heel raises (up three, down three). Ease the load, don't stop moving; pain should trend down, not vanish by Friday.

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