How I Cured My Plantar Fasciitis after 8 months
I had what I thought might be circulation problems in my left foot, but it turned out to be something much more mechanical and position-dependent.
My symptoms looked like classic plantar fasciitis:
- pain under the heel and in the arch/sole
- strong “start-up pain” after sitting
- pain was worst with the first few steps
- improved after moving around
But there were a few unusual things:
- symptoms also happened after elevating my leg on the couch
- occasional numbness/tightness in the calf
- chronic foot cramps for years (for example during Child's Pose in yoga or getting into tight shoes)
- symptoms were dramatically different depending on where I slept
The biggest clue:
- At home: morning pain every day
- In my campervan: almost no symptoms
At first I thought it might be:
- circulation
- nerve issues
- inflammation
- footwear
But eventually I noticed:
- in my campervan I naturally slept in a position where my left foot stayed around 90°
- at home I slept on my left side and my left foot would unconsciously fall into plantar flexion (“pointed toes” / shortened calf position)
My theory became:
- during the night my calf stayed shortened for hours
- this increased tension on the plantar fascia
- first steps in the morning triggered pain
I tested this by:
- changing sleeping position
- changing bed side
- using calf stretching consistently
- using an incline board
- keeping the foot more neutral at night
The real breakthrough was a rigid night splint.
After about 2 weeks:
- plantar fasciitis symptoms disappeared
- startup pain disappeared
- even my long-term foot cramps disappeared
That was the strongest evidence for me that the issue was largely:
- calf tightness
- overnight plantar flexion
- mechanical tension
- possibly mild tibial nerve irritation
—not circulation.
Things that helped most:
- rigid night splint
- incline board calf stretching
- avoiding prolonged plantar-flexed sleeping position
- moving/stretching before standing after sitting
- supportive footwear indoors
- avoiding barefoot walking on hard floors
Interesting side note:
I had a similar issue on the right side years ago, and acupuncture/TCM helped a lot there. But on the left side acupuncture did almost nothing — likely because the left side problem was more strongly driven by sleep position mechanics.
Main takeaway:
If your plantar fasciitis is:
- worst after sleep or sitting
- improves with movement
- changes dramatically depending on sleep setup
…then your sleeping position and overnight foot angle may be a much bigger factor than you think.