Phase 01
Pain Reduction & Foot Foundation
Weeks 1-2 · Daily (6-7x/week) · 15 min
Reduce morning pain, restore calf and ankle mobility, begin foot muscle activation.
AKMI Human Performance
Calm Your Heel Pain
A 6-Week Plan to Load and Calm Your Heel
A focused 6-week program for plantar heel pain: daily calf and foot work to settle morning pain, progressive heel-raise loading, walking practice and a graded return to your main activity, with a footwear check and a short maintenance routine. The program runs for 6 weeks. Heel pain often takes longer than that to settle completely, so you finish with a routine you keep doing afterwards.
Is This for You?
The program is written for people who recognise themselves in these lines.
This Is for You If
- You feel sharp heel pain with your first steps in the morning
- Your foot pain increases after prolonged standing or walking
- Pain in the arch or heel that has persisted for more than 2 weeks
- You have been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis by a healthcare provider
- You have had to reduce your running, walking, or training due to foot pain
- Stretching your calves provides temporary relief but the pain returns
Before You Start
- No suspected stress fracture (constant pain that worsens with any weight-bearing)
- No open wound, infection, or acute inflammation at the foot
- Able to walk, even if painful, for at least 5 minutes
- No diagnosed tarsal tunnel syndrome or nerve entrapment
The 6-Week Protocol
3 phases. Each builds on the last, and each ends with checkpoints you measure yourself before you move on.
Phase 02
Gait Correction & Progressive Loading
Weeks 3-4 · 5x/week · 20 min
Practise a walking pattern that spreads load through the foot, and progressively load the calf, Achilles and sole of the foot.
Phase 03
Return to Activity & Prevention
Weeks 5-6 · 4x/week (2 strength, 2 activity days) · 20 min
Graded return to activity, footwear check and a maintenance routine you keep after week 6.
Everything Included
Branded PDF Program
Every exercise with its dose, cues, target muscles, common mistakes, regression and progression, plus what each phase corrects and how you measure it. Yours to keep.
Exercise Library
One year of platform access to every exercise with its demonstration and target muscles, linked from the PDF.
Self-Assessment Checkpoints
A progress tracker for your baseline and every checkpoint, so you compare against your own numbers.
Your Checkpoints
- First-Step Pain Score
- Ankle Dorsiflexion Test
- First-Step Pain Retest
- Single-Leg Calf Raise Test
- Final First-Step Pain Score
- Activity Tolerance Test
- Calf Raise Endurance
Equipment
- Frozen water bottle or ice ball
- Tennis ball or lacrosse ball
- Towel
- Resistance band (medium strength)
- Step or stair edge
- Smartphone for self-assessment recordings
When to Stop and See a Professional
The program lists these stop signs on its first pages. If one appears, pause and get checked.
- Sudden pop or snap in the heel area followed by immediate severe pain
- Complete inability to bear weight on the affected foot
- Foot pain with visible swelling, redness, and warmth (possible infection)
- Numbness or burning sensation along the bottom of the foot
- Pain that is constant and does not change with rest or activity
- Heel pain following a direct impact injury (possible fracture)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get access?
Right after payment you receive an email with your PDF and the link to your platform access. The PDF is yours to keep. Platform access, with the exercise library and the progress tracker, lasts one year from purchase.
What equipment do I need?
Frozen water bottle or ice ball; Tennis ball or lacrosse ball; Towel; Resistance band (medium strength); Step or stair edge; Smartphone for self-assessment recordings.
Who should not start this program on their own?
Read the prerequisites before you buy: No suspected stress fracture (constant pain that worsens with any weight-bearing); No open wound, infection, or acute inflammation at the foot; Able to walk, even if painful, for at least 5 minutes; No diagnosed tarsal tunnel syndrome or nerve entrapment. If any of the stop signs below appears, pause the program and see a healthcare professional.
Does it include a coach?
No. It is a self-guided program: you measure your baseline, follow the phases and re-measure at every checkpoint. If you want a plan written around your own body by a coach, that is the full AKMI assessment.
Is this a substitute for medical care?
No. It is an exercise program. It does not diagnose or treat any disease. If your pain is severe, recent or getting worse, see a healthcare professional before you start.
Start the Plantar Fasciitis Recovery Program
One-time purchase. The PDF is yours to keep. One year of exercise library access and progress tracking.
$37
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