Pain through the arch of the foot and/or the heel is one of the most common issues experienced by runners. The problem often starts as mild tension, but can turn into debilitating heel pain quite quickly.

There often isn’t an easy or accurate explanation for this pain, it can be one of those problems that “just started hurting one day”.

Direct impact is not usually the cause, so the most likely and logical explanation is that the pain is caused by muscle tension. A tight lower back, tight glutes, tight hamstrings and tight calf muscles can all contribute to increased tension through the sole of your foot which ultimately turns into pain.

Because it is so hard to pin down the actual cause of the pain, it makes it a difficult problem to treat.

One of the strategies that you could try is to stretch out the arch of your foot for a few minutes every day.

Make sure you do this gently. Don’t rush in and stretch it too hard. If the tension has been building for a period of time, then it will take quite a while to reduce it.

Start with 1-2 minutes per day initially, and you can gradually start holding it for longer if it feels like it is helping.