Skip to content
PLANTAR FASCIITIS & PERSISTENT HEEL PAIN
Plantar Fasciitis? Start by Changing How you Stand, Walk and Move
If you've tried stretching, insoles, different shoes, rest or exercises but your heel still hurts, let me show you a different place to start.
I'm Stephen Grinnell MSc, Physical Rehabilitation Specialist, author and founder of Heel Your Pain.
I've developed a movement-first approach to persistent heel pain that begins with something surprisingly simple:
How you get up.
How you stand.
How you take your first steps.
How you walk.
And you can experience the starting principles for yourself.
You've probably given your heel pain months. Give me 7 days.
Still struggling with plantar fasciitis after trying all the usual things?
Perhaps you've tried stretching, insoles or orthotics, different shoes, rest, rollers and massage, physiotherapy, online exercises or pain relief.
Some things may have helped temporarily.
But you're still thinking about your heel when you get out of bed, stand up or start walking.
And eventually you start wondering:
Why isn't this actually getting better?
IF YOUR HEEL PAIN HASN'T CHANGED, HAS THE WAY YOU MOVE CHANGED?
A different way to think about plantar fasciitis
You might spend ten minutes stretching or exercising.
But throughout the rest of your day, you repeatedly get up, stand, step and walk.
Persistent heel pain can also change the way you move. You may begin protecting one side, changing how you stand, shortening your stride, avoiding loading the painful foot or simply becoming less confident about movement.
That's why Heel Your Pain starts by looking at the movements you're already making every day.
FIRST STEPS → STAND → WALK → MOVE → BUILD → RETURN
THE CHALLENGE
Start with the FREE 7-Day Heel Your Pain Challenge
Give me 7 days
One day. One focus. Seven days.
It's not just about a pain score
Heel pain matters. But rehabilitation should ultimately help you get back to living your life.
That might mean walking the dog, going on holiday, playing golf or tennis, running again, going out with friends, playing with your grandchildren - or simply getting out of bed without dreading those first few steps.
WHAT IS YOUR HEEL PAIN STOPPING YOU FROM DOING THAT YOU WANT TO GET BACK TO?
CASE STUDY – Angela, 77
What progress can look like
When Angela first came to see me with plantar fasciitis, she could walk for around three minutes before the pain became severe.
Today she regularly walks around her local park — approximately 25 minutes per lap — and can complete two laps before meeting her friends for their social walk.
For Angela, progress wasn't simply a lower pain score. It meant mobility, confidence, independence, and getting back to enjoying walking with friends.
Meet Stephen Grinnell MSc
Physical Rehabilitation Specialist • Author • Founder of Heel Your Pain
My interest in rehabilitation started personally following a serious injury during my time in the Royal Marines.
That experience eventually led me into Physical Rehabilitation and Sports Science, including 13 years teaching in colleges and universities and more than 14 years working in rehabilitation.
Over time, one question became increasingly important:
Why do we spend so much time treating where somebody hurts without also looking at how that person moves?
That thinking became Heel Your Pain. Today my work focuses on helping people understand how they stand, walk and move - and how to progressively rebuild the capacity for the life they want to return to.
0
Patients Treated0
Years of Pain and Rehabilitation Experience, In my Pain and Rehabilitation Clinic0%
Success Rate
BUY THE BOOK
Prefer to understand the problem first?
Read Plantar Fasciitis – Heel Your Pain
Inside, I explain why heel pain can become persistent, why your first steps, standing and walking matter, everyday habits that may influence recovery, why simply doing more exercises is not always the answer, and how a progressive movement-first approach works.
THE ONLINE COURSE
Ready for a structured recovery path?
The Heel Your Pain 12-week recovery programme
The seven-day challenge introduces the principles. The complete programme progressively develops them.
STAND → WALK → MOVE → BUILD → RETURN
The structured pathway takes you through the complete Heel Your Pain system, helping you measure progress and understand what to work on next.
- First steps and standing
- Walking mechanics
- 3-, 6- and 9-minute walking progression
- Mobility
- Movement and loading
- Capacity
- Return to activity
THE HEEL YOUR PAIN CLINIC - STRATFORD-UPON-AVON
Prefer to work with me personally?
If you're local enough to visit the clinic and would prefer an individual assessment, you can work with me personally.
We'll look at your history, what you've already tried, how you're standing and walking, your current movement and capacity, what you're trying to get back to, and what an appropriate next step may be.
Where would you like to start?
THE BLOG
Learn more about Plantar Fasciitis
- Footwear and Plantar Fasciitis - what to look for and what to be cautious about.
- Why Your First Steps Hurt - understanding what happens after rest.
- Why Walking Matters in Plantar Fasciitis Recovery - looking beyond stretches and exercises.
Still not sure where to start?
You don't need to buy a programme.
You don't need to come to the clinic.
You don't even need to know exactly why your heel hurts yet.
Just start by experiencing the approach.