Is It Okay To Use a Cross Trainer With Plantar Fasciitis?

For people who suffer from plantar fasciitis, finding a type of exercise that does not make your feet and heels hurt can be difficult. The illness comes from an inflammation of the thick tissue on your foot, and be caused by overuse of the foot or being overweight. 

Since elliptical machines are considered a low impact form of exercise they are suitable for people who suffer from plantar fasciitis and want to do cardio exercises safely without pain. 

To help you out with exercise while suffering from plantar fascia we have composed a small guide below which will take you through which low-impact machines you can use to exercise with for plantar fasciitis, the benefits of using a cross trainer for your low-Impact workouts and some tips for using one. 

Which Types of Exercises Can I Do With Plantar Faciitis? 

Before we dive into more detail about using an elliptical machine with foot pain, let's briefly go over all the kinds of aerobic exercises which are suitable for people who suffer from this illness to help them get back into a safer exercise routine. 

Cycling 

Cycling with plantar fascia is typically okay as during the pedalling motion not much weight is placed on the heel of the foot pedals. Instead, your leg muscles are activated most with your calves flexing. 

The only drawback of this is that the contracting calve muscle can sometimes cause foot pain, so be sure to stretch out before and after your exercise to try and avoid this. 

Swimming

Swimming with foot pain is an excellent choice as no weight is placed on the feet, this resistance exercise can help strengthen your muscles, especially in the feet and is one of the most low-impact forms of exercise you can choose with this problem.

Rowing 

Rowing compared to running keeps the weight off your heels and is a great, low-impact exercise to get your heart rate up and burn calories.

Cross Trainer 

As we have mentioned above, using an elliptical exercise with this foot pain is low impact and will rarely make heel pain worse as there is little weight-bearing. 

However, when the back heel lifts during the forward motion on a cross-trainer it can aggravate your feet through plantar flexion. If this happens stop exercising on the machine straight away.

Benefits Of Using a Cross Trainer With Plantar Faciitis 

If you are still on the edge about whether or not an elliptical machine is right for your plantar faciitis then take a look at the benefits we have listed below to see if this machine could be right for you. 

• Strengthens your muscles - Cross-training involves strength exercises in your arms, legs and glutes, this can tone them and make them stronger over time with resistance. 
• Helps you lose weight - When combined with a healthy diet, you can indeed lose weight with an elliptical trainer as long as you are in a calorie deficit.
• You have control - Whether you want to go fast or slow, you set the pace on your cross trainer which is important for people who are getting back into exercising after an injury. You can also play around with the resistance according to how you feel. 
• It's low impact - Since your feet stay on the pedals most of the time these feet exercises are low impact unlike treadmill running. 

Tips For Using a Cross Trainer With Plantar Faciitis

It is important if you suffer from plantar faciitis to not go all out when using the machine, you need to make sure that your exercise regimen does not make your foot pain any worse. 

We have bullet-pointed a few of our essential tips for using a cross-trainer with foot pain below. 

• Wear the right shoes - Always wear the right athletic shoes with shock absorption and supportive arches for cross-training. Wearing the wrong shoes can cause plantar faciitis.
• Keep the correct posture - Try not to push the pedals of your elliptical too hard when using the machine and avoid lifting them. Do not put pressure on the ball of your foot. 
• Stretch - In addition to light low impact exercise, you should perform some stretches to help with your foot pain before and after working out. This can be ankle rolls, flexing your foot up and down and massaging your heel. 
• Check with your doctor - If you suffer from foot pain then always follow your physical therapists advice to avoid making your pain any worse. Never force yourself to exercise if you are experiencing pain.
• Try a foot brace at night - It has been proven that wearing a foot brace at night with plantar faciitis can help with the pain.

Final Words 

Overall, a cross trainer can be used with plantar faciitis, but you should always monitor how you feel during and after the exercise, if this makes it feel worse then always discontinue the workout routine and consult your doctor for advice. 

In addition to performing low impact, exercises make sure you are stretching, wearing the right shoes and keeping the best posture when working out on these machines.