How to Treat Plantar Fasciitis With a Frozen Water Bottle

AKA Ice Bottle Massage

An ice bottle massage, using a frozen water bottle for plantar fasciitis pain, can be done at home. Plantar fasciitis develops when the tough band of tissue on the bottom of your foot, called the plantar fascia, becomes inflamed.

This pain can be due to high heel use, fallen arches, or repetitive strain on the foot. The ice bottle massage works by alleviating muscle tightness and inflammation that contributes to foot pain and swelling.

This article explains how the ice bottle massage works and offers some tips on how to perform one. It presents some of the treatment options for plantar fasciitis that you may discuss with your healthcare provider.

When to See a Healthcare Provider

A physical therapist or other healthcare provider should assess and diagnose your foot pain before you decide on a treatment plan. The signs of plantar fasciitis are pretty self-evident, but there are other foot conditions with similar symptoms, including a heel fracture, heel bursitis, or heel contusion. An examination that leads to the correct diagnosis will inform your treatment.

Physiotherapist Treating Plantar Fasciitis In Athlete
Antonio_Diaz / Getty Images

Managing Plantar Fasciitis

Ice bottle massage for plantar fasciitis works due to cold therapy. Ice packs and cold compresses are an ideal way to do this because applying ice reduces the blood flow to the affected area by shrinking blood vessels beneath the skin.

An ice bottle massage is a simple yet smart solution that not only ices swollen tissues but gently stretches the plantar fascia. The swelling in the foot decreases. The cold therapy also may act on pro-inflammatory proteins, called cytokines, that play a role in plantar fasciitis pain.

Icing the foot also numbs the nerve endings just below the skin, alleviating pain. The ice bottle massage can be used with other interventions for plantar fasciitis, including rest, stretching exercises, and orthotics (like shoe inserts).

Medications, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cortisone injections, can be used to help reduce inflammation and numb the pain. Surgery is only considered in severe cases of plantar fasciitis.

Before medications and orthotics are considered, doctors will typically recommend conservative, non-drug therapies aimed at reducing the inflammation that drives the disease.

How to Do Ice Bottle Massage

Ice bottle massage can be easier than some cold therapy options. For example, the problem with ice packs is that you either have to hold them to your foot or put them on the floor and rub your foot over them. It works but can be awkward and cumbersome if you have to do it regularly.

Setting up an ice bottle message is simple when you use a 16-ounce plastic bottle, fill it about 75% full of water, and freeze it with the cap off. Replace the cap and roll your foot across the bottle when you're ready for the therapy. (For some people, a 32-ounce bottle may work better. Anything larger will do little to stretch the constricted tissues.)

With cold therapy, make sure that you do so for only 10 to 20 minutes of icing at a time. You don't want to damage your foot tissue through too much cold exposure (frostbite).

Stop your ice bottle massage if you lose feeling on the skin where you are applying it. Also, you may want to speak to a healthcare provider about trying ice bottle massage for your foot if you have certain health conditions like diabetes, which may play a role in how well you can feel the cold.

To complete the ice bottle massage:

  1. Slowly roll your foot over the water bottle, using gentle pressure to massage the plantar fascia.
  2. As you roll the bottle to the ball of your foot, lift your heel and give your inner sole a good, long stretch.
  3. As you roll the bottle back to your heel, point your toe downward to stretch the top of your foot.
  4. While doing the massage, you can apply a little pressure and hold it on the specific points where you feel pain.
  5. Complete the exercise several times a day.

When you're done, put the bottle back in the freezer until you need it again for the next session.

1:49

Click Play to Learn How to Use Ice for Plantar Fasciitis

This video has been medically reviewed by Casey Gallagher, MD

Tips for Treatment Success

Your ice bottle massage offers benefits to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation when you're careful to protect your skin from cold and repeat short sessions rather than one long one.

There also are other steps you can take, like rolling a golf ball (or similar object) under your foot if you seek the exercise without additional cold exposure. Or, you can wear a sock or wrap the bottle in a light towel or washcloth if it feels too cold.

You also can integrate the ice bottle massage into other treatments. For example, the plantar fascia stretch and towel calf stretch are two simple yet effective ways to improve the flexibility and strength of not only the inner sole but the ankle and calf as well.

After exercising, you can use an ice bottle massage to reduce inflammation. You also may consider:

  • Seeing a podiatrist or physical therapist for a foot and walking analysis. Poor foot position can also contribute to plantar fasciitis, and an evaluation of your gait may lead to orthotic use to hold a correct position while walking, running, or standing.
  • Kinesiology tape can also be used to support the foot and reduce plantar fasciitis pain.
  • Swimming and cycling also help. Over time, routine exercise and orthotics can reduce or even reverse the symptoms of plantar fasciitis if you catch it early enough.

With regular stretching, strengthening, and icing, you can expect your symptoms to dissipate within six to eight weeks. To prevent a recurrence, you need an exercise routine that engages the hips, lower back, thighs, knees, and ankles. By keeping the lower extremities strong and balanced, you can relieve the excess pressure on your foot and heel.

When Will Plantar Fasciitis Pain Stop?

Pain relief for plantar fasciitis can be achieved by conservative means (NSAIDs, exercise, ice bottle massage) in 90% of patients within six months. While the research is inconclusive, the condition is generally thought to resolve within one year from your first symptoms.

Summary

Ice bottle massage for plantar fasciitis is a reliable treatment method for reducing the pain and inflammation associated with this foot condition. It's easy to access and affordable, since all you need for the basics are a chair and a plastic bottle filled with frozen water.

The ice bottle massage works best when you do a few sessions per day with your injured foot, but don't exceed 20 minutes of application time at once due to the risk of tissue damage from the cold exposure.

Be sure to discuss ice bottle massage and other home remedies with your healthcare provider. It's important to have an accurate diagnosis, and the massage is often used along with medication and other parts of a treatment plan.

5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  2. Lim AT, How CH, Tan B. Management of plantar fasciitis in the outpatient setting. Singapore Med J. 2016;57(4):168-70. doi:10.11622/smedj.2016069

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Brett Sears, PT

By Brett Sears, PT
Brett Sears, PT, MDT, is a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience in orthopedic and hospital-based therapy.