http://laurenmayhewwellness.com/

Lauren Mayhew Wellness, Boston, MA (2026)

05/07/2026

If you’ve been dealing with plantar fasciitis for months (or years) and nothing seems to completely resolve it, it may be time to look beyond your feet.

Persistent plantar fasciitis is often influenced by factors beyond tissue irritation alone.

Stress.
Tension.
Protective movement patterns.
Nervous system sensitivity.
Fear of re-injury.
Whole-body compensation.

That’s why so many women continue to struggle even after trying stretching, orthotics, injections, PT, shockwave, and strengthening exercises.

If this sounds familiar, swipe through the carousel.

And if you want to learn more, I’ll be covering this in my free live masterclass next week:
“Why Your Plantar Fasciitis Isn’t Getting Better — And What To Do Instead.”

Comment “WEBINAR” and I’ll send you the link.

05/06/2026

Join me for my free Masterclass on Tuesday, May 12th at 7:00 p.m. EST!

In this training, I promise to show you 3 big things:

* The real reason why the things you’ve tried aren’t working

* The root cause of plantar fasciitis and precisely what you need to do to resolve it AND keep it from coming back

* The process that finally set me free from PF and that has been the GAMECHANGER for hundreds of my clients

And a whole lot more…

The sign-up link is below in the comments or comment "Training," and I'll get it to you!

04/16/2026

The hard truth about plantar fasciitis treatments…

I will say this plainly, because I think you deserve plain. Most plantar fasciitis treatments are structured around symptom management. Not resolution. Not root cause. Management.

That is not necessarily malicious. It is how most practitioners are trained. It is what the current system funds and teaches. But it means that people with persistent plantar fasciitis who enter that system are, by design, unlikely to exit it with full resolution. The system wasn't designed to help them exit.

I know this because I was inside that system as both a patient and a practitioner.I spent years trying to “crack the code” on my own plantar fasciitis. I did everything I had learned, trained in, and taught my own clients as a Functional Movement Specialist – stretch, ice, strengthen, change your footwear. I’d feel better for a while, but then I'm right back where I started. I saw it with my clients, too.

That pattern has a name. It is called symptom cycling, and it is the most common outcome of approaches that manage foot pain, rather than resolve it.

When I rebuilt my approach around identifying and interrupting the root patterns that cause plantar fasciitis to develop and that keep pain persisting, the cycling stopped.

If you are tired of feeling better and then sliding back, I want you to understand that the cycle itself is information. It is telling you that, however good the approach is, it's targeting the wrong level.

Comment ASSESSMENT if you want to learn more, and I will share the link to sign-up for my no-charge consultation. We’ll talk about what resolution-focused care actually looks like - and how to know if your current approach is set up to get you there.

04/02/2026

5 Things I Don't Recommend for Plantar Fasciitis (And What I Recommend Instead)

Most women I work with have already tried “all the things” for plantar fasciitis—stretching, strengthening, better shoes, inserts—even things like PT, shockwave therapy, custom orthotics, and injections……and they’re still in pain.

If that sounds like you, this might surprise you: Some of the most common recommendations for plantar fasciitis can actually keep you stuck, especially when the pain has been around for longer than a few months.

Here are 5 specific things I don’t recommend (and what I suggest instead):

1. Barefoot shoes or going barefoot (right now)

Why I don’t recommend it: I don’t recommend switching to barefoot shoes while in the throes of plantar fasciitis, as it can put extra stress on the tissues and make things worse. Many people also end up with other issues like achilles tendinitis if they transition too quickly. While, in theory, I’m in favor of transitioning to barefoot shoes, I encourage people to do so very conservatively (over 9-12 months) and while developing the alignment, efficiency, and stability you need throughout your entire body to support this transition.

What I recommend instead: Wear shoes that feel supportive and comfortable for you (this can vary), ideally with a bit of cushioning, good arch support, and a wider toe box.

2. Scraping the feet or aggressive massage tools

Why I don’t recommend it: The plantar fascia is already irritated, and digging into it can often make things worse. It also assumes the problem is just in the foot, when the plantar fascia is connected all the way up the back of your body. If there is a restriction anywhere along the chain, it can put a lot of strain on the plantar fascia -- think of a lever and pulley system.
What I recommend instead: Use a medium-sized rubber ball and gently roll your feet to increase circulation, avoiding painful areas. There are further instructions in my free guide.

3. Icing or rolling on a frozen water bottle

Why I don’t recommend it: Icing reduces blood flow, which isn’t ideal when we’re trying to support tissue recovery.
What I recommend instead: Try contrast therapy (alternating warm and cool). This can help improve circulation and relieve tension in the feet and calves.

4. Jumping straight into foot-strengthening exercises

Why I don’t recommend it: Plantar fasciitis isn’t just a “weak foot” problem. It’s often a combination of muscle tension patterns, postural imbalances, and load management. Jumping right into strengthening the feet can add to existing tension and worsen symptoms.

What I recommend instead: Focus first on reducing tension and improving how your brain and muscles are communicating, then build strength and stability on top of that.

5. Stretching

Why I don’t recommend it: It might feel good temporarily, but stretching doesn’t change the underlying patterns that are driving the problem.

What I recommend instead: Neuromuscular retraining is a movement modality for pain relief that uses gentle, specific movements and techniques to help reset muscle tension and improve your body’s movement. It works WITH your nervous system to retrain posture, movement, and pain pathways so you get back to your activities more quickly. I give two examples of this in my free plantar fasciitis guide. Comment "Guide" if you don't have it.

Most of the women I work with have tried some (or all) of the most commonly recommended "solutions" and are still stuck. The turning point usually comes when they stop trying to “fix” their feet in isolation and start working with their body as a coordinated, integrated system.

Did any of these surprise you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And if you’re feeling stuck and are ready for a clearer path forward: Comment TRAINING, and I’ll send you the link to my free Masterclass on 4/14: Why Your Plantar Fasciitis Isn’t Going Away (and What to Do Instead)

You’ve got this!

02/26/2026

Plantar Fasciitis Is Not Just About Your Feet

If you’ve tried new shoes, icing, foot-strengthening exercises, injections, shockwave therapy, etc., and you are still struggling with plantar fasciitis, there's likely more going on in your body further "upstream".

Your plantar fascia is not an isolated band of tissue on the bottom of your foot. It is part of a continuous fascial network that runs through your entire body.

One of the most important of these lines is the Superficial Back Line, a fascial chain that connects from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head. It’s one continuous tension system.
If you’re not familiar with the term or concept of fascia, here’s a broad overview. It’s a form of connective tissue that surrounds and penetrates every muscle, muscle fiber, tendon, ligament, and nerve in your body.

I’ve heard it referred to as your “inner scaffolding”. If every muscle, organ, nerve, etc., were removed from your body, your fascia would remain. It has many different functions, including providing structure and transmitting force.

But beyond that, your fascia is the interface between your body and nervous system. Your fascia responds to stress and perceived threat and can become stuck.

Healthy fascia is elastic, hydrated, and responsive.

But fascia can also become guarded, sticky, dense, chronically tensioned, and neurologically protective.

And when that happens, tension in one area doesn’t stay local. Think of a cashmere sweater. When you pull out a single loose thread, it affects the entire fabric.

That means, if you have plantar fasciitis, it’s likely caused by or correlated with tension patterns along the fascial chain.
This helps explain, in part, why plantar fasciitis is not easily resolved by treatments that focus exclusively on the tissues of the feet. It also explains why so many women with plantar fasciitis also experience things like:

✅ Low back pain
✅ Chronically tight calves or hamstrings
✅ A posterior or anterior pelvic tilt
✅ Neck & shoulder stiffness
✅ Jaw tension and TMJ
✅ Chronic headaches
✅ Neck & shoulder pain

It’s also why so many women with plantar fasciitis have experienced chronic stress. Stress = fascial bracing and protection. Fascia adapts over time, and these adaptations impact overall posture and movement.

When the posterior chain is under constant tension, the plantar fascia becomes the “end of the rope.”

It absorbs force it was never designed to manage alone.
And here’s the part most people miss:

Even if imaging shows inflammation, thickening, or heel spurs, the driver is often systemic tension rather than just local tissue damage.

If you only treat the foot, you’re treating the symptom. If you address the entire tension network, that’s when things really change.

If this resonates, comment below where YOU feel the most tightness in your body? Your calves? Hamstrings? Lower back? Neck & shoulders? Jaw?

Let’s connect the dots.

02/04/2026

Let’s talk Vibration Plates & Plantar Fasciitis.

As a plantar fasciitis recovery expert who has helped hundreds of women, I am often asked about vibration plates. If you’re considering investing in one, here’s my two cents…

What Are They?

A vibration plate is a platform that sends rapid vibrations through your body to increase circulation and activate muscles. They range from $100 to $250 for a basic model to $ 600+ for a higher-end brand.

What They Can Help With

Improving circulation in the feet and lower legs
Relieving stiffness
Muscle activation as a warm-up

What the Research Says

There is no strong evidence that vibration plates alone resolve chronic plantar fasciitis
Small studies suggest vibration may help when combined with exercise or other treatments
Most research looks at circulation and muscle activation, not long-term pain resolution

What They Can’t Do

Retrain the postural and movement patterns that contribute to plantar fasciitis

Change tissue quality in the long term

Rewire the conditioned pain responses in the nervous system that develop with ongoing plantar fasciitis (i.e., every time I step out of bed, it hurts)

Why This Matters

Many tools are advertised as a “cure” for plantar fasciitis, which is misleading. If you’ve had plantar fasciitis for longer than three months and you invest in a vibration plate with the expectation that it will resolve your plantar fasciitis, it’s highly unlikely. Not only that, but it can keep you stuck even longer.

I see too many women (I was one of them) throwing money at “solutions” like this, only to end up feeling more frustrated, confused, and stuck – none of which support healing!
What’s important to understand is that plantar fasciitis often develops due to imbalances and restrictions higher up in the body that affect weight distribution. It persists because the nervous system becomes overly sensitive and protective the brain learns to associate movement with danger.

A vibration plate may temporarily change how your foot feels, but it does not retrain muscle memory or rewire pain pathways.
The longer pain persists, and the root cause goes unaddressed, the more deeply ingrained these pain pathways become. When you are misguided to chase short-term relief with band-aid solutions, expecting them to cure your pain, it can inadvertently end up prolonging your healing. That's what I take issue with.

Bottom Line - When They Make Sense

Lasting improvement comes from:

✅ Actively retraining posture and movement patterns with neuromuscular movement
✅ Addressing whole-body movement patterns
✅ Rewiring the nervous system to create a sense of safety with movement, so healing can happen

When it comes to healing plantar fasciitis that has lasted months or years, “stacking” local tissue-support strategies, such as a vibration plate, with a comprehensive whole-system approach, makes the most sense.

If this resonates and you want to learn more, sign up for my free training where I’ll break this all down and explain exactly what you need to do to get off the rollercoaster and heal.

Comment "Me" if you need the link to register.

01/12/2026

You want to know what really gets my goat, and what fuels me to get up every day and keep doing this work to help women recover from plantar fasciitis?

Stories like the one I heard yesterday. And versions of it I’ve heard far too many times over the years.

It usually goes something like this…

Ellen starts having heel pain, so she goes to the doctor.

She’s told to take anti-inflammatories and change her shoes.

A few weeks go by. No change. She goes back.

This time, she’s told to wear a boot and rest. She does her best.
More weeks pass. Still no real improvement.

Back to the doctor again.

“Let’s try an injection.” It works — for a few months.

Then the pain comes back. Worse this time.

And the next “solution”? You guessed it. Another injection.

Meanwhile, Ellen has gained back the 15 pounds she lost when she was walking regularly — something she relied on for both her physical and mental health. The inability to exercise, combined with constant frustration and fear, sends her into a pretty dark place.

And this is the part that really bothers me.

Why are so many women having this same experience? Why are there thousands of people in online groups desperately searching for answers?

Here’s what I believe, after helping hundreds of women with plantar fasciitis:

These approaches fail not because women aren’t trying hard enough, but because they focus only on the feet and aim to patch symptoms rather than resolve the underlying problem.

They’re reductionist.

They don’t account for how the whole body works together.

And they ignore what we’ve learned over the last 25 years about why pain can persist long after tissues should have healed.

I healed my plantar fasciitis in my living room — not by driving from appointment to appointment and getting only temporary relief.

Here’s the thing no one is telling you:

They can’t fix you.

I can’t fix you. But I can teach you how to heal yourself.

When a symptom is driven by movement patterns and a sensitized nervous system, it requires a nervous-system-informed, movement-based approach.

Why listen to me? I don’t wear a white coat or have medical degrees on my wall.

But my zone of genius is human movement and pain science — and most importantly, applying that knowledge with real people, in real bodies, with real lives.

I know firsthand what it’s like to put one’s faith and trust in people who “know best” only to be led down a seemingly never-ending path of confusion and frustration.

If you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or starting to lose hope, I want you to know there is another way.

Plantar fasciitis doesn’t have to run your life.

You have more power to heal this than you’ve been led to believe.
I’m hosting a free training on resolving plantar fasciitis, and even taking this one step can help you feel more informed, more empowered, and more in control.

It's happening tomorrow, 1/13. Comment “TRAINING” if you want the link to sign up.

12/11/2025

Your foot pain doesn't run on a holiday schedule. 🤷‍♀️

If you've tried all the typical plantar fasciitis treatments like stretching, icing, orthotics, and injections, but your pain keeps coming back, there's a reason. Those approaches only focus on the foot. They don't address the movement patterns, core and pelvic stability, and nervous system responses that actually drive persistent plantar fasciitis.

That's why the Retrain Foot Pain Method works when other things don't.

It teaches your whole body to move and load in more optimal ways, so the pain stops recurring and you can get back to walking, exercising, working out, etc. as quickly as possible.
It puts YOU in the driver's seat of your own healing without having to rely on health professionals or practitioners to "fix you".

And honestly?

You don't need to wait until after the holidays to get relief. In fact, waiting to address the root cause can keep you stuck in a pain loop and make it even harder to heal in the long run. The neural pathways in your brain associated with the pain get reinforced day after day, and your whole system gets better and better at feeling pain. That's not what you want.

Here's why starting now makes more sense:

✅ You will learn how to avoid flare-ups during the busy season and walk into the new year already making progress.

✅ You can start making progress on your pain even with just 5-10 minutes a day and on your schedule in your own home (not traveling back and forth to appointments)

✅ You can begin the new year already ahead of the game, so that well before Spring, you are back to doing all the active things you love.

Plus, for THIS MONTH ONLY, I'm offering a special bonus:
When you schedule a call and enroll, you'll get a private 1:1 movement assessment session with me. You don't need it to succeed in the program, but it gives you a huge jump-start with a personalized roadmap based on your unique patterns.

If you've been thinking, "I can't keep doing this", this is your sign.

Comment "Call," or message me directly, and I'll get you the link to my calendar. I still have a few spots open next week.

You can start healing NOW, not later. You deserve that, and you don't have to do this alone.

12/08/2025

Join me for my last free, live training of 2025!

Let's make sure 2026 isn't a repeat of this year and get you on a path to real recovery.

Comment "Training" if you still need the link to register.

12/03/2025

“Menopause is causing your plantar fasciitis.” 🤔

You’ve probably seen the ads telling you…

“Your fascia dries up after menopause.”

“Your foot pain is from dropping estrogen.”

“Nothing will work until you balance your hormones or buy this product that fixes the 'root cause'."

Let’s clear this up — because this kind of messaging keeps women stuck.

Here’s the truth:

Hormonal changes during menopause can influence how tissues feel and recover. You might notice more stiffness, slower healing, or more general aches.

There is something called musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause (MSM) that can make tissues more vulnerable.

However, it does not mean you’re doomed by your hormones.
What we see in research and in practice is that how you move and load your feet, + whether your nervous system is sensitized, are the key factors for turning things around.

There is no scientific evidence that menopause causes plantar fasciitis.

What is supported by research? The most common risk factors for plantar fasciitis are:

1. Mechanical loading and movement patterns:

How you move and load your feet matters. Altered gait or postural patterns increase stress on the plantar fascia and the calf-foot complex.

2. Posture and muscle tension habits:

When the pelvis or spine is held in chronic tension patterns, load shifts down the chain and changes foot mechanics. Over time, this creates poor load distribution and the symptom of plantar fasciitis.

3. Nervous system sensitization:

Up to 85% of people with chronic plantar fasciitis show signs of nervous system sensitization, meaning the nervous system becomes hypersensitive and keeps the “pain alarm” on high, sometimes even after tissue healing.

Studies also show widespread pressure-pain sensitivity in chronic plantar fasciitis, confirming that the brain and nervous system are involved.

What about my fascia? Isn’t it drying up because of hormonal changes?

The fascia on the bottom of your foot doesn’t just “dry up.” It’s living tissue that remodels with load and adapts to MOVEMENT.
Movement is the best way to keep your fascia healthy and hydrated. So, the more you rest or take time off from activity, the less healthy your tissues will be. It's also not great for your biomechanics.

In summary, the key to resolving plantar fasciitis is to change the way you move by retraining posture, releasing old tension patterns, and gradually re-loading your tissues.

With therapeutic neuromuscular release work, you keep your tissues healthy, improve your biomechanics, and break out of the chronic pain loop by teaching your nervous system it’s safe to move – which means you get back to your normal activities that much sooner!

That’s the REAL root cause of most ongoing plantar fasciitis cases:

Learned postural and movement habits + a hypersensitive nervous system.

The good news?

Both can be retrained. However, it's done with a PROCESS, not a procedure, gadget, injection, sock, shoe, insert, or machine.

That’s exactly what we do inside The Retrain Foot Pain Method — using neuromuscular release, full-body alignment strategies, and pain science education supported by the latest clinical practice guidelines.

If you're curious to learn more, come to my next free training on resolving plantar fasciitis. It's the last one of 2025! Comment "Training" if you want the link to sign up. 👇

12/02/2025

Sometimes the best way to connect is to share our real story.

I’m Lauren, and my path to helping women with plantar fasciitis wasn’t planned - it was born from necessity. When I found myself struggling with ongoing, debilitating foot pain, I never imagined it would lead me to my life’s purpose.

That difficult season taught me that we have an enormous capacity for healing with the right tools, and that we can be an active participant in that healing. It showed me firsthand what it feels like to be living with pain day in and day out and desperately want to get back to being active again.

Now I get to use that experience to guide women who are facing similar challenges. My approach is built on whole-body movement to address the imbalances and restriction that cause plantar fasciitis to develop,, nervous-system retraining that helps your body get out of the protective “stuck” mode that keeps pain going, and pain education that puts YOU in control, because I know what it’s like to need real solutions, not just quick fixes. No one else can fix you, but you.

If my story resonates with you and you’re ready to write a new chapter in yours, let’s talk. Send me a DM or visit the link in my bio.

Lauren Mayhew Wellness

05/07/2026

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02/26/2026

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