Few things can stop you from enjoying a pleasant summer day in Cincinnati quite like heel pain. If it hurts to walk too much or too far, unfortunately, most people just stop walking. Don’t go down that path! Heel pain is very treatable, and in fact many cases may be effectively managed through home care, including some gentle stretches.

If we were to ask you to name a general benefit of exercise, there’s a decent chance one of your first answers would be something like “weight loss.” This is certainly true, since regular exercise is a great way to promote and maintain a healthy weight. What you might not consider, though, is how it relates to your foot health.

You’ve probably noticed a lot of common medical conditions—including those that affect the feet and ankles—end in the same four letters: ITIS. Think about it:

• Plantar fasciitis

• Achilles tendinitis

• Calcaneal bursitis

• Arthritis

And those are just the feet and ankles. I’m sure you could think of plenty more that affect other areas of the body. Meningitis, conjunctivitis, bronchitis, hepatitis … you get the idea.