Plantar fasciitis is painful. Some people are treating it the wrong way.

If you have plantar fasciitis, don’t just rest your foot. Stretch it, apply tension to the arch of your foot, and gradually return to walking while wearing a supportive pair of shoes, researchers say.

Common treatments for plantar fasciitis address the inflammation, often by icing or even immobilizing the foot. Prolonged rest — the first step in the “R.I.C.E.” treatment plan of rest, ice, compression and elevation — can lead to a longer recovery time for the plantar fascia, says Keith Baar, a professor of molecular exercise physiology at the University of California at Davis.

“The inactivity and the immobilization actually exacerbates the injury,” Baar said.

To speed up recovery, Baar and other experts say, you should stretch the foot and apply tension to the plantar fascia to physically lengthen the ligament and encourage healing.