Physiotherapy
Foot Pain Physiotherapy in Singapore
Written by Zita Sham, Fairuuz Saleh and Ching Yee, Principal Physiotherapists at Phoenix Rehab.Clinically reviewed by Louise Yow, Principal Physiotherapist and Director, AHPC A1300363H.Last reviewed 27 September 2026.
The first few steps out of bed are the giveaway. Heel pain that is worst then, and eases as you walk, behaves differently to every other kind of foot pain.
Assessment-led treatment for heel pain and plantar fasciitis, forefoot and arch pain, running and overuse injuries, and recovery after foot surgery. Five clinics across Singapore. No referral needed.
One 45-minute appointment, $230 nett, no GST. Assessment and treatment in the same visit
The problem
It hurts most first thing, and again after you sit down
Heel pain has a rhythm most people recognise before they have a name for it. The first steps in the morning are the worst. It settles as you get moving. Then you sit through a meeting or a meal, stand up, and it is back.
That pattern points at the tissue under the arch rather than at the heel bone, and it matters because the two are managed differently. It also explains why resting it more usually makes the mornings worse rather than better.
The place that hurts is the heel. The thing that needs changing is usually the load through the arch.
Where are you right now?
Four situations we see with feet
- The first steps in the morning are the worst part. That pattern points at the plantar fascia and it has a particular loading approach rather than a rest one.
- It hurts more the longer you are on it. A different pattern, usually load related, and it points somewhere else.
- You have had foot or ankle surgery. Range, calf strength and the way you are walking, in that order.
- You have been given insoles and nothing changed. Insoles alter load. They do not build the strength that has to carry it, and neither on its own is usually enough.
What we treat
Foot conditions
Plantar fasciitis and heel pain
Usually improves with a combination of load management, targeted stretching, and addressing what is driving the strain through the arch.
Forefoot and arch pain
Pain under the ball of the foot or through the arch, often linked to footwear, training load or how the foot is loading during walking.
Overuse and running injuries
Assessed against your training load and movement pattern, not just the sore spot, so the plan addresses what caused it.
Footwear and walking pattern
Where shoes or gait are contributing, that is part of the plan rather than an afterthought.
After foot surgery
Follows your surgeon’s protocol, rebuilding movement and walking pattern in the right order for your procedure.
Nerve-related foot pain
Burning, numbness or tingling is assessed differently to mechanical pain, and sometimes points somewhere other than the foot.
How recovery is run
4-Stage Structured Recovery
Every plan runs on the Phoenix Recovery Protocol: four stages, with measurable criteria to move between them. With foot pain, calf and foot strength are measured against your other side, and your walking or running load is tracked alongside symptoms rather than guessed at.
1. Calm & Protect
Settle an irritable tissue and take the provoking load off it, without stopping walking altogether.
2. Move & Mobilize
Regain ankle and big toe movement, both of which change how the arch loads with every step.
3. Rebuild & Strengthen
Calf and small foot muscle strength, built gradually. The stage that decides whether it stays away.
4. Return & Perform
A full day on your feet, the distance you used to run, the shoes you actually wear.
Who you will see
Physiotherapists who treat feet
Zita Sham
Achilles tendinopathy, and ankle and foot injuries that will not settle. Principal Physiotherapist since 2014.
Orchard, Tampines
Fairuuz Saleh
Return to sport and running after lower limb injury. Rehabilitating injuries since 1997.
Tampines
Ching Yee
The knee and hip problems that change how a foot loads, and recovery after lower limb surgery.
Tanjong Pagar
If it has stalled
Months of inserts and stretching, and the first steps still hurt
The first ten steps out of bed are still the worst part of the day. You have stopped walking the long way round. You choose shoes by how long you will be standing in them.
That is not a foot that recovered. That is a foot that settles overnight and gets provoked again every morning.
The Stalled Recovery Review is three appointments over three weeks with the same physiotherapist, because a foot shows what it can tolerate across a week of walking, not in one visit. The first appointment finds what is limiting it. The next two measure how it responds to load. $690, nett, no GST, which is three appointments at $230.
What it costs
One price, stated once
Assessment & Treatment
One standard 45-minute physiotherapy appointment, nett, no GST. Treatment starts in the same appointment.
- History and physical examination, including the ankle, knee and hip
- Foot and ankle range, calf strength, and how you load the foot when walking
- A stage diagnosis against the four stages
- A written plan, a home program and footwear advice where it is relevant
- Your next review dated into the diary
No packages and no discounts for booking a course. If you finish early, we refund the unused appointments.
Questions we get asked
How long does plantar heel pain take?
Longer than most people expect, and it depends on how long it has been there before starting. What changes the timeline most is consistency with the loading program and managing the days you are on your feet. Your physiotherapist will tell you the usual course at the assessment rather than quote a number that may not apply.
Do I need insoles?
Sometimes they help, particularly early on while the tissue is irritable. They are one option among several rather than the answer on their own, and they work better alongside strengthening than instead of it. The assessment will tell you whether yours is a case where they are worth trying.
Do I need a doctor’s referral?
No. You can book directly. Bring any scans or reports you have. Some insurers ask for a referral before they reimburse, so check your policy.
Can I keep running?
Often yes, at a modified distance and frequency, and continuing to run at some level usually beats stopping entirely. The amount is specific to how irritable the tissue is, which is one of the things the first appointment establishes.
Is it worth coming if it has been months?
Yes. Long-standing foot pain is common and still responds, though it generally takes longer than a recent problem. It is worth having it assessed rather than assuming it is now permanent.
Which clinics treat foot pain?
All five. Orchard, Tampines, Serangoon and Tanjong Pagar now, with Jurong East opening 20 October 2026.
Where we are
Five clinics across Singapore
Tell us when it hurts most
First thing in the morning, after sitting, during a run, or at the end of a long day. When it hurts tells us more than where.
Clinical statements on this page require clinician sign-off before publication. Physiotherapists assess, treat, exercise, educate and refer; doctors diagnose, inject, prescribe and order imaging. If we find something that needs medical review we refer you back to your doctor.
What our patients say
Google reviews from our clinics in Singapore.
