Heel pain is something most athletes have to go through at least once in their careers. Most heel pain is curable and gets better with prompt treatment. But if left untreated, it can make you feel disabled and affect your daily life. Learn what causes heel pain and effective treatment options for heel pain in this article. Log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.

Causes

Many causes of heel pain include injury, foot abnormalities, plantar fascia, overweight, etc. Depending on the location of the pain, it can range from mild to severe. Here are the most common causes of heel pain, including:

1. Sprains and spurs: These are injuries to the foot, which usually happen from physical activity. These common injuries can range from mild to severe depending on the incident.

2. Plantar fasciitis: This occurs when too much pressure on the feet damages the plantar fascia ligament causing inflammation, pain, and stiffness. The plantar fascia is a strong, bowstring-like ligament that connects the bottom of the foot from the heel to the ball of the foot. This is quite common in athletes who run and jump a lot because repeated strains over time beyond normal extension cause soft tissue fibers of fascia to tear and stretch at points along its length, which leads to inflammation, pain, and may the growth of bone spur to plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone.

3. Achilles tendonitis: This occurs when the tendon that attaches the calf muscles to the heel has pain and inflammation due to overuse injuries. It is quite common in people who run and walk a lot with tight tendons. The tendon can easily get strained over time which makes its fibers tear and stretch along its length or its insertion to the heel bone.

4. Stress fracture: Repetitive stress, strenuous exercise, sports, or heavy manual work can cause injury. For example, runners are at higher risk of stress fractures because they cause repetitive stress to the metatarsal bones of the foot. Osteoporosis is also the reason for stress fractures, and this causes pain all along the bottom, side, and back of your heel.

5. Heel bursitis: Bursae are fluid-filled sacs found in your joint at the back of the heel. It surrounds the areas where tendons, skin, and muscle tissues connect bones. This condition occurs when you land awkwardly or hard on the heels or under pressure from footwear. The individual may feel pain deep inside the heel or at the back of the heel.

6. Haglund’s deformity: This condition occurs when bone is enlarged on the back of the heel due to footwear rubbing against the back of the heel which irritates the bony enlargement and surrounding tissue. Having hard-backed shoes and pumps can put pressure on the back of the heel and irritate Haglund’s deformity. This is the reason people also call this condition a “pump bump.”

7. Tarsal tunnel syndrome: This syndrome occurs when tissue compresses the large nerve in the back of the foot which causes pain. It is a type of compression neuropathy that can occur in either the ankle or foot.

8. Sever’s disease: It is the most common cause of heel pain found in children and young adults. It happens from overuse and repetitive microtrauma of the growth plates of the heel bone. Sever’s disease mostly occurs in children aged 7 to 15 years.

Other potential causes of heel pain are:

• Rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis like gout, reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic arthritis, etc.
• Baxter’s nerve entrapment
• Soft tissue mass
• Short flexor tendon tear
• Problems with circulation
• Neuroma, or Morton’s neuroma

Treatment

Heel pain treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. There are many non-surgical options to treat pain and ease your discomfort, including:

• Give rest to injury.
• Apply ice packs to the heel for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day.
• Take over-the-counter medications to relieve your pain.
• Wear properly fitting shoes.
• Wear a night splint, which is a special device that stretches the foot while you sleep.
• Use heel lifts or shoe inserts to reduce pain and discomfort.

If these home treatment strategies don’t improve your symptoms, then you should seek a podiatrist. A podiatrist performs a physical exam or X-rays to diagnose your heel, identify the cause of your symptoms, and create a treatment plan accordingly.

Most people’s heel pain gets better with conservative treatments within months. Usually, one or a combination of the following treatments is recommended:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to lower your pain and swelling.
• Corticosteroid injections may be recommended if NSAIDs don’t
• Physical therapy can be prescribed to strengthen your lower leg muscles.
• Athletic taping is used to give better support to the bottom of the foot.
• Orthotics, assistive devices, and insoles to correct foot deformities.

If these treatment options don’t work, the doctor may recommend surgery to correct the problem, however, heel surgery takes a long time to recover and doesn’t always relieve foot pain.

Complications

Heel pain can affect your daily movements which affect your everyday life. It may affect the way you walk which makes you lose your balance and fall, making you more prone to other injuries. If you become sedentary due to pain, you may gain weight. It may also lead to depression because you can’t do things you love.

Heel pain can be caused due to many factors like injury, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, stress fracture, etc. However, most of the heel pain causes are treatable with home strategies and medications. Rarely, surgical options are required to treat heel pain, which requires a long recovery time with not always successful outcomes in pain relief.

Need help with heel pain, visit our podiatry clinic to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!

Doral Health & Wellness employs Podiatrists with extensive education and expertise. Trauma to the tendons, muscles, and bones of the foot is quite common, as are infections secondary to systemic diseases. It’s not a promising idea to put off seeing Foot Doctor Brooklyn until you’re in a lot of pain. Our address is 1797 Pitkin Avenue, New York, NY 11212. To make an appointment, please call +1-347-384-5690 or send an email to info@doralhw.org.