Heel Pain FAQ -
What are the Top Three Most Common Causes of Heel Pain
1. Plantar Fasciitis
Showing up in first place is plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue which connects the heel to the toes, and runs along the bottom of your foot.
Description: Inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue connecting the heel to the toes.
Pain Location: Bottom of the heel, especially with the first steps of the morning.
Common Triggers: Overuse, poor footwear, flat feet, or tight calf muscles.
2. Achilles Tendinitis
Description: Inflammation of the Achilles tendon that connects the calf muscles to the heel bone.
Pain Location: Back of the heel or just above it.
Common Triggers: Overuse, sudden increase in activity, tight calf muscles, or flat arches.
3. Heel Spurs
Description: Calcium deposits that cause a bony protrusion on the underside of the heel bone.
Pain Location: Bottom of the heel, may be sharp or stabbing.
Common Triggers: Often associated with plantar fasciitis, prolonged standing, or obesity.
How are they diagnosed?
Since these symptoms of all these conditions are heel pain the doctor uses similar methods to diagnose them. A thorough history and physical will be done by the doctor and staff, followed by an xray.
How are these conditions treated?
- Plantar fasciitis – Rest, ice and stretching are the at home treatments the patient is advised to do. Followed by ensuring shoes are sufficiently supportive. Custom orthotics may also be prescribed. If these fail to treat the problem physical therapy, foot braces and cortisone injections are considered. In rare cases surgery is a possibility, but that is very rare.
- Achilles Tendinitis – Similar to platar fasciitis rest, ice and stretching at home are ordered. The stretches will be different for each of these conditions and you will be trained in the proper methods for stretching during your appointment. If these fail to work the doctor will order physical therapy, shoe modifications, modification of activity and foot braces.
- Heel Spurs – Heel spurs themselves are not the source of the patients problem they are a symptom and the root cause must be found. Heel spurs themselves may not hurt or bother a patient at all. The problem causing them must be found and treated. This may take some back and forth questions and discussion with the doctor to find the source of the problem. The treatment will follow a similar theme to the other two heel pain conditions.
If you are ready to tackle your heel pain give our office a call and schedule an appointment. There is no need for you to live with the pain. There is a solution to get you back to your life.