Heel Pain

What is heel pain?

Heel pain affects the bottom of your foot, where it joins the ankle. It may spread towards your toes and radiate up into your leg. Arch pain is also common in patients who have heel pain.

Your heel bears the weight of your body when you stand, walk, and run. It contains:

• Bones
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Muscles
• Nerves
• Blood vessels

The calcaneus (heel bone) is the main bone in your foot. It’s the one you can feel at the bottom of your heel. Above it is the talus bone. These structures all work in harmony to enable you to stand and move comfortably.

If anything affects one or more parts of your heel, it can lead to heel pain.

What conditions cause heel pain?

Heel pain can be due to simple bruising, for example, if you’ve been walking or running for an extended period, especially on hard or uneven ground. Pain from bruising should resolve with a few days rest.

The condition that most often causes heel pain is plantar fasciitis. This affects the bottom of your heel and is due to inflammation of the connective tissue called the plantar fascia. The plantar fascia runs the length of your sole and provides support to your arch. Overuse of your foot and carrying too much weight are common causes of plantar fasciitis.

Other causes of heel pain include:

• Tarsal tunnel syndrome
• Stress fractures 
• Heel pad bruise
• Fat pad atrophy
• Haglund's syndrome 
• Heel bursitis
• Sinus tarsi syndrome
• Achilles tendinitis

It’s also possible to develop an infection or cancer in your heel bone. As there are so many potential causes for your heel pain, it’s vital to see the team at The Foot and Ankle Specialists for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. They have technologically advanced digital X-ray imaging onsite to help provide you with a fast diagnosis.

What treatments are there for heel pain?

Potential treatments for heel pain include:

• Rest
• Ice packs
• Taping the foot 
• Exercises
• Physical therapy
• Night Splints
• Heel wedges
• Custom shoe orthotics
• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications)
• CBD (cannabidiol)
• Cortisone injections 

The Foot and Ankle Specialists team has considerable experience in helping patients recover from heel pain using conservative approaches. In fact, the overwhelming majority of their plantar fasciitis patients improve without the need for surgical intervention.

If your heel pain isn’t improving with conservative measures, the team is up to date on all the latest advancements in surgical options, too, including in-office procedures with fast recovery.

If you have heel pain, schedule a consultation at The Foot and Ankle Specialists by calling or booking online today.