Heel Pain Q & A
What Causes Heel Pain?
Heel pain is often the result of gait abnormalities that put excessive stress on your heel. Injuries, wearing footwear with poor support, and being overweight can also lead to heel pain.
Foot conditions that cause heel pain include:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Bone spurs
- Achilles tendonitis
- Heel bursitis
- Stress fractures
- Arthritis
- Nerve irritation
Of these conditions, plantar fasciitis is most often responsible for heel pain.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
Plantar fasciitis is virtually synonymous with heel pain. This condition develops when the ligament connecting your heel to your toes becomes inflamed. The following problems can cause plantar fasciitis.
- Flatfeet or high arches
- High-impact, repetitive movements
- Tight calf muscles
- Tight Achilles tendon
- Overpronation (turning your foot inward)
Plantar fasciitis may also lead to painful heels spurs that develop as excess bone accumulates on the underside of your heel.
How Does Achilles Tendonitis Cause Heel Pain?
Your Achilles tendon connects your heel bone to your calf muscle. Tiny tears develop in the tendon during repetitive activities. If your body doesn’t have time to heal the tears, and the activity continues, the tendon becomes inflamed. As a result, you feel pain in the back of your heel.
How Do You Treat Heel Pain?
Your doctor at Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center performs a thorough examination and may order X-rays or other diagnostic imaging to verify the cause of your heel pain.
Your treatment begins with conservative therapies such as modifying your activity and an exercise program. Your doctor may also prescribe customized shoe inserts or orthotics to cushion and protect your heel.
Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center podiatrists offer several cutting-edge treatments to relieve heel pain:
- MLS Laser Therapy: Your heel pain may respond well to MLS (Multiwave Locked System) laser technology. Over a series of treatments, this noninvasive therapy reduces inflammation, activates healing, and relieves your heel pain.
- Custom Orthotics: Orthotics can also play a role in reducing some causes of back pain, as well as improving sports performance and helping to prevent injuries.
- Supportive shoes: Shoes that have great arch support and deep heel cup are important for the health of your feet. Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center now offers Vionic shoes in their office that offer optimal Biomechanical support. Vionic shoes offer built in arch support, rigid shank and deep heel cups – Browse their selection of slippers, flip flops and Men’s and Women’s sandals that can provide you with built in arch support to hopefully relieve your foot and heel pain.
Effective treatment is available for heel pain at Sacramento Foot and Ankle Center; call one of the offices or use the online booking feature to schedule an appointment today.