Heel Pain
Of the 26 bones on your foot, the biggest bone among them is the heel bone. It has 33 joints and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Outside stimuli can damage it and compromise its function and integrity, such that you might end having walking or standing problems. This intense pain can disable you and happen in the heel's front, back, or bottom.
Common Causes of Heel Pain
The causes of heel pain include biomechanics defects that affect walking gait or places too much pressure on the soft tissues of your heel bone. You can also experience strain because of an injury or a bruise after running, jumping, and so forth on hard surfaces. A flimsy flip-flop or being overweight can also result in pain in your heels.
Heel Spur
A heel spur is a bony protrusion on your heel bone's underside that's painful whenever you walk on it. These bony spurs are revealed through x-rays and can be as big as half an inch. If you feel heel spur symptoms without a visible bony protrusion on your x-rays, then that's referred to as "heel spur syndrome". A heel spur can develop from strained foot ligaments and muscles as well.
When the band of tissue that attaches your heel to the ball of the feet expands too much, then that could cause a heel spur to appear. Heel spur development can also be induced by biomechanical imbalance, repeated tearing of the membrane or lining that covers your heel, bad-fitting shoes, footwear that's worn, and obesity.
Plantar Fasciitis
Heel pain and heel spurs are also connected with plantar fasciitis. The fascia is a connective band of fibrous tissue that stretches across your plantar surface. Meanwhile, the plantar surface is the bottom of your foot, from the ball of the foot to the heel and back. If your plantar fascia is inflamed, then that's called "plantar fasciitis". Athletes who have to run and jump regularly are typical victims of plantar fasciitis.
You can suffer from plantar fasciitis every time your plantar surface is strained for an extended period of time, resulting in soft tissue fiber tearing and stretching. Plantar fasciitis complications include spur growth, pain, and swelling on the plantar surface. Lack of foot support and wearing the wrong shoes for a given activity might aggravate the condition.
Chronic plantar fasciitis is common among those with an active lifestyle. With rest comes relief. However, the pain might return as soon as you engage in your athletic activities again. This condition can make it difficult for you to sleep because it's painful when your fascia band pulls and stretches at your heel. The pain can fade with extended walking, but will return later on even after you've rested or kept on walking.
Pronation happens when your foot's arch is undergoing too much flattening, flexing motion. It's useful in shock absorption and making your foot adapt to different surfaces. However, too much of this movement can cause heel pain. While walking, your heel has first ground contact. It then shifts weight from the outside to the foot all the way to your big toe.
The arch of the foot then goes up and the entire foot is rolled upwards and outwards, becoming stable to enable you to lift your body and complete your walk. Excessive pronation can injure your heel because abnormal stretching and pulling can strain your heel bone's collection of tendons and ligaments. Hip, knee, and lower back injuries can root from over-pronation too.
Achilles Tendinitis
Heel pain can be caused by Achilles tendinitis, otherwise known as the inflammation of the tendons behind your heel (i.e., the part where Achilles was shot by Paris with a poisoned arrow). This tendon is inserted right into the heel hone's back surface. Tendinitis of the Achilles tendon occurs to athletic, active people with tight, strained tendons.
A long-term strained tendon has elongated fibers and little rips along its length. Heel bone development is a possible complication. Other symptoms and additional problems include extreme pain, spur growth, general inflammation of the area. This problem can then be worsened by an active lifestyle that puts too much pressure and tension on your already damaged heels.
- The Other Causes of Heel Pain
The following issues might also result in heel pain: - Rheumatoid Arthritis: Gout and other types of arthritis can affect your heel’s wellbeing. They usually happen in your big toe joint.
- Soft-Tissue Growths: A bursa (irritated small sac of fluid) can become inflamed further (bursitis). A neuroma (nerve outgrowth) can develop. In fact, any soft-tissue outgrowth can cause heel pain.
- Haglund's Deformity (Pump Bump): The pump bump is a bone deformity behind the heel bone or Achilles tendon that's sensitive to pain. Bursitis and shoe tension can cause Haglund's deformity to develop. Heel height and shoe stitching can also worsen the condition.
- A Bone Bruise or Contusion: This is the inflammation of the heel bone's surrounding tissues. It produces a sharp, painful sensation rooting from trauma of the tissue via a hard surface or blunt object.
The Right Time to Go to a Podiatrist
You should go to a podiatrist if heel pain begins to limit your mobility and affect your daily life. Contact your foot doctor right away if you're suffering from persistent pain and inflammation symptoms (heat, redness, and swelling from the affected area).
Heel Pain Diagnosis and Treatment
Your podiatrist will x-ray the heel to see if it has spurs, fractures, and broken bones. Preliminary therapy involves oral or injectable anti-inflammation drugs, a workout routine, and several orthotic tools like straps, tapes, or shoe inserts to keep your heel supported and tension-free.
Strapping, taping, and shoe inserts all provide heel support that ensures restful foot positioning whenever you move. This will make sure your tendons and muscles aren't sore or won't end up more sore than they already are. Massages and physical therapy are also possible complementary treatment options.
Biomechanical imbalance is the most common heel pain cause. Orthotic devices are called for to correct abnormalities or deformities in biomechanical movement as well as heel bone (Achilles) tendon and ligament placement. Orthotics are reliable when it comes to providing support and is a good alternative to surgery.
When all else fails, it's time to surgically remove what's causing your heel pain, which might include plantar fascia release, bursa removal, heel spur extraction, and other surgical measures for soft-tissue outgrowths.
Heel Pain Prevention
Here are the ways available to you to prevent heel pain.
- Wear form-fitting shoes that fit your foot on the sides, back, and front.
- Get shoes with rigid shanks, shock-absorbent soles, and heel counters.
- Acquire the right shoe for every activity to avoid heel injury risk.
- Get low-heel shoes that don't have worn soles.
- Acquire the right shoe for every activity to avoid heel injury risk.
- Pace yourself before doing something strenuous.
- Diet and bed rest can prevent heel pain.
- If you're overweight, lose some weight.
Dr. Arshia Roohian is presently offering her podiatric services to the following cities: Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Rancho Santa Margarita, Irvine, and Laguna Woods. She also provides professional and dependable therapeutic foot procedures dealing with heel pain. She even does heel pain therapy and surgery every day, so make your appointment with her in real-time on the web.
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