Do you experience chronic heel pain? Is your pain worse in the morning and subsides as your day continues? Does it build as you walk around? Heel pain isn’t always injury-caused. Typically, heel pain arises after repeated stress over many years, generally from aging feet, uncomfortable shoes, an unhealed injury, or sports/jobs that require you to be on your feet for long periods. Without the proper treatment, heel pain will likely progress and get more painful.
Common Causes of Heel Pain
- If your pain is under the heel, you most likely have plantar fasciitis or inflammation of the plantar fascia that runs under your foot. When this tissue is stretched too far or subjected to repetitive stress, especially with flat soles, its soft tissue becomes inflamed.
- Achilles tendonitis causes pain behind the heel. This tendon is the largest in the body and connects the heel bone to the calf muscle. Repetitive stress or strain from sports and working out can damage the tendon.
- The bursa sac at the back of the heel may become inflamed, resulting in heel bursitis. Pressure from footwear can be the problem or landing awkwardly on the foot.
- Heel pad inflammation, caused by the natural thinning of the heel pad or pounding stress, may result in heel pain.
- Repetitive stress in exercise, heavy work, or sports can cause a painful stress fracture in any of the bones of the foot.
- A child or teen may suffer from Severs disease, which causes pain in the heel’s growth plates. Once the child grows into the growth plates, the pain will disappear.
Treating Your Heel Pain
Most podiatrists, including our staff here at Georgia Podiatry, like to first tackle heel pain with non-invasive treatments, such as:
- Anti-inflammatory medication.
- Plantar fascia exercise.
- Cortisone injections.
- Custom-fitted orthotics.
- Shockwave therapy, which uses intense pulses of sound waves to break up scar tissue and deliver increased blood flow to the area of injury.
We will discuss surgical options if these conservative methods do not affect your heel pain.
Do you have ongoing heel pain? Give us a call today!
Here at Georgia Podiatry, we believe in providing our clients with optimal foot, ankle, and leg care. Dr. Evan Brody, Dr. Harshil Patel, Dr. Erin Cupolo, and the rest of the staff at our Kennesaw and Austell locations are ready and eager to help treat your feet. Call us at 678-310-0540 to make an appointment today.