Heel Pain

What is heel pain?

Your heels, located on the bottom back side of each foot, don’t heal very easily when injuries or overuse affects them. 

Throughout the day, you place pressure on your heels when you stand up, walk, or run. For this reason, heel pain is often long-lasting and tough to relieve. 

What are some common causes of heel pain?

Many different injuries and conditions can lead to heel pain. Your heel pain might come from a systemic condition affecting areas throughout your body, like arthritis, but it is much more likely to come from a localized injury. 

A few of the most common injuries and conditions causing heel pain are:

Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is perhaps the most likely cause of your heel pain. The plantar fascia is a ligament that runs along the length of the base of your foot. It can accumulate damage over time and become inflamed. The damage often occurs in the area where the ligament meets your heel bone. 

Heel spurs

Heel spurs are bony overgrowths that develop on your heel bone. This condition is common in runners and people who are overweight or obese because it occurs with long-term strain on your foot muscles. 

Heel bursitis

The bursa is a sac surrounding some of your joints that allows for smooth movement. If the bursa around your heel becomes inflamed, you might feel pain in the back of your heel.

Other common causes of heel pain include fractures, Achilles tendinitis, and bruising. 

How can I manage my heel pain at home?

For mild injuries or overuse, you can manage your heel pain effectively at home. Your podiatrist at Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers can give you helpful recommendations for managing your heel pain while the injury heals naturally with time. They might recommend that you:

• Ice the area
• Stretch your foot
• Wear shoes with good arch support
• Rest your heel when possible

For more severe injuries or pain that prevents you from walking altogether, these steps alone might not be effective. Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers offer a variety of clinical treatment options for heel pain. 

What are my treatment options for heel pain?

When you come to Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers with severe or long-lasting heel pain, your podiatrist might take an X-ray to find the source of the pain. This helps them identify the specific injury so they can customize your treatment. 

Finding relief from your heel pain might involve one or more of these approaches:

• Physical therapy
• Taping and strapping
• Corticosteroid injections
• Night splints
• Custom orthotics

Heel pain rarely requires surgery. Heel surgery usually involves a long recovery time, so it’s a last resort when non-surgical approaches can’t provide relief. 

If you experience heel pain, with little or no relief at home, call Kaplansky Foot and Ankle Centers for help or book an appointment online today.