What causes Heel Pain?
Heel pain usually results from abnormalities in your gait while walking. If these abnormalities place too much stress on the bone and soft tissues of your heel, you may develop pain. Other factors that lead to heel pain include wearing improper footwear, sports injuries from running and jumping, and being overweight.
One of the most common causes of pain beneath your heel is plantar fasciitis, a condition that occurs when the band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot becomes inflamed. The plantar fascia connects your heel to the ball of your foot. This tissue can stretch or tear as a result of repetitive stress, leading to inflammation.
Heel spurs, which are calcium deposits, may develop on the heel bone of people with plantar fasciitis. Heel spurs appear on an X-ray as bony protrusions that may extend as far as half an inch.
How is Heel Pain Diagnosed and Treated?
To determine the underlying cause of your heel pain, Family Foot & Ankle Physicians begins with a careful review of your symptoms. Then, Family Foot & Ankle Physicians recommends the best treatment for your specific condition. Many types of heel pain improve with non-surgical treatments, such as:
- Stretching exercises or physical therapy.
- Custom orthotics.
- Changing footwear.
- Icing the heel.
- Taking medication for pain.
- Padding, taping, or strapping the foot.
- Corticosteroid injections
If your heel pain is severe and continues despite conservative treatments, Family Foot & Ankle Physicians may recommend surgery. Call us today.
Family Foot & Ankle Physicians has a primary location in Greenville, servicing cities such as Greenville, Farmville, Ahoskie, Kinston, Winterville, Tarboro, New Bern, Edenton, Washington, Rocky Mount, with patients coming from throughout eastern North Carolina and beyond.