Do you get heel pain in one foot after getting back on your feet after rest? If so, you likely have what is called plantar fasciitis {jogger’s heel or heel spur syndrome}.
It is one of the most common foot ailments a doctor hears about from patients desperate for relief. It can surface in anyone regardless of age, weight or sex.
Your doctor will begin by asking for the history of this pain, which comes on slowly and gnaws at you if changes are not made. He will want to know how long you’ve had it and what you’ve done for it?
The doctor will then examine your heel by pushing where your heel and arch meet on the inner side of your foot. He may order diagnostic tests such as ultrasound and x-ray.
If satisfied you have the condition he may recommend treatments from conservative: rest, stretching, soaks, OTC pain medication; to more costly and radical: orthotic inserts, heel cups, casts, night splints, steroid injections, electric shock therapy or surgery.
How you got this pain will lead you to the best sensible treatment approach. Usually the pain occurs after you’ve done an excessive amount of walking in very flat shoes such as flip-flops or deck shoes that lack heel cushioning.
It can also arise after engaging in strenuous sports like basketball, running or tennis without proper preparation. The soft connective tissue beneath your heel becomes stretched, torn and inflamed as your body’s response to the trauma.
Pain is experienced each time you get back on the foot after rest. It can feel as if a hot poker is applied to the heel. As with most non-emergency ailments conservative attempts should be tried first and have proven to be highly effective.
To soothe this pain you need to:
1. Decrease pressure on the heel
2. Be less active
3. Apply ice packs or cold soaks
4. Take OTC pain pills
Obviously, you can’t totally avoid pressure on your sore heel, so the next best thing is to transfer more weight onto the balls of your feet. You need to avoid going barefoot or in very flat shoe gear which would place more pressure on your sore heel “adding insult to injury!”
You do this by wearing shoes with thicker and elevated heels like running shoes, wedged shoes or heels. Icing and OTC meds may also be needed but most times the more radical treatments are not.
With patience and compliance the pain will mitigate and more activities can resume. Avoiding the wrong shoes and unprepared for activities should avoid future problems.
There are other types of heel pain in children and adults but plantar fasciitis is by far the most common and deserves a conservative approach prior to other more radical and costly interventions.
