Heel Pain - Care Guide

Heel pain is a seemingly simple problem, but can be very troublesome, as your entire body weight is on your feet every time you walk or stand. The heel bone (calcaneus) is the largest of the 26 bones in the human foot and the heel is the first part of the foot to contact the ground during walking. It is designed to provide a firm support for the weight of your body. The heel absorbs the impact when your feet hit the ground when walking and running, and it springs you forward, ready for the next step.

Normally, as the foot absorbs the weight of the body during walking, the arch area joint locking mechanism provides about 80% of the stability of the foot. The other 20% of biomechanical stability is provided by the plantar fascia and muscles, tendons, and ligaments. While walking, the stresses placed on your feet can be one-and-a-quarter times your body weight (this increases to two-and-three-quarters times when running). So it is not surprising that heel pain is common.

Two structures located on the bottom (sole) of the foot are primarily associated with heel pain: the plantar fascia, a band of fibrous connective tissue, and the flexor digitorum brevis muscle, which supports the arch and flexes the four small toes. Although heel pain can be mild and will sometimes disappear on its own, in some cases the pain persists and can become a chronic problem.

Heel Pain Symptoms, Causes and Risks

Heel pain is an extremely common complaint, caused by a variety of different causes. It is important to make an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your symptoms so that appropriate treatment can be directed at the cause. Heel pain often occurs as a result of daily activities and exercise. Most frequently heel pain is not the result of any single injury, such as a fall or twist, but rather the result of repetitive or excessive heel pounding.

Heel pain can be due to several other conditions that may include:

The following increase your risk of developing this painful problem:

Heel Pain Treatments

Curing heel pain is essential to your well-being. If your heel hurts, it can affect everything from your posture to your daily activities. Although heel pain can affect anyone, it is more prevalent in athletes, sports persons, or other physically active individuals. There can be many reasons why your heel hurts and there are various treatments to cure heel pain. If you are unsure of your diagnosis, or the severity of your condition, you should seek medical advice before beginning any treatment plan. Not all of these treatments are appropriate for every condition, but they may be helpful in your situation. Some common treatments for heel pain are listed here.

Among the non-athletes, heel pain mostly occurs due to the overweight. Extra weight is the main reason which causes heel pain hence it is necessary to maintain a healthy weight in order to keep heel pain away since  the extra pounds of your body can put excess pressure on the joints, ligaments, bones and even on tendons. Finally, this results in heel pain.

Anti-inflammatory drugs are preferred if you notice any inflammation. Surgeries to cure heel pain are found to be more unsuccessful. It can be easily cured and can be kept in control by wearing good foot wears and by taking better care of your feet.

Steroid injections are probably the most common treatment recommended for this problem. But the injections themselves can be painful, and studies found them to be associated with a high rate rupture of the plantar fascia. Other complications that can occur after steroid injections are muscle damage, infection, and peripheral nerve injury. Steroid injections, alone or combined with injections of a local anesthetic, were described by the Cochrane review as "likely to be ineffective or harmful" for people with plantar heel pain.

Home Care

• Apply ice to the painful area. Do this at least twice a day for 10 to 15 minutes, more often in the first couple of days.
• Rest as much as possible for at least a week.
• Wear proper-fitting shoes.
• Take acetaminophen for pain or ibuprofen for pain and inflammation.
• Night splints can stretch the injured fascia and allow it to heal.

Heel Pain Prevention

To prevent plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinitis, maintain flexible and strong muscles in your calves, ankles, and feet. Always stretch and warm-up prior to athletic activities.

Wear comfortable, properly fitting shoes with good arch support and cushioning. If you pronate, look for athletic shoes with an antipronation device. If orthotics are prescribed by your provider, wear them in all of your shoes, not just while exercising.

• A heel cup, felt pads in the heel area, or an orthotic device may help.
• Learn stretching and strengthening exercises. These help prevent plantar fasciitis or achilles tendinitis from returning.
• Apply moleskin to avoid pressure if you have bursitis.