How To Treat Heel Pain
Heel pain can range from being a minor nuisance to nearly debilitating, changing our daily lives and activities.
While this condition can be a common complaint among our patients, there are a number of causes of this discomfort, and treatment must be directed at the specific cause.
One of the most common causes of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, often occurring along with a heel ‘spur’. This bony prominence is located under the calcaneus, or heel bone. Heel spurs alone can be painless, but are often associated with a painful inflammation of the tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel bone to the forefoot.
The spur itself is a calcium deposit, and can often be seen on x-ray. This deposit takes many months or years to appear, and is usually related to repetitive stress and strain on foot ligaments, particularly in athletes engaging in running and jumping, but obesity and the excessive weight can play a role.
The plantar fascia is a thick connective tissue running from the calcaneus to the ball of the foot, and is very important in the mechanics of our foot movement and transmitting weight.
If this tissue becomes inflamed, known as plantar fasciitis, it causes a painful heel/foot, often worse in the early morning upon waking (often a sharp, sticking pain), with some improvement throughout the day as it is stretched out, and returning after long periods of standing or walking. This pain is often described as a “stone bruise.”
If the pain is unresolved, the physician may consider injecting the area with an anti-inflammatory medication such as Ketolorac (Toradol) and Lidocaine, an anesthetic agent. Steroid injections, such as Cortisone, should be avoided due to risk of plantar fascial rupture and other side effects.commonly be found in people with no symptoms at all. Therefore, treatment is only needed when the spur is symptomatic and related to fasciitis, inflammation, and pain.
During your assessment, your doctor will examine the foot, and potentially request x-rays of the foot in order to delineate between other causes of heel pain, including Achilles tendinitis, stress fractures, a compressed nerve, tarsal tunnel syndrome, or retrocalcaneal bursitis.
Your physician will then determine how best to treat the pain. Treatment can range from non-invasive attempts to reduce stress on the ligaments to injections or even to surgery.
INITIAL TREATMENT OPTIONSyour doctor may recommend
your doctor may recommend
Rest – this helps alleviate the inflammation and pain.
• Ice – helps to control pain.
• NSAIDS/Anti-inflammatory medications (Advil/Aleve/Tylenol) – to control pain.
• Exercises/stretching/physical therapy – relax the tissues around the heel bone and improve pain.
• Shoe inserts/orthotic devices – help decrease pain with activity and improve foot mechanics.
• Night splinting – keeps the heel stretched during sleep and less painful upon waking.
• PRP Injections – A natural method of treatment using your own blood to promote healing.
Foot Pain Relief
You can reduce your pain and improve your overall health (and foot health) by filling common dietary gaps with a multivitamin. In addition, you can take naturally anti-inflammatory supplements that include ingredients like Tart Cherry Extract, Curcumin, and PEA to help reduce pain and inflammation long-term.
Our products were designed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Meredith Warner to help you find natural relief from inflammation, stress, and more.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Meredith Warner is the creator of Well Theory and The Healing Sole. She is a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon and Air Force Veteran.
She is on a mission to disrupt traditional medicine practices and promote betterment physically, spiritually and mentally to many more people. She advocates for wellness and functional health over big pharma so more people can age vibrantly with more function and less pain.
At Well Theory, Our surgeon-designed products are FDA Registered and formulated to help people:
- Manage the symptoms of musculoskeletal pain
- Recover vibrantly from orthopedic related surgeries
- Fill the gaps in our daily diets
- Manage pain associated with inflammation