#1 Cause of Foot Pain & Remedy Treatments

Heel pain can cause all sorts of problems that affect your day to day activities, such as: walking, running, exercising and even sleeping.

The heel bone (called calcaneus) is the largest bone in your foot that absorbs most of the impact when you’re walking and running, so it’s no wonder why we are prone to sore heels. 

Heel pain is typically felt at the back of the heel or underneath it and can really affect daily life and routine. It usually settles down fairly quickly, but even in prolonged cases, heel pain causes are rarely serious and life threatening.  

In most cases sore heels may develop gradually over time, but occasionally can be the result of an injury.  Often, heel pain causes secondary problems as well, as we walk differently to try and reduce the pain. 

Next, we will look at an overview of the most common foot & ankle heel pain causes, symptoms and treatment options for each. 

Plantar Fasciitis 

Plantar fasciitis is the most common of all heel pain, which affects 1-in-10 people. Plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs under the sole of the foot. 

Plantar fasciitis develops when there is an excess strain through the plantar fascia from overuse, e.g. being on your feet for long periods of time, muscle weakness and tightness, and altered foot biomechanics or obesity.

How is plantar fasciitis treated?

Home treatments and remedies like rest, icing, and using braces and anti-inflammatory drugs are often the initial ways to treat plantar fasciitis. If these remedies don’t ease the discomfort, an injection of a corticosteroid directly into the damaged section of the ligament is said to help. Your doctor can do this in their office.

Doctors may also use ultrasound images to help determine the best place for the injection. They can also apply corticosteroids to the skin of the heel or the arch of your foot, and then apply a painless electrical current to let the steroid pass through your skin and into the muscle.

STRETCHING AND STRENGTHENING

Stretching and strengthening programs can also play a vital role in the treatment of plantar fasciitis and can correct functional risk factors, such as tightness of the gastroscopes complex and weakness of the intrinsic foot muscles. Lastly, increasing flexibility of the calf muscles is particularly important. 

SHOES

A change to properly fitting, appropriate shoes may be useful in some patients. For individuals with flat feet, motion control shoes or shoes with better longitudinal arch support may decrease the pain associated with long periods of walking or standing. 

Icing the really sore spots on your sole several times a day might help with pain and inflammation caused by Plantar Fasciitis. Your doctor may also recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication.