Heel pain is widespread with several common causes. It is essential to make the correct diagnosis so the appropriate treatment will be provided to the patient.
Common causes include:
- Baxter Nerve Compression
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Fat Pad Atrophy
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Stress Fracture of the calcaneus
Baxter Nerve Compression
The sprinters’ dancers and gymnasts have well-developed abductor hallucis muscle, which will compress the nerve when the athletes are frequently on their toes. It is the first branch of the lateral plantar nerve, which is the vision of the posterior tibial nerve; this nerve becomes entrapped in the medial heel. The entrapment would result in heel pain, paresthesia, abnormal sensation on the heel’s plantar aspect(bottom), and medical heel tenderness.
Treatment includes:
- Heel stretching exercises
- NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication)
- Orthosis
- Surgery to decompress the nerve at the fascia between the abductor hallucis and the quadratus
Plantar Fasciitis is irritation and the swelling of the thick fibrous band at the bottom of the foot. This fascia can become inflamed and painful, making walking more difficult. Plantar Fasciitis is more severe in the morning when patients first stand on their feet. Pain symptoms will intensify with prolonged exercises or standing. Stretching exercises or walking often helps in relieving the painful tightening associated with plantar Fasciitis. You also find the medial calcaneal tuberosity tenderness and the tight heel cord with running and increased activity. Treatment includes:
- Anti-inflammatory medication
- Heel cord stretching shoe inserts and rarely surgery then fat pad atrophy in fat pad atrophy the fat that cushions the calcaneus is thinned. This condition is standard in older people and can cause significant pain while walking. A lot of patients’ treatment includes anti-inflammatory medication and shoe inserts. There is also a history of asteroid injection.
How Are Tendon Injuries Caused
Achilles tendonitis is the chronic injury to the tendon that joins the heel to the lower leg muscles occurring from overuse. The pain is at the back of the heel. When the Achilles tendon is involved in this inflammation or overuse condition, walking is painful and difficult. treatment includes
- anti-inflammatory therapy
- massage therapy
- immobilization
Stress fractures, the Swiss fracture of the calcaneus, can occur due to overuse injuries. The patient will experience weight-bearing pain. The heel’s stress fracture injuries are typical of running sports due to the repetitive shock being placed on the heel. Side to side compression of the calcaneus is usually painful. treatment:
- rest
- immobilization
- activity modification
This article is for educational purposes only, and please consult us before you make any decision.
Common causes of thoracic outlet syndrome
Heel pain Causes
Heel pain is typically caused by plantar Fasciitis; plantar Fasciitis is a strain of connective tissue that runs from the front of the foot to the rear foot attaching to the heel. This is the most common part of the foot that is painful with the heel pain. Still, the most common cause is the elongation or stretching and overuse of the fascia, which is caused by flip-flops, and ill-fitting shoes; women wear high-heeled shoes that pitch the foot forward and then switch to flat shoes which then causes them to be an increased strain in the fashion. This can be addressed by supporting the arch and can also be addressed by sometimes getting rid of the inflammation by giving injections using cold taking anti-inflammatories.
Is It Possible To Cure Heel Pain?
We don’t know why we’ve never really done an in-depth heel pain article like this, maybe because the internet has tons and tons of heel pain articles, but enough is enough. By the end of this article, you will feel reassured, relieved and empowered to conquer your heel pain, and this we present to you is ways we use to treat the common plantar heel pain now, but if you’ve had it up to here then we really hope you stick around to the end and if you found great value from this article Heel Pain is not like a cold a rash nor is it like an ordinary tummy ache heel pain is a lifestyle foot condition there are no cures there are no quick fixes it is all bulldust, in our opinion, this is why researchers can never develop strong evidence about an exact treatment method why because they aren’t able to take an account on one important factor: you, Your lifestyle, your body weight, you’re activities, your occupation, and so many other variables of your lifestyle cannot be factored in. There are no chemical cures for heel pain. If you ever read anything about a product that cures heel pain, turn a blind eye, but is what you want a cure? or What you want is pain elimination? Let’s change this to sustained pain management. You must take control of your lifestyle and make gradual mini changes to it and maintain it. That’s why in practice, We are treating them like a car, so just any car but an expensive unique one-in-a-million piece of machinery. We want you to think of your foot health. If you are suffering from heel pain, well, then your body and your brain are committing to communicating two things. Firstly your lifestyle demands are really stressing out the feet, which are not in the great toe structure conditioned. Secondly, because you never really pay attention to your feet and the surrounding soft tissues such as muscles and ligaments have been overworked to assist your feet in completing your life stack activities such as working, walking, and any movement now you may also suffer night cramps, heel spurs, scar tissue, leg muscle stiffness, and also your physical endurance and agility are limited as your body continues to be pushed to meet demands of your lifestyle so here’s the question: is heel pain really curable? as we told you earlier heel pain couldn’t be cured by any chemical product, but at Sports & Spinal Solutions Clinic we can help cure your heel pain:
Our physiotherapist can teach you a series of exercises to stretch the plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendon and strengthen the heel muscles, which weakens your ankle and your foot heel if it is weak.
We can also give professional feedback about your heel condition and some things to put in or remove from your daily routine to help our treatment be even more accurate!
Treatments for Heel Pain
- Don’t stand or walk barefoot
- Shoes too flat, high, soft, or tight can cause severe heel pain. Depending on your circumstances, we will advise you on the best shoe you can wear.
- In mild to severe heel pain cases, our specialists may recommend wearing a night splint that stretches the arch and leg while sleeping. Night splints help increase the length of the Achilles tendon and the plantar fascia to relieve the symptoms of this complication.
- In shock wave therapy on the affected area, sound waves stimulate and encourage the healing process. The shockwave procedure is recommended only for chronic (long-term) cases of heel pain that do not respond to other preventive treatments.
- Injection of local anesthesia and corticosteroids can relieve the symptoms of heel pain. However, these symptoms go away in just a few weeks, and the injection itself can be excruciating and damage the tissue, increasing the risk of tissue rupture threefold.
Heel Physiotherapy
Depending on the cause of heel pain, our specialists may use the following physiotherapy techniques to treat and relieve patients with heel pain:
- TENS electrotherapy
- Ultrasound therapy
- Massage therapy
- Manual chiropractic treatment and massage
- Manual foot chiropractic treatment can help restore foot function and relieve pain. Massaging the heel by moving the foot on a can or bottle also helps relax the muscles and fascia.
