What is heel pain?
Refers to any pain in or around the heel. This is generally quite inflammatory in nature and can affect one or both feet. Typically, in most heel pain cases, the plantar fascia gets aggravated or inflammed and can cause a throbbing, stabbing or burning pain underneath the heel. It is very common for people with long term (greater than 3 weeks) of plantar fasciitis to start developing, or have, a heel spur. It is vital to note that the heel spur itself has no nerve endings and doesn’t hurt, it is simply a sign that overuse of this area has been present for sometime.
Heel pain symptoms & signs
Most patients describe the pain as being like a hot knife sticking into the bottom of the foot. Others describe it as sharp, hot, searing pain in their arch, in the middle, on the inside or outside of the heel or arch of the foot.
Classically, heel pain is worse:
- During, or more commonly after, activity, exercise or standing for long periods of time
- At the end of the day or after standing on your feet for long periods of time
- And can make you hobble during those first few steps out of bed in the morning, but tends to get a bit better once your feet have “warmed up after a few steps”. However it may return after long periods of standing or after getting up from a seated position.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you might be suffering from plantar fasciitis and appropriate treatment is required by one of our podiatrists at Stirling Central Podiatry.
Heel pain causes
There are a mulitude of factors that can trigger heel pain. It is very common for people to develop it “all of the sudden” without a clear cause. In some cases, it can be the result of a referred pain pathway.
It is extremely common to develop it after;
- Starting excercising, a new sport or activity.
- Starting a new job or changing your role in your job where you are now standing or walking more
- Increased weight gain
- Flat or pronated feet
- High-arched or supinated feet
- Changes in footwear or ‘new or different’ shoes
- Trauma
- Pregnancy
Heel pain treatment
At Stirling Central Podiatry, we use a variety of treatments including:
- Gait and Biomechanical assessment
- Orthotics and Insoles
- Kinetic Taping
- Acupuncture, Trigger Point Therapy and Dry Needling
- Joint Mobilisations
- Muscle Energy Techniques
- Footwear Assessment
At Stirling Central Podiatry we have mastered advanced techniques that help us identify, diagnose and treat heel pain and its associated complications effectively with a high success rate. We have a range of treatments available to help relieve and prevent such conditions and improve your quality of life. At Stirling Central Podiatry, we often use adjunct therapies to offer the most effective form of treatment. Depending on your requirements, we will customise a treatment suitable to your needs. Please call us at Stirling Central Podiatry to organise an appointment for an assessment, diagnosis and treatment.