Why Are You Experiencing Heel Pain?

By Author: Dave Woods
Total Articles: 326
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Do you experience pain at the back of your heel when you are standing in a queue for long time? Does the pain decrease when you wear high heel shoes? Do you feel less comfortable when you wear flat shoes or flip flops? When was the last time you visited a podiatrist for this pain? Most of us have experienced this pain at one point or another. But with the passage of time, many of us have got on well without any kind of medical assistance and that’s why we never bother to do anything about it. But for others, this just isn’t the case. The moment you experienced any heel pain you should have visited a podiatrist. Today, we are going to discuss some common yet important areas of heel pain.



Why are You Experiencing Heel Pain? Is there Something that You did?


Well, the answer is no in most cases. The heel pain occurs not because you have done something. It occurs mainly because of the stress that is placed on the heels. Day to day activities when done in a haphazard manner such as running or walking more regularly tend to put more weight and stress on the heels. The constant ...
... pressure on the plantar fascia can lead to micro tears and inflammation and degeneration of this connective tissue.



Let us imagine the plantar fascia as a bow. What happens when you use a bow? It tends to stretch back before it releases the arrow. The same happens when you put extra pressure through the arch of the foot and the heel which are intimately connected. The distance between the origin and the insertion tends to increase. As a result there is a pull and the plantar fascia tends to tear. In order to deal with this pain, the body often tends to form a heel spur.



What are the Significant Causes for the Heel Pain to Occur?


There are three common reasons why we suffer from heel and arch pain namely - plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendinitis and posterior tibial tendinitis.

Plantar fasciitis is the most common type and occurs at the bottom of the heel. It occurs mainly from excessive stress placed on it such as increased muscle tension and the common walking pattern that we have
Achilles tendinitis occurs at the back of the heel. It is another common variety of heel pain. This is very common is athletes as it is a sports related ailment but non-sporty people suffer with this too
And Posterior tibial tendinitis occurs on the inside of the heel and arch. Similar to achilles tendinitis and plantar fasciitis, runners and athletes are more prone to this ailment too

Other reasons when you can suffer from heel pain include nerve entrapment, stress fracture, inflammation of the growth plate and tarsal tunnel syndrome to name a few.



Will the Heel Pain Ever Go Away?


Yes, the pain will definitely go away provided proper heel pain treatment is done. Some popular treatments include rest, stretching exercises, changing your footwear, icing and anti-inflammatory medications followed by physiotherapy.



The healing process depends on how committed are you to your recovery. Some individuals recover within 2 weeks while others take months to years to heal. Whenever you experience heel pain you should visit a podiatrist immediately. Ignoring the pain will lead to it becoming chronic in nature and in the long run it will be difficult to heal.



So what are you waiting for? Book your appointment with the podiatrist at the earliest and get your heels checked ASAP. If you are advised rest make sure that you take ample rest so that you give your yourself the opportunity to recover. Don’t forget that the entire weight of the body is on our feet so it is important to look after them.



About the Author: This contribution has been made by Dave Woods who has written a number of articles on heel pain treatment and provides fruitful information. To know more, please visit www.theheelpainexpert.com.