More than two million people in the United States experience heel pain each year, which makes sense given the amount of pressure your feet are under from the moment you get out of bed. And, all too often, your heels take the brunt of it.
To give you an idea about what is commonly behind heel pain, our team here at Neuhaus Foot and Ankle assembled five culprits below.
Let’s take a look.
Topping the list of heel pain suspects is plantar fasciitis, a condition caused by inflammation in your plantar fascia. This band of tissue runs from the base of your toes to your heel and supports your arches.
When inflammation sets in, you can encounter severe heel pain when you take to your feet after prolonged periods, such as when getting out of bed.
To protect themselves, your bones sometimes form spurs in an attempt to add strength. Unfortunately, the spur is more problematic than helpful. Heel spurs are often associated with plantar fasciitis — your heel bone responds to the tight tissue by creating new bone. This additional bone can create significant problems with comfort, depending on where the spurs form.
A bruise may sound harmless enough, but the discomfort can be considerable when one develops on the pad that protects your heel bone. Heel bruising is a common sports injury that often occurs due to jumping, stepping on a stone, or playing on especially hard surfaces. Bruises can take 1-3 weeks to heal.
Your Achilles tendon is the largest in your body and attaches your heel bone to your calf muscles. When you develop tendonitis, it’s typically due to overuse — tiny tears develop in the connective tissue, which leads to pain and inflammation in your heel and ankle.
If your gait is such that you’re placing too much pressure on the soft tissues that support your arches, you could develop flat feet and heel pain. An example is overpronation — a gait that causes your arches to collapse and the insides of your ankles to fall inward. As a result, the pressure on your heel isn’t balanced, and you can develop heel pain.
Since such a wide variety of issues can lead to heel pain, it’s best to see us for an evaluation and treatment.
To get started, please contact one of our 13 offices in Tennessee to schedule an appointment.
