Heel Pain - Introduction

Heel pain is a common ailment and can be caused by a number of problems. It is often characterised by pain on initial weight bearing in the morning that eases after a few minutes. This pattern can be repeated during the day following short periods of rest or return while standing towards the end of the day. Heel pain causes a considerable degree of discomfort and suffering. 

Once you have finished reading the following we encourage all foot pain sufferers to contact our resident podiatrist to discuss your foot pain frustrations.  

Heel Pain - Causes

Nearly all causes of heel pain are directly or indirectly linked to a condition called plantar fasciitis or more commonly known as heel spur. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia ligament along the bottom of the foot (white band in diagram below) becomes overloaded leading to excess traction and inflammation. When the foot is rested the fascia tightens due to the inflammation. When the foot resumes weight bearing the band is stretched and produces a stabbing pain that normally eases after a few minutes. This repeated pulling on the heel bone can often lead to the formation of a heel spur, which is a deposition or calcification of a pointy piece of bone that can be detected on X-rays. The bony spur itself rarely causes pain but the inflammation of the surrounding plantar fascia does.

 Contributing factors to the onset of plantar fasciitis include:

• A sudden increase in physical activity.
• Tightness in the calf muscle region leading to tightness in the plantar fascia.
• Excessive or sudden weight gain - for example, obesity or pregnancy.
• Most plantar fasciitis is a result of faulty biomechanics of the foot that results in excessive pulling on the plantar fascia. This repeated pulling irritates the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone (calcaneuos) and can lead to the formation of a bony growth often called a heel spur.

Other heel pain causes include:

• Trauma 
• Arthritic conditions such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
• Stress fractures
• Nerve entrapments

Treatments for Heel Spurs and Plantar Fasciitis:

• One of the most effective treatments for this condition is to treat the abnormal foot mechanics that contribute to overloading the plantar fascia. Podlink orthotics are designed to control excess and abnormal pronation which is one of the most recognised causes of this condition. In addition the material used will greatly assist in shock absorption redistributing forces from the heel bone. An ideal treatment is to wear the orthotics in gradually, combined with the recommended stretching and icing techniques on the links below. Click here to choose your Podlink foot care orthotics heel pain solution.
• Rest, if the pain was a result of a sudden increase in exercise.
• Weight loss
• Plantar fasciitis icing and streching of the lower leg muscles,particularly the calf. 
• Select appropriate footwear by reading the footwear info sheet.

Printable Heel Pain Info Sheet