One of the most common reasons patients contact us at Sound Foot Care Center of Connecticut is Heel pain. Heel pain can make standing, walking and performing the most basic daily activities extremely difficult. It can also have many different causes. The first step to alleviating pain in the heel is to determine its source. Our board certified foot and ankle surgeon, Dr. Harris Greenberger, will meet with you and ask questions about your symptoms: how long you’ve had them, what makes the pain increase or decrease, etc. He will also want a detailed medical history and to know about your work environment and leisure activities. An examination and possibly x-rays will complete your evaluation.

Among the varied causes of heel pain, here are some of the more frequent ones:

• Plantar Fasciitis: the repeated over-stretching of the band of tissue which runs along the bottom of your foot and connects your toes to your heel bone, known as the plantar fascia, causes painful inflammation of the heel.
• Bone Spurs: these are bony growths that form on the bottom of the heel, usually due to muscle or ligament strain or the stretching of the plantar fascia.
• Injuries: bone bruises, stress fractures, Achilles tendonitis
• Excessive Pronation: overly rolling your foot inward when you walk can cause a large amount of pulling and stretching on the ligaments and tendons in the foot, resulting in heel pain. Excessive pronation can also cause pain in the lower back, hip and knee.
• Sever’s Disease: this condition occurs in children and teens from the ages of 8 to 15 as a result of irritation to the growth plate at the back of the heel that has not fully finished developing.

In many cases, treatment for heel pain is non-invasive. Depending on the cause, the foot doctor may prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to relieve pain and swelling, along with icing and resting the heel that is in pain. Sometimes padding for the heel or orthotics to direct pressure away from the affected area may also be prescribed. When conservative treatment methods fail to bring relief or there are substantial structural issues involved, surgery may be necessary.

If you are suffering with heel pain the most important step is to take action: contact our Norwalk office for an appointment today and find out the cause of the pain and get started on the appropriate treatment.

The post What’s Making My Heel Hurt? appeared first on Sound Foot Care Center of Connecticut.