Are you starting the day experiencing pain as soon as your foot touches the floor? Are you finding it hard to stand for long periods of time due to pain on the bottom of your foot? Are you struggling to do your favourite activities because the pain in your heel is just too much to bare? Does this sound familiar? Are you wondering why or what this could be?
Did you know that your foot and ankle are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons?
The heel bone is the largest bone in your foot!
There are many causes of heel pain, often diagnosed wrongly if you are not assessed appropriately. We carry out clinical biomechanical analysis of the foot and leg which is needed to get to the root cause of the pain. This is to ensure the relevant treatment can be applied to focus on regaining a better quality of life for our patients. We assess areas such as a person’s walking pattern, the range of motion and alignment of joints but one of the most important aspects of our assessment is taking detailed in-depth history to provide us with as much information as possible. This will include a medical background check as well as medications and past treatments and ailments. So when we ask you to remember back to 1992 when you fell off a curb and sprained your ankle it may seem irrelevant but it all helps us in differentiating between our diagnosis.
Footwear also plays a big part in the assessment. Often footwear can tell us things about our feet that we were not previously aware of. We often ask our patients to bring more than one pair of shoes to their appointment for us to assess. We will need to see those sparkly, spangly ‘car to bar’ shoes!
So now you know a bit about what we do; here is a list of causes of common causes of heel pain.
Plantar Fasciitis
The Plantar Fascia is the strong ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot connecting your heel to your toes. The Plantar Fascia helps with stabilising the arch of the foot and also acts as a shock absorber when we walk. There are many causes of Plantar Fasciitis. These may be an increase in exercise, weight, muscle tightness or trauma it could also be due to your occupation.
Achilles Tendonitis
The longest and strongest tendon on the body is put under immense stress every day. Achilles Tendonitis is a degenerative condition which can get progressively worse if not treated. In more serious cases the tendon can rupture or tear and may require surgery.
Bursitis
A bursa is a tiny sack of fluid which protects bones and soft tissues by reducing friction between them. They can be found in many areas of the foot but if they become inflamed, they can swell and become increasingly painful. Bursitis is often a source of heel pain when located near or around the Achilles Tendon and become irritated by the actions of the foot when walking. The bursa can be deep within the ankle or superficial and visible from the skin’s surface. Treatment for bursitis can depend on its location.
Tibialis Posterior Dysfunction.
The Tibialis Posterior Tendon has a major role in supporting the inside arch of your foot and if it becomes damaged, it can result in loss of function causing the foot to appear flatter. Tibialis Posterior dysfunction can happen in stages and may not be a problem for a while. Often you may not remember any initial trauma to the area but progressively, symptoms and pain will start to appear. If left untreated this can lead to problems in other areas of your foot becoming less able to function normally.
If you are suffering from heel pain which is affecting your day to day life, why not see what we can do for you. Often minor lifestyle changes, simple exercises, padding, strapping, or insoles can be the answer to all your problems.
So you can see, with all the bones and joints in your foot, your need a Podiatrist to work out what exactly is the cause of your foot pain.