Pain in the heel is often an inflammation of the ligamentous attachment to the heel bone, the so-called plantar fascia. This holds up the arch of the foot, among other things.
Causes
If you have had an X-ray, you may have noticed a spur. This is normal, it is present in all people and can be large or small. It is often mistakenly blamed for pain. The reasons for the inflammation of the spur vary, but often include overloading (body weight, hard shoes, sudden increase in load, limited mobility after an injury, decreasing elasticity with age, etc.). It is a harmless inflammation, despite the sometimes considerable pain.
Treatment
There is no need to worry, you cannot "do more harm". Stay active! If necessary, change the intensity of the load, for example, walk or exercise less long, but more often and, above all, regularly. Usually the pain disappears as it came, by itself. Only the duration varies from a few days to unfortunately several months and rarely several years.
The acute pain can be reduced with pain killers. We use cortisone injections or even surgery only in absolutely exceptional cases. As a rule, heel pain disappears on its own, but this can take months or even years, and the symptoms can reappear from time to time.
Take measures
Triggering factors have to disappear (e.g. hard soles), muscle shortenings have to be stretched, general resilience should be increased slowly.
We recommend:
Fitness training or any other workout that you enjoy.
Local self-massage and stretching exercises will change the pain.
For very severe morning pain a night splint may help.
We recommend soft insoles for soft heel bedding, inexpensive off the shelf or custom-made by the orthopedic technician. The orthopedic technician can help you with the choice of shoes (heel cushioning).
If you suffer from tired swollen legs in the evening, wearing compression socks can help.
So there is a whole catalog of measures that you should carry out yourself. You can expect an effect only after 2 to 3 months, which means you need patience.
The exercises and measures shown in our flyer can help you to get through this time.
Schedule an appointment with us so we can find the best treatment option for you.
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