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When you pound your feet on hard surfaces while playing sports or wear shoes that irritate the heel, you may develop the most common problem affecting your ankle and foot, heel pain. Your podiatrist can help you determine why you suffer from heel pain and after a comprehensive exam, your podiatric medical doctor will diagnose and treat depending on your individual needs. The heel is the intersection of the ankle and foot that guides the movement of the foot giving you the ability to walk, rock and stand. Pain occurs due to improper mechanics of the foot or stress that pushes over the foot and ankle limits. The causes of heel pain are but not limited to:
- Heel Spurs- abnormal growth of the heel bone
- Plantar Fasciitis- inflammation and swelling of thick tissue at the bottom of the foot.
- Bone bruises
- Haglund’s deformity- bony enlargement at the back of the heel
- Achilles tendonitis- inflammation of the Achilles tendon.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Bursitis- inflammation of fluid sac between skin and bone.
- Sever’s disease- heel pain in young athletes.
You podiatrist will provide you with immediate care and a treatment plan to manage pain and swelling. After this is accomplished, the focus in treatment will be for the underlying pain and it may involve:
- Resting
- Ice and or compression
- Elevation to reduce swelling
- Over the counter medicine for pain
- Injecting anti-inflammatory medicine such as cortisone.
After diagnosing the cause of your heel pain, treatment options may include:
- Orthotics- custom made inserts
- Physical Therapy
- Shoes
- Surgery- to release tight ligaments or impinged nerves.
Heel pain can be avoided by wearing shoes that fit properly and adequate footwear for certain activities, such as walking and running. Make sure to replace shoes every 500 miles, which approximates to every 3 months. Warm up correctly before exercise and do not overexert yourself in sporting activities. Proper nutrition and loosing weight can also help minimize heel pain.
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“Dr Drury,
I thought I’d drop you a note and thank you again for hanging in there with me to get over my foot issues – primarily the plantar fasciitis. I’ve got great news to report as my husband and I did an extremely difficult hike at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon a few weeks ago and my foot was fine (other muscle groups were not quite ready for the level of difficulty). The hike was 9.4 miles with major elevation changes. Over this weekend, we did a 27 mile bike ride in Valle Caldera Preserve and again the foot held up fine. It is so wonderful to be back doing the outdoor activities I enjoy.
Truthfully, I’m also be glad to be wearing my cute shoes again a few days a week.
The APC treatment was amazing, I can’t believe the success I’ve had since having the treatment last November. As you know, I went through the cortisone shots with no success and we were starting to consider surgery. The APC treatment eliminated that need.
Thank you again to you and your staff for the part you played in my recovery. I recommend you and your staff to anyone I meet having foot issues.”
Ann Swancer