You are not uncommon over 40% of Americans at some point in their lives will have some form of heel pain. You get out of bed in the morning and you limp to the bathroom until it's somewhat loosens up. Many times, it will get better during the day then driving home or sitting for a period the symptoms return when you start walking.
The heel pain you're experiencing is a combination of plantar fasciitis and possibly a heel spur. The heel bone is the largest bone in your foot, the pain can be located on the bottom or the back of the heel. The foot is a very complex functioning unit that has 33 joints and over a hundred ligaments.
The exact cause of your heel pain is sometimes hard to determine what factors that caused it are abnormal gait, old shoes, too much pressure from walking or running on the heel. The heel pain can start from a simple jump down from a step or running on hard surfaces. Also, a common cause is overuse. Going on a vacation we're starting a workout program and overdoing it.
When you first get this problem it's important to make sure you reduce the stress and pressure on the arch in the heel by wearing shoes and over-the-counter arch supports. The use of stretching techniques to relieve tension on the plantar fascia is helpful also, using Motrin like medications can reduce inflammation around the fascia of the heel bone. If these treatments do not significantly improve the problem within the first 30 to 60 days, it is probably necessary to see us in our office.
Once in our office I will review your history and physical examination, we normally would take an x-ray to look for a heel spur. I explained the causation are the problem and how the plantar fascia it's attached 10 spots in the front of the foot and one on the heel bone, that's where the heel pains many times originates. We review heel pain treatment choices the great news conservative treatment is successful in over 95% of the cases improving starts quickly and the pain is reduced within days. Conservative treatment involves using a mild steroid injection to reduce the inflammation on the heel bone area where the plantar fascia inserts, we use a cold spray to freeze the skin from the side of the heel to minimize discomfort. We use one two three injections and many times use OTC supports and wrapping of the Arch. As we treat your problem it is important to understand that long-term treatment is a custom-made orthotic it is made from a mold of your foot from a non-weight-bearing impression to capture the highest Arch, the orthotic is flexible and will support the fascia on weight-bearing. Between injections and Orthotics, the problem is improved significantly and over 90% of the cases.
In cases where Improvement is slower, we can consider physical therapy, a Cam Walker which is a below-the-knee boot to prevent pressure on the foot and possible stem cell type injections.
If all treatments fail which is very rare there are several new Advanced procedures for treatment of heel pain and plantar fasciitis. The Tenex procedure rids the fascia of damaged tissue to allow it to heal correctly. In some cases, if a bone spur is present that may need to be removed. Recovery for surgery is slow it takes a few months to significantly improve. Surgery is only indicated when the patient has level 9 and 10 pain after all conservative treatments have failed. If you have heel pain or plantar fasciitis, we can help you get rid of it.