{"id":1801,"date":"2015-09-11T12:51:52","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T12:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.askdrshah.com\/blog\/?p=1801"},"modified":"2015-09-11T12:51:52","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T12:51:52","slug":"heal-the-pain-of-heel-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.askdrshah.com\/blog\/heal-the-pain-of-heel-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"Heal the Pain of Heel Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"heel-pain\"Our heel takes a lot of weight of our body while walking. Heel pain is a common problem faced by many people every day. This may occasionally disappear on its own or may occasionally persist. When the pain becomes chronic and starts affecting your routine life, immediate attention is needed.<\/p>\n

Some common reasons which may lead to heel pain are –<\/strong><\/p>\n

Injury :<\/strong>\u00a0Injury is usually caused due to persistent stress at the heel bone. Over exertion in the presence of repetitive stress, triggers inflammation, causing pain. Many times, this may lead to a stress fracture as well.<\/p>\n

Plantar Fasciitis :<\/strong>\u00a0Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue, extending from the heel bone to the ball of foot. It is commonly seen in people who wear shoes with thin soles and poor arch support. Pain is felt under the heel.<\/p>\n

Women wearing high heels and suddenly switching to flat shoes are also at risk for plantar fasciitis. Increased pressure at the heels causes stretching of tissues leading to heel pain along with back pain.<\/p>\n

Bony spurs:<\/strong>\u00a0A bony heel spur<\/a> (called a calcaneal spur) is an abnormal bone growth. This extra bone is often formed as our body tries to repair itself after injury (rubbing or pressing continuously).<\/p>\n

Achilles Tendinopathy:<\/strong>\u00a0Achilles tendon is a tissue that connects the calf muscles and the heel bone. People in sports involving running and jumping are prone to repeatedly causing small injuries to this tendon. This leads to pain, stiffness, swelling and weakness of this tendon. Here, pain is felt just behind the heel.<\/p>\n

Arthritis:<\/strong> Sometimes diseases like rheumatoid arthritis can also contribute to inflammation and heel pain. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease that attacks multiple joints throughout the body. It is said that about 90% of the patients eventually go on to develop symptoms involving the foot or ankle.<\/p>\n

Gout:<\/strong>\u00a0The levels of uric acid in the blood increase causing urate crystals to build around the joints. This can affect the heel causing pain, swelling and stiffness in the heel.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Neuroma (Morton’s neuroma) :\u00a0<\/strong>This is a swollen nerve in the ball of the foot.<\/p>\n

Osteomyelitis :<\/strong>\u00a0Osteomyelitis means infection of the heel bone or bone marrow. It can be due to a complication after surgery. It is associated with severe pain along with fever.<\/p>\n

Treatment<\/h2>\n

The treatment of heel pain depends on the cause. Most commonly, it includes:<\/p>\n