When you develop heel pain, your first instinct may be to think that it has manifested out of the blue, especially if you do not physically exert yourself on a routine basis through exercise, running and so on. However, the onset of heel pain does not only come about due to sudden straining of your legs. The sum total of stresses that your body endures on a day-to-day basis can eventually lead to heel pain, too. As a result, the causes of heel pain can be quite vast and diverse, which makes it difficult to diagnose what the root of the problem is. Nevertheless, there are some forms of heel pain that people tend to be more vulnerable to than others. This article highlights a couple of the typical reasons why you may be suffering from heel pain.
Achilles tendonitis
Your Achilles tendon may not be at the forefront of your mind, but this connective tissue is essential for your foot's mobility. The moment that you overstrain the Achilles tendon, it starts to throb, and the pain can become debilitating. Typically, Achilles tendonitis crops up when you do not take the time to stretch your feet adequately before you engage in physical exercises. However, it can also develop if you expose your foot to excessive activity that it is not used to, such as taking a long run if you typically are not a runner. If Achilles tendonitis is not addressed, you could end up developing subsequent tears in this tissue, which can make walking an excruciating task. Thus, it is advisable to visit a podiatrist at the beginning stages of heel pain for accurate diagnosis.
Plantar fasciitis
Another common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. This injury occurs when the plantar fascia, a band of tissue that runs along your heel bone and the entire length of your foot, has either developed severe inflammation or acquired some trauma. When you have plantar fasciitis, a distinct symptom you will experience is a chronic pain at the base of your heel that can also spread of the arches of your feet. The degree of this pain tends to be highest when you take your foot out of a resting position, for instance when you first get up in the morning and plant your feet on the ground. The heel pain associated with plantar fasciitis typically comes about when you do not provide adequate support to your feet, which in turn leads to subsequent straining. Moreover, people with either too-low or too-high arches are vulnerable to this form of heel pain.
Share10 April 2018
My son has always been an eager athletics competitor. He loves to run and jump, and especially loves to be the winner. He has been getting a lot of foot pain recently, and I wasn't sure if it was due to growing pains or if he'd been exercising too much. Luckily we found a great pediatric podiatrist who has been able to help him treat the pain and get some new foot inserts and shoes so that he doesn't keep having issues. This blog is all about podiatry for children and should be great for other parents with active kids.
