Treating Heel Pain in Fitzroy North
Brunswick Foot Clinic offers quality orthotics & podiatric care to residents of and visitors to Fitzroy North and beyond.
Heel Pain
Heel pain is painful. Heel pain is complex. Heel pain can be debilitating.
The condition that causes more people to cry in the knowledge that they will get better is heel pain.
Heel pain can occur at a number of different sites about the heel and for different reasons. There can be mechanical causes such as those associated with the attachment of the tendo Achilles at the back to the heel. This can lead to the formation of a bone spur which looks very painful on x-ray but may not cause trouble.
Having a bone spur can heighten the likelihood of irritation caused by the stiff heel support of a shoe. This irritation can sometimes result in a blister at the heel’s back. Less intense rubbing from the shoe’s heel counter may cause a soft bump under the skin (bursa), potentially leading to inflammation (bursitis) if it persists. In certain cases, such bursitis is a result of an inflammatory condition like psoriatic arthritis.
Pain in the heel’s body might be due to bone inflammation (osteitis), and a deeper soreness could indicate a stress fracture in the calcaneum. This heel pain can occur from routine activities, like crouching in gardening or managing young children. Not properly conditioning your body for new or increased walking or running can lead to pain or injuries in your legs and feet, including the heels.
Pain at the bottom of the heel might result from insufficient natural fatty padding beneath the feet’s weight-bearing areas. This lack of padding can cause bruising in the area called the plantar medial calcaneal tubercle, particularly if you wear hard-soled shoes.
Heel Spur and Plantar Fasciitis
Just ahead in the foot, heel pain might occur due to another heel spur caused by ongoing strain on the plantar fascia, leading to excessive bone formation (Heel Spur Syndrome). This type of strain commonly results in Plantar Fasciitis, an injury to the ligament-like structure along the foot’s sole.
The bone spur might look painful, but the actual source of discomfort may not be at the spur’s location. The spur typically forms due to strain on the plantar fascia from mechanical loading, rather than direct irritation from the spur itself.
An x-ray might often display a pronounced heel spur in a foot that feels fine, while the foot experiencing pain doesn’t have a visible spur.
Causes of Heel Pain
Occasionally, heel pain is caused by irritation of a small nerve beneath the heel due to muscle crossing over it. Identifying these and related conditions correctly is crucial for devising the most appropriate management strategy for relief.
The treatment regimen may at times include basic cushioning, specific exercises, and massage therapy. Effective use of both heat and ice treatments, as well as dry needling, has proven helpful. In certain scenarios, resorting to anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroid injections, or using an ankle walker (moon boot) may be necessary for early relief.
Orthotic Therapy
Orthotic therapy is required to deflect the pressures of weight bearing away from the painful site and to guide the movement of the foot in such a way that reduces the strain along the plantar fascia and the spur. There are a small percentage of cases in which the surgical release of the fascia is required. Studies have also shown that extra corporeal shockwave therapy can help to reduce the pain of heel spurs and plantar fasciitis.
Severs Disease
In children, heel pain can arise from active play leading to damage at the back of the heel (Severs Disease). This can stem from ongoing tension exerted by the calf muscle and tendo Achilles on the heel’s growth plate. It’s vital to accurately diagnose these conditions to administer the most effective treatment for their relief and healing.
Our podiatrists are highly skilled in diagnosis and the management of heel pain.
If you would like more information, please call our Brunswick Foot Clinic on (03) 9387 8555 or Sandringham Foot Clinic (03) 9555 6555 or click below to book online.
FOOT CLINIC LOCATIONS
Our service areas
Brunswick Foot Clinic and Sandringham Foot Clinic provide quality podiatry care to residents across a range of Melbourne suburbs including:
9 Glenlyon Road (cnr of David St)
Brunswick Vic 3056
Ph: (03) 9387 8555
Fax: (03) 9388 2288
Email: info@melbournepodiatrist.com.au