Do you not want to get out of bed in the morning
because your feet hurt when you do?
Approximately 15% of all adult foot problems are caused by heel pain. Heel pain
is most commonly cause by abnormal foot mechanics. However, arthritis, trauma,
nerve entrapment, overuse of the foot, and overweight to name a few, are also
contributing factors of heel pain.
Heel pain can affect high arched and flat foot types, with woman being slightly
more susceptible to heel pain than men. If you’re overweight, your job requires
you to be on your feet a lot, you’re athlete, exerciser or walker, you’ll be
more prone to heel pain than general population. The most common site of the
pain is the inside edge of the sole of the foot, underneath the heel. Sufferers
frequently state that the first few steps out of bed in the morning are very
painful, with the pain lessening with subsequent activity. Heel pain usually
returns when activity is resumed after periods of sitting or resting during the
day.
X-rays of the foot may reveal a heel spur (bony overgrowth attached to the heel
bone). However, the level of heel pain can be very intense whether a heel spur
shows upon x-ray or not. A podiatrist will devise a treatment plan for heel
spur syndrome divided into short-term and long-term goals. The short-term goal
being the relief of the inflammatory symptoms of the heel spur syndrome,
usually achieved by combining injection therapy, anti-inflammatory medication,
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID), physicaltherapy and foot strapping.
The long-term goal is to gain functional control of the foot. To do this, the
podiatrist will fit the heel pain sufferer with customized shoe insert
(orthotic device). This conservative course of treatment has been found to be
successful in over 90% of heel spur syndrome cases and alleviates the need for
surgical intervention.
So, if your first steps out of bed in the morning cause you to wince, or your
heel hurts as the day goes on you had better see a podiatrist.
