Daily crippling pain in your heels, hobbling around gingerly in the mornings desperately getting those agonising first few steps out of the way so the pain might ease a little, unable to enjoy any weight bearing activities without the constant reminder of your pest of a foot problem? Yes its pretty grim, as well you know if you’re unfortunate enough to suffer with this problem.
Those that suffer with heel pain, struggle every single day from the moment they kick back the bed sheets and stand up till they climb back into bed. Yes periods of less pain occur but such moments are typically measured in hours rather than days and are unfortunately, all too infrequent.
There are many causes of heel pain. But common things being common, Plantar Fasciitis is King. This mouthful of a condition is never pronounced the same way by any two patients and can be as challenging as mastering the tongue twister about Peter and his pickled peppers. For those that want to impress their Podiatrist (who by the way is guaranteed to be waiting for a corker of a pronunciation) – the correct way of saying it is “Plant – are – Fash – e – eye – tus”. They will be both surprised and a little disappointed that you got it right, trust me on this… 😉
Contrary to popular belief, plantar fasciitis is not caused by inflammation; it is a degenerative condition caused by repetitive injury. So those who stand all day for work or are not quite ‘beach ready’ shall we say… are frequently struck down, as are those who are simply trying to get fit by pounding the treadmill at their local gym. Weight is the enemy- I know its a sensitive subject for some but we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t educate our patient’s correctly on this point. Those who are over-weight suffer with plantar fasciitis much more frequently then those who are not.
The hallmarks of plantar fasciitis:
- Sharp pain in the heel on first steps out of bed in the morning.
- Often requiring tip toe walking to avoid bearing weight on the heel.
- Pain typically improves after a very short space of time but returns after periods of rest.
- If your job requires long periods of standing, you may notice an increasing ache or pain in the heel or arch at the end of a busy day.
Whilst this is known to be a self limiting condition (resolves on its own) for the majority of sufferers, it can take several months for the pain to ease. The earlier you seek treatment the better. There are several quick and easy things that you can do in the comfort of your own home to improve daily pain and speed up your recovery. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix and patience is needed however, we have been treating heel pain successfully over the last 10 years so if you need advice or further information about managing this condition, you can book in and see either myself or Michelle at our Bradway Clinic.
Mark
Please note, we prefer not to give specific advice out about foot and ankle pain in this format as there are other conditions that affect the heel and incorrect self diagnosis and treatment could cause you more problems. If you prefer, you can reach me via email at yourpodiatrist@peverilpodiatry.co.uk to provide your symptoms and if there is enough info available I would be happy to provide some basic tips 👍🏻