Heel Pain: Its Common Reasons and How You Can Prevent It

Q: Are there any natural remedies for heel pain?

Natural remedies include: Stretching, Icing, and Massage

By Dr. Rakesh Mahajan in Centre For Orthopaedic

Aug 20 , 2024 | 6 min read

Many people experience heel pain. It can hurt the foot at the bottom or back of the heel. This pain can be mild or worse, making it hard to walk or stand for long. The primary reasons for heel pain are that people often get it from using their feet too much, hurting them, or having other health issues.

A variety of things can lead to heel pain. Being overweight puts additional pressure on your feet. Flat feet or arthritis in your feet can also create problems. Extensive running or jumping can also result in heel pain. Other common causes include shoes that do not fit properly.

Some Common Heel Pain Reasons or Causes

Heel discomfort can have causes unrelated to the underlying disease. Below are some common reasons and causes of heel pain.

Plantar fasciitis

It is an inflammation of a foot tissue called the plantar fascia. This tissue is used during walking and other foot movements. Uncomfortable types of shoes, foot structure, overuse, and walking surfaces can cause heel pain.

Sever's disease

Sever's disease hurts kids' heels more than anything if they do sports or exercise a lot. This is the doctor's word for calcaneal apophysitis, which occurs when the part of the thigh that is still growing feels painful and swollen. This is a common issue with kids shooting like trash and piling on the weights.

Achilles tendon injury

A strong fibrous cord connects the muscles in the back of your calf to your heel bone. When it is pushed too hard, it results in Achilles Tendon injury. For people who run a lot, this problem occurs when they try to run hard or longer at extreme speeds. First, it might feel like a slight ache in the back of your leg or just above your heel after running or playing sports. It can worsen if you keep running for a long time without resting, going upstairs, or sprinting.

Heel Spurs

Sometimes also called the bony cartilages of the heel, they protrude from the base of the thigh, facing inward. The exposed bones are attached to the side of the heel. Heel spurs are associated with plantar fascia inflammation. Plantar fasciitis results from damage to the plantar fascia due to overuse. The plantar fascia forms a ligament connecting the heel to the front of the foot. Pain and swelling from the resulting plantar fasciitis may lead to heel spurs.

Less Common Heel Pain Reasons or Causes

These are some of the less common causes of heel pain. You must understand these to avoid being affected by heel pain.

Bursitis

It is a painful disorder that affects small, fluid-filled pouches called bursae. These pouches cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles close to your joints. You have bursitis, where these bursae become inflamed. People often get bursitis from repeating the same movements or staying in positions that put pressure on the bursae around a joint.

Stress fractures

Stress fractures are tiny cracks in bones. They happen when you do the same thing repeatedly, like jumping a lot or long distance running far. People who start working out hard after not doing much for a long time often get stress fractures. The same goes for those who make their workouts way more challenging, longer, or more frequent too fast.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome

Tarsal tunnel syndrome occurs due to damage to the tibial nerve. The tibial nerve runs through the tarsal tunnel, an anatomical passage in your ankle composed of bones and ligaments. Pain, burning, or tingling in your feet and toes can result from TTS. Most of the time, you don't need surgery to alleviate the symptoms. TTS occurs when the posterior tibial nerve becomes compressed. When this happens, an individual may experience problems anywhere from the inside of the ankle downwards to the foot. It is comparable to carpal tunnel syndrome, but it only affects the ankle instead of the wrist.

Ways to Prevent Heel Pain and Look Out for Yourself

Wearing the correct shoe size

Your feet are the pedestal of your body, and much of it depends on your shoes. Shoes that are either ill-fitted or offer inadequate support have many complications. Be sure to check your foot size occasionally to ensure you are wearing the right size. With age, feet change, and shoes that are too tight or loose can cause many disorders of the foot area if worn consistently.

Advice regarding stretching and muscle strengthening

You should regularly stretch and develop your muscles so that heel pain does not trouble you. Here's an example: Take the hand on the same side as your sore foot and put your fingers at the bottom of your toes. Pull them back towards your shin or knee until you feel a stretch on the bottom of your foot. Keep this stretch for 10 seconds, then chill for 10 seconds. Do this ten times in a row.

Changes you can make to stop heel pain from returning

Running without enough breaks can repeatedly hurt the bottom of your heel, making it swell up and hurt. Don't wear high heels or shoes that aren't comfy to make your heel feel better. A special thing you wear at night keeps your whole foot in the right spot, so the bottom of your foot doesn't get stiff and shorter while you sleep with your toes pointing.

When to See Doctor?

If the pain persists, immediately visit a doctor. You can also visit a doctor in the following cases:

Severe heel pain immediately following an injury.
Severe discomfort and swelling around the heel.
Not being able to flex the foot downward, rise on toes, or walk normally.
Have heel discomfort, fever, numbness, or tingling in your heel.

Conclusion

Nonsurgical therapies for heel pain frequently result in improvement over time. Your healthcare provider can establish what is causing the pain. In addition, your provider can demonstrate stretching exercises and, if necessary, propose orthotics and other approaches. Many people try to ignore heel pain and continue doing activities that aggravate the problem. Letting your body recover is equally important, or you'll face chronic heel discomfort that could sideline you for some time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can wearing improper footwear cause heel pain?

It pulls on the heel when you walk and functions best with a correct arch in your foot. Walking in flimsy shoes without appropriate arch support can cause overstretching, tears, or inflammation of the plantar fascia.

2. Can heel pain be a sign of a serious medical condition?

Numerous health issues can cause heel discomfort, including plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinitis.

3. What should I expect during a physical examination for heel pain?

The examination should include an assessment of the foot at rest and when weight bearing, as well as palpation of bony prominences, tendon insertions, and the foot and ankle joints.

4. Is heel pain more common in athletes?

Heel pain symptoms are quite common in athletes and active individuals.

5. Will I need imaging tests for heel pain diagnosis?

Diagnostic imaging is not necessary. However, weight-bearing radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasonography can help rule out alternative causes of heel discomfort.

6. Are there risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing heel pain?

Obesity, pes planus (excessive foot pronation), vocations demanding prolonged periods of standing, pes cavus (high foot arch), increased plantar fascia thickness, leg length discrepancy, heel pad thickness, and muscular imbalance are among the causes.