My Heel Pain Keeps Returning. Can You Help?

When your heels often hurt, you cope with more than just the stress of chronic pain. Regular, recurring, or persistent heel pain can make it challenging to walk or stand, leading to you limiting your plans and staying closer to home or comfortable seating. 

Your pain problem can cause your life to constrict, cutting you off from active hobbies and social plans. Heel pain may even affect your performance at work.

Chronic or persistent heel pain is more common in adults in the United States than you might realize. Often, lasting heel pain relates to an underlying podiatry problem, commonly plantar fasciitis. 

Experienced podiatrist and foot and ankle surgeon Dr. Leonard Greenwald of San Jose, California, is here to help diagnose and develop a treatment plan to bring you lasting relief.

Consult a professional about your heel pain

The first step toward heel pain relief is consulting with a podiatry professional like Dr. Greenwald about your symptoms. Don’t wait for the problem to improve on its own. Often, without the right treatment, heel pain won’t get better.

Dr. Greenwald asks questions about your heel pain symptoms. Do your heels hurt all the time or just in certain circumstances? If rest doesn’t improve your symptoms, you may need more intensive treatment.

Where you feel heel pain is important. If your pain centers beneath your heel, you may be dealing with bruising or inflammation in the tissue that makes up your foot’s sole. 

If your pain is centered behind your heel, there could be an underlying issue with your Achilles tendon, which connects your heel bone to your calf muscle. Pain and tenderness at the back of the heel may also relate to bursitis.

If you have plantar fasciitis, the most common cause of heel pain in US adults, the connective tissue on the bottom surface of your feet stretches or tears, resulting in inflammation. Without treatment, bone spurs may occur as a complication.

The details about when, where, and how your heel hurts allow Dr. Greenwald to determine why you’re suffering from this problem. He also performs a physical exam and may use X-rays to learn more about the condition of your bones and joints.

Relieving persistent heel pain

Once Dr. Greenwald knows why your heels are giving you problems, it’s time to discuss your treatment plan. Your treatment depends on the root cause of your pain.

Typically, heel pain doesn’t require surgery. You can use over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and ice packs to reduce pain and swelling. Targeted stretches and exercises, as well as physical therapy modalities like massage and ultrasound therapy, stretch muscles and tendons and break up scar tissue.

You may need to immobilize or take pressure off your painful heel to allow for recovery. Dr. Greenwald might suggest medical taping, orthotic devices, or a walking boot. If your pain is worse in the morning, you may need nighttime splinting.

With the right support, your heel pain can vanish and not return. To start the process and schedule your initial consultation, contact Dr. Greenwald today. You can book your appointment online or over the phone.