Heel Hurts

Do You Know Why Your Heel Hurts?

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You don’t have to have a life-threatening condition for a part of your body to hurt, and even though it may not be discussed much, the heel of the foot is often a common spot for pain. This is largely due to the stress that we put on the heels of our feet, as the area is composed of a number of important pieces that make up our foot. Some of these pieces include joints, tendons, tissues, bones, ligaments, and more. While they can withstand quite a bit of force and daily wear and tear, it can sustain injuries quite easily.

If you’re someone who wears shoes that aren’t the best, you may experience heel pain or you can injure the heel of your foot with walking barefooted in hardwood floor. One of the primary causes of pain in this area of the foot is Plantar Fasciitis – a type of inflammation to the plantar fasciia. This is a type of tissue that’s noted as “connective” and is tightly woven around the foot’s arch. When the ligaments, bones, joints and tendons combine all together, the woven connective tissue is able to properly “stick”.

As for the actual condition, this is when your arch drops/flat feet or stretches in a way that causes a micro-tear in your fasciia. Since this portion is often the weakest or the thinnest, it’s generally more susceptible to damage than other parts of your foot. The area that this connective tissue is attached to is also a primary factor in how it takes damage so easily. If you have a high arch to your foot, you may see that you might not suffer from this at all, whereas your flat-footed counterparts are more prone to developing this due to the continuous positioning of the bottoms of their feet.

One of the primary symptoms of Plantar Fasciitis is when your feet hurt just to get out of bed, or if you sit for an extended period of time and feel pain when you walk. The aforementioned is due to the body healing the pained areas when your feet are dormant but has pain when you are getting up due to inflammation and annoyance towards the fasciia. While it mends pretty quick, the pain you’re feeling is the once-mended micro-tear becoming torn once again. The type of pain this puts out is a sharp pain, but then becomes an achy feeling that gets dull. Sometimes, when you stretch and engage more in activity, your pain will seem to decrease entirely.

Are you a runner that runs often, or someone that works on your feel all day? Maybe you don’t have the proper shoes and suffer from this feeling. Being pregnant or overweight can also trigger this condition in your feet, as well as those that suffer from edema or swelling in general; however, this isn’t the only condition that can flare up Plantar Fasciitis, and heel spurs are just one of the primary ways it can become a nuance.

A heel spur is a type of hook on the bone that is commonly associated with the condition; however, it’s not the only, as it’s cousin, called tarsal tunnel syndrome, is yet another condition that can flare this one up. Tarsal tunnel syndrome is when the nerve in your foot becomes pinched, and it’s closely related to carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s also worth mentioning that someone can also have a type of stress fracture, and not have it related with plantar fasciitis at all.

How to Know If You Need a Specialist/Emergency:

  • If you suffer from pain when walking after you get out of bed
  • Pain in your feet that only happens when you’re resting
  • Any foot pain that persists for longer than 3 days
  • Any form of discoloration nor swelling
  • Any immediate signs of infection

In order to get the specific condition diagnosed, one must contact a professional, like Pro Motion Healthcare at 705-315-0111 today, to discuss what their symptoms are, and have tests done to substantiate these claims.

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