Alleviating Heel Pain with the Help of Your Warwick Podiatrist

One of the most common foot ailments I see in my office is heel pain. I would bet that nearly 40 percent of the new patient presenting to the office suffer with heel pain in one form or another. There are many causes of heel pain. Some of these causes include bruises, lacerations, fractures, plantar fasciitis, tarsal tunnel syndrome, and a bone bruise. The vast majority of this heel pain is caused by a combination of conditions called Plantar Fasciitis and Gastrocnemius Equinus deformity. These are two very easily treated conditions; unfortunately many patients will suffer with for months before they visit a podiatrist in Fall River, Middletown, or Warwick.

The majority of heel pain is derived from Plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis pain is characterized as pain in the heel that begins with the first few steps in the morning or after a period of sitting, say after a lunch break. The pain can be severe but with each step the pain lessen until it goes away. The pain will return if you sit then stand again or if patients continue to walk. The pain will often slowly reemerge as the distance you travel increases.

The plantar fascia is made up of three leather like bands merging into one. This one band attaches to the bottom base of your heel and stretches out towards the toes, in a triangle like configuration. The apex of the triangle is at the heel, with the wider base towards the toes. The Plantar fascia helps to maintain your foot's arch.

Many times patient with heel pain will have a simple history of performing yard work in flip flops, or as often is the case here in Newport County, boat shoes. These types of shoes have little or no biomechanical support or padding for the foot. The poor support of these shoes, and the long hours of physical labor, or standing , combined with a patient who might be a little over weight ,all contribute to the strain on the plantar fascia. This strain then causes small tearing of the fibers that make up the plantar fascia, which then goes on to begin a painful inflammatory process . The inflammatory process weakens the fascia leading to more damage, which in turn causes the body to increase scar tissues in the plantar fascia. This increased scarring changes the physical structure of the plantar fascia making it thicker, weaker and more resistant to healing.

Fortunately here at the Foot & Ankle Institute of New England we are easily able to treat plantar fasciitis with a vast array of medical and or surgical treatments in our three offices- Warwick, Middletown and Fall River. The first line of defense is stretching the Achilles tendon and plantar fascia. By stretching the tight tendon and fascia the stress on the heel is decreased allowing the plantar fascia to heal. Shoe selection is also very important. Boat shoe, loafers, flats flip flops and Uggs are the worst types of shoes as they offer the patients no support for their feet These types of shoes have little or no arch support, and allow the arch to collapse thereby putting strain on, and eventually injuring the fascia. The Plantar Fascia needs rest after an injury so good running sneakers and or some form of foot orthotic to hold the arch up while the plantar fascia rest is a great treatment choice. Ice, non steroidal anti inflamitories (NSAID) are also very beneficial. In severe cases where the plantar fascia pain does not respond to first line therapy, treatments such as steroid injections, Alcohol injection, physical therapy, and or offloading the foot by casting may be helpful. Last resort treatments are Platelet Rich plasma therapy, Topaz procedure and finally Achilles tendon lengthening with plantar fascia release. These are just some of the surgical treatments that we at the Foot &Ankle Institute of New England perform and teach to other doctors on a regular basis. These procedures have high rates of success. Patients must remember these treatments are surgical, and require significant consultation to tailor the best procedure for each patient. If you suffer with heel pain I recommend you see a podiatrist as soon as possible. The longer one waits to see a podiatrist in Warwick, Middletown or Fall River the longer course of treatment. With prompt treatment you will no longer have pain, and be able to resume all of your activities without limitations.