Plantar Fasciitis - The Leading Cause of Heel Pain

A common condition that affects the foot is heel pain. The characteristic pain affecting the heel is variable. It can be described as burning pain, slow progressing pain, or striking pain when the affected heel is used. In some cases, especially when a patient has chronic heel pain, the pain can occur even at rest.
The plantar fascia is involved in most cases of heel pain. There could be a pathologic finding or damage to plantar fascia or irritation and inflammation to the surrounding tissues at the heel bone where the plantar fascia is attached.
The plantar fascia is a powerful band of fibrous tissue found underneath the foot. It joins to the calcaneus or heel bone to the balls of the foot. It is involved in maintaining the arch of the foot which is essential to the biomechanics of the foot.
The plantar fascia is constantly under extreme pressure when walking, running, lifting weights, or anything that involves using the foot. Because of this, it is not surprising that this structure develop tiny tears that can accumulate over the years. These tiny micro tears can cause mild to severe heel pain. This is the reason why older adults commonly developt this type of foot pain. Younger individuals can also develop premature fascia tears especially those who are active in sports like runners. Plantar fasciitis is the medical term which means irritation and inflammation of the plantar fascia.
Heel pain is a very common condition. One out of ten people will experience at least one episode of heel pain at some point in their lives. People mostly affected by heel pain are:

• The elderly around the age 40 to 60 years old.
• Active individuals who regularly run or jog.
• Athletes like runners, basketball players, volleyball players.
• Obese or overweight
• Diabetics

Treatment of heel pain due to plantar fasciitis focuses on alleviating the inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia. The simplest way to manage heel pain is by following the R.I.C.E.. method.

• Immobilizing and resting the foot promotes wound healing. Resting alone can manage the acute or early stages of heel pain. Resting alone can treat the acute or early stages of heel pain. This heals the micro tears and damage done to the plantar fascia
• Ice. Cold stimuli help reduce inflammation and can also decrease pain
• Compression. Compression bandages help immobilize the foot and also reduce further swelling of the foot
• Elevating the foot above the heart prevents blood pooling. This significantly reduce swelling therefore also an effective method to decrease pain. This significantly reduce swelling therefore also a great way to reduce pain

Other treatments include calf stretches, steroid injections, devices that support the foot like orthoses or shoes that provide cushion and support for the foot.
If the above treatments still do not alleviate pain, then other modalities like ESWT or minimal surgery is required especially for chronic heel pain.

Fungus Among'st Us

Nail fungus is a slow moving colonization of human keratin, which rarely causes life threatening issues, but may almost always cause some form of discomfort with shoe gear, ambulatory compromise, or unsightly appearance to the feet.

Nail fungus attacks all people. But there are some people that have higher risk of getting nail fungus infection. Who are those people, and why the more risk?

In neral, this applies with people that have lower immune system. This includes people with circulatory system problem, diabetic people, late-aged people and patients with cancer and chemotherapy treatment, for instance. Also with age, comes the likelihood of increased fungal risk. Low immune systems may allow the fungus to spread easily. Usually, once it infects one toenail or nail, they will spread immediately to the other nails on the same feet or hand over many years.

There are many kinds of treatments; ranging from mild to aggressive. Some used home-made remedies, or some use natural treatments, and some visit the doctor. The latter option is the one that most people choose, because they want effective and safe treatment. But what they don't know is that prescribed medicines can cause side-effects because of their toxic chemical ingredients. This can be hard for people with liver diseases, because nail fungus treatment can take 3 months or more.

Foot care centers use a variety of topical therapy, and have had excellent success with the Cool Touch Nail Laser System. The success rate statistics of treatment is 70 to 80 percent. There is a 15% chance that it will reoccur. Because of this statistic, many doctors advise the use of anti-fungal solutions after treatment to prevent another infection.

Simple tips to prevent fungus infection:

Wear open footwear as much as possible.

Change socks immediately if it becomes damp or wearing absorbent socks is more preferable.

Don't wear high top boots if not needed.

Treat Nail Fungus as early as you can to stop its spreading.

Family Foot and Leg Center is a medical center specializing in healing health issues with lower leg and ankle. Come to us to get treatment for all your leg disorders or obtain information about our practices.

Common Causes of Heel Pain

When walking, our feet are always under stress. The truth is, our feet can carry heavy loads but excessive stress can push them to their limits. When you're involved in sports like running, playing basketball or volleyball and even using the wrong shoes can irritate tissues in the foot that can lead to heel pain.

When there is tissue inflammation around the heel, this will cause considerable amount pain on the affected area. This can heal itself without any medication if the foot is immobilized and allowed to rest. Sadly, a lot of people ignore the early signs of heel pain and go on with their usual activities. This can ultimately lead to chronic heel pain and will need one or more treatment modalities to alleviate pain.

Diagnosing heel pain and it's causes are best done by a podiatrist. Recognizing the cause is crucial because there may be different or similar treatment options for each condition.

Mainly, there are two categories in the diagnosis of heel pain. These are posterior heel pain or pain at the back of the heel and inferior heel pain or pain underneath the foot.

Posterior heel pain usual involves the insertion of the Achilles tendon to the calcaneus or heel bone. This is common among runners or in people who wear shoes that can apply pressure at the back of the foot. This initially starts are tolerable pain and can get worse if ignored.

Inferior heel pain involves an irritated plantar fascia. The plantar fascia is a strong fibrous tissue found underneath the foot. Same as the Achilles tendon, the plantar fascia also inserts to the heel bone to the digits of the feet. The plantar fascia is constantly under pressure when walking, running, or lifting weight. It also plays a vital role in maintaining the arch of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is the term used for an inflamed or irritated plantar fascia. Irritation occurs at the insertion of the plantar fascia to the heel bone. In chronic plantar fasciitis, it is common to find a heel spur on radiologic findings.

Treatment involves the R.I.C.E method, which stands for rest, ice, compress, and elevate. This is very effective in the early course of heel pain. On the other hand, chronic heel pain is more difficult to manage especially when a spur has already formed. It is best to visit a podiatrist when dealing with chronic pain.

For more information about heel pain, please visit the Family Foot and Leg Center in Naples or Contact Dr. Kevin Lam at (239) 430-36

Understanding the Development of A Heel Spur

What is a heel spur?

A heel spur is a bony formation located at the calcaneous bone or heel bone that is evident through x-ray. Also called calcaneal spur, this condition is commonly associated with plantar fasciitis when the spur is located at the inferior part or at the bottom of the calcaneous bone.

Though these conditions are related, they are two separate disease entities. Plantar fasciitis refers to the irritation or inflammation of the plantar fascia, and this is sometimes accompanied by a spur. But not all patients with plantar fasciitis develop a heel spur and not all patients with heel spurs have plantar fasciitis.

Heel spurs are seen on patients who have chronic heel pain due to the inflammation of the plantar fascia. This is often seen on middle aged men and women or among active athletic individuals involved in sports like runners, basketball players and volleyball players.

Patient don't actually complain of heel spur pain but pain from plantar fasciitis. Most often, a heel spur can only be found or diagnosed through radiological findings where the pointy bony prominence is located at the attachment of the plantar fascia.

How do heel spurs form? About 70% of patients with plantar fasciitis will develop heel spurs. The plantar fascia, which is located at the bottom of the foot, is a strong fibrous tissue that attaches to the heel bone to the balls of the foot. It is responsible for the arch of the foot and plays a major role in the biomechanics of the foot. This fascia is also under enormous stress when running, walking or bearing weight.

However, this important structure is very prone to injury and degenerative changes. The natural wear and tear of this tendon can cause irritations and inflammation causing chronic heel pain. For some reason, the new bone growth is formed at the attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone probably because of the constant stressful pulling action.

Treating pain associated with heel spurs and plantar fasciitis can be done conservatively. Most often, the R.I.C.E. method which stands for rest, ice, compress, and elevate can effectively relive pain. Other treatments are foot inserts, pain medications and steroid injections.

A new treatment called ESWT uses multiple shock waves to naturally stimulate healing in the injured fascia. This is a holistic approach since it encourages the bodies own healing properties.

For more information about heel spurs and plantar fasciitis, please visit the Family Foot and Leg Center in Naples or Contact Dr. Kevin Lam at (239) 430-3668.