Things You Should Know About Heel Pain

Image via WikipediaHeel pain is probably the most common foot problem in adults. It occurs mostly among active individuals, people who are overweight, those using improper of footwear, females, and those who have reached the age of 40 and above.

While walking, the foot has a vital role of absorbing all the weight of the body. At the same time, the feet help provide stability and balance. The foot has a total of 26 bones and the heel bone is the largest.

The heel is the part of the foot that first comes in contact with the ground while walking. Daily walking or other activities like running or jogging can put stress to the heel. Over time, this stress can result to injury to the heel leading to heel pain.

At first, heel pain is only minimal and is quite tolerable. This is commonly ignored because the heel naturally heals itself and the pain usually disappears. But in some cases, the healing process is overcome with the constant injury induced by daily activities. If this is not addressed properly and again ignored, this can lead to heel pain.

The occurrence of chronic heel pain happens when an acute pain is managed with pain medications. Pain relievers help alleviate or totally stop the pain. This is an improper way of treating foot pain because it can mask foot problems which can actually get more severe in the future. When the pain is gone we continue to use the injured foot instead of resting it and giving it time to heal.

Heel pain in general can be caused by several factors but commonly involves injury to the plantar fascia (plantar fasciitis) and the Achilles tendon (Achilles tendonitis). In some cases, the cause is muscle tension and strain. Bone formation can occur due to the inflammatory response called periostitis. The bone always grows towards the pulling and can cause severe pain.

Whenever heel pain is felt, it is best to consult a podiatrist or foot doctor at once for proper evaluation.