Foot & Heel Pain
Foot or heel pain - sometimes, life can be a real pain in the…. Foot.
But, don’t let that get you down! Podiatrists deal with all things feet, including pain in the heel of your foot. Your feet are a really complex piece of engineering. Each foot contains
- 26 bones
- 33 joints
- Over 100 ligaments, tendons and muscles
That’s a lot of structures for things to go wrong. There are so many causes of pain in the heel of your foot. Trauma, overuse, underlying medical problems, footwear to name a few. You can have pain anywhere in the foot, the most common areas we see problems are the forefoot (balls of the feet and toes), the heel and the Achilles tendon.
When dealing with foot pain, it’s always important to take a full history and carry out a physical assessment before we can treat and advise with confidence. For example, one of the most common complaints we deal with is pain under the heel or in the arch of the foot. This is more often than not caused by a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. But not always!
There are over 40 different causes of heel pain, and this is why it is always important to get the right advice and treatment. Remember, Dr Google won’t be asking you all the questions a Podiatrist will to make sure you get the right diagnosis.
Best Way To Treat Heel Pain
Well, that depends on the cause. But the most common treatments are - stretching exercises, padding and strapping, footwear advice, and in some cases orthotic devices. Each case will be different and treatment plans are designed with each specific patient in mind.
We would be here forever if we were to talk about all the different things that can give you pain in your feet. If your foot pain is an issue, please get in touch, we can help!