Heel Pain
Heel pain is a common foot condition. It’s usually felt as an intense pain when using the affected heel.
Heel pain usually builds up gradually and gets worse over time. The pain is often severe and occurs when you place weight on your heel.
In most cases, only one heel is affected, although estimates suggest that around a third of people have pain in both heels.
The pain is usually worse first thing in the morning, or when you first take a step after a period of inactivity. Walking usually improves the pain, but it often gets worse again after walking or standing for a long time.
Some people may limp or develop an abnormal walking style as they try to avoid placing weight on the affected heel.
Common Heel Injuries
Achilles Tendon Rupture
Achilles Tendonitis
Peroneal Tendonitis
Plantar Fasciitis
Metatarsalgia
Morton’s Neuroma
Stress Fracture
Stress Fracture Feet
Severs Disease
Heel Spur
What Causes Common Heel Injuries
Most cases of heel pain are caused when a band of tissue in the foot, known as the plantar fascia, becomes damaged and thickens. Plantar fasciitis is the medical term for the thickening of the plantar fascia.
A stress fracture (crack in the bone) can occur if your heel bone is damaged following repeated stress over time.
Sever’s disease is a common cause of heel pain in children. It’s caused by the muscles and tendons of the hamstrings and calves stretching and tightening in response to growth spurts.
Bone spurs are an excess growth of bone that forms on a normal bone. They can develop on the heel (a heel spur), and are more common in people with heel pain. However, they can also occur in people without heel pain, and a heel spur itself doesn’t cause heel pain.
Common Treatments for Heel Pain & Injury
There are a number of treatments that can help relieve heel pain and speed up your recovery. These include: