(For a printer friendly version of this information, click here.)

Heel Pain

Heel pain is generally the result of faulty biomechanics (walking gait abnormalities) which place too much stress on the heel bone and the soft tissues that attach to it.  The stress may also result from injury, or a bruise incurred while walking, running, or jumping on hard surfaces; wearing poorly constructed footwear, or being overweight.

The heel bone is the largest of 26 bones in the human foot, which also has 33 joints and a network of more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments.  Like all bones, it is subject to outside influences that can affect its integrity and its ability to keeping us on our feet.  Heel pain, sometimes disabling, can occur in the front, back, or bottom of the heel.

Heel Spurs

A common cause of heel pain is the heel spur, a bony growth, on the underside, forepart of the heel bone.  The spur, visible by X-ray, appears as a protrusion that can extend forward as much as half an inch.  When there is no indication of bone enlargement, the condition is sometimes referred to as “heel spur syndrome.”

Heel spurs result from strain on the muscles of the foot, by stretching of the long band of tissue that connects the heel and the ball of the foot, and by repeated tearing away of the lining or membrane that covers the heel bone.  These conditions may result from biomechanical imbalance, running or jogging, improperly fitted or excessively worn shoes, or obesity.

Plantar Fasciitis

Both heel pain and heel spurs are frequently associated with an inflammation on the band of fibrous connective tissue, (fascia) running along the bottom (plantar surface) of the foot, from the heel to the ball of the foot.  The inflammation is called plantar fasciitis.  It is common among athletes who run and jump a lot, and can be quite painful.

The condition occurs when the plantar fascia flattens out and elongates over time beyond its normal extension, causing the soft tissue fibers of the fascia to tear and stretch at various points along its length, including the heel bone.  A gap occurs, which between the fascia and the heel bone may be filled in with the growth of new bone.

The inflammation may be aggravated by shoes that lack appropriate support, especially in the arch area, and by the chronic irritation that sometimes accompanies an athletic lifestyle.

Resting provides only temporary relief.  When you resume walking, particularly after a night’s sleep, you may experience a sudden elongation of the fascia band which stretches and pulls on the heel.  As you walk, the heel pain may lessen or even disappear, but that may be just a false sense of relief.  The pain often returns after a prolonged rest.

(This article is continued here.)