Heel And Arch Pain

Heel pain is a very common condition we see at Franklin Foot Care.  It happens when pain occurs in the back of the foot while walking or standing.  Inflammation on the bottom of your foot can become magnified while walking, with overuse, strain, or a flattening of the foot.  Heel pain can develop and start to increase in intensity and longevity. Sometimes the pain can expand from just tissue involvement to bone involvement, or heel spurs.

You can acquire heel pain from working on hard surfaces, standing all of the time, loading, carrying, landscaping, and construction. Even people in office buildings that walk on tile floors and industrial thin carpeting, people wearing shoes with no support or flat dress shoes can acquire heel pain.  To diagnose you with heel pain, we will look at your feet, examine the heel and arch area, and also do x-rays.

Our office has a variety of options to help with heel pain, which include:

  • Injection therapy
  • Laser therapy
  • Anti-inflammatory medication
  • Strapping
  • Orthotics
  • Surgery

Common heel pain issues people may encounter:

Plantar Fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament, which is the large ligament on the bottom of the foot.  It extends from the heel to the forefoot.  Symptoms include pain in the arch area and pain in the heel.  Plantar fasciitis happens when your plantar fascia ligament is stretched to the point where it causes extreme pain.  It also causes weight bearing and non-weight bearing in the bottom of the foot, especially in the arch area.  Treatment includes icing the area, anti-inflammatories, physical therapy, laser therapy, strappings, inserts, or orthotics.

Stress Fracture

A stress fracture is a break in the bone.  It can be a small crack in the bone, a non-displaced fracture, sometimes small, and sometimes very difficult to identify.  Stress fractures can happen when a direct pressure or a twisting pressure happens on the bone.  It can also happen from overuse, or just the bone being exposed to regular strains and stresses from normal use.  Symptoms include pain when you put additional stress on the bone and bruising.  A symptom can also include a hematoma, which is bleeding of the tissue.  Treatment for stress fractures includes braces, immobilization of the foot, a walking cast or a soft cast.

Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is a strain on the tendon on the back of the heel.  The condition is caused by the flattening of the foot that lengthens and stretches the tendon.  It causes small tears and swelling behind the ankle or in the heel area.  Symptoms of Achilles tendonitis include pain in the back of the heel that goes up toward the calf.  We treat Achilles tendonitis by supporting the foot properly with arch supports, and strapping.  There is also laser treatment, injections, and in some cases physical therapy is an option.

Sever’s Disease

Sever’s disease an aching pain in the heel caused in children.  The cause of the disease is from a lot of strain being caused to the ligament that is attached to the heel bone.  It occurs usually before puberty because the plate in children is not closed and that makes it susceptible for the plate to be injured or strained. Pain occurs when children are walking, running or other physical activity.  Treatment of sever’s disease includes physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, orthotics, and range of motion exercises.

Call Our Office

If you are struggling with effects from heel pain, please call our office to set up an appointment.  We can evaluate your condition and help come up with a treatment plan that fits your needs.