Heel Pain Relief for Working People

Your feet were designed to last a lifetime and take you around the world. (Actually, take you around the world about four times—a normal, healthy person can put 100,000 miles on their lifetime pedometer by age 80 or so.)

But for many of us, trouble begins much sooner. Part of the problem is all these hard, flat, unforgiving surfaces we walk on all day. Ill-fitting and badly designed footwear can play a role, too.

Genetics is another major player. Unfortunately, some foot shapes are just better than others at distributing weight and providing shock absorption with each step. And if you’re overweight, each step lands with even greater force.

Combine poor foot structures with poor shoes, hard floors, overweight bodies and active occupations, and it’s no wonder that our feet start wearing out.

But that’s not the end of the story.

First things first.

Heel pain is as unique as you are. The most common cause is a condition called plantar fasciitis, which is the result of tearing in the plantar fascia ligament in the bottom of the foot. But other heel pain diagnoses are possible, including bone spurs, nerve problems, circulatory problems, even nutritional problems. There are many potential factors.

When you come to our office, we’ll first evaluate your shoe gear. Are you wearing the right shoes for your activity and foot type? That’s one of the most common contributing causes of heel pain, and fortunately one of the quickest and easiest to solve.

We’ll also evaluate your physical condition. Where does it hurt? When did it start hurting? If necessary, we’ll conduct a few extra tests to be absolutely sure we have the correct diagnosis.

Finally, we’ll take into consideration your lifestyle and needs. The best treatment plans are tailored not only to address the injury itself, but also to the individual. We take as much time as necessary to explain your options and help you develop a plan that will be effective for you.

Besides new shoes, treatments may often include medications, injections, padding, over-the-counter orthotics, or physical therapy.

If X-rays reveal a fundamental problem with the foot structure, we may suggest molding you a pair of custom orthotics. Because they’re specially made to match your exact foot shape rather than a mass-produced approximation, they can offer a higher level of relief for a wider variety of heel pain causes than off-the-shelf insoles.

Surgery is almost never necessary for heel pain. With the right combination of conservative treatments, you should be feeling a lot better!

How to Keep the Pain Away