Physical therapy is an often-overlooked treatment for heel pain. Physical therapists are experts in mobilizing, stretching, and strengthening the body to treat musculoskeletal injuries and help patients recover from surgery. Therapy can help reduce inflammation and restore mobility, and also resolve plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation that causes heel pain.
Ice is the best treatment for heel pain. It is one of the most common questions I get, and the misunderstood concept; whether to use ice or heat on heel pain and other injuries. Many people automatically apply heat to the injury. Warmth is soothing to injuries, so it makes sense on the surface. The only issue is that it can aggravate inflammation.
Learn when to continue exercising and when to rest
Many people who exercise regularly experience heel pain at some point. As a podiatrist in Houston who specializes in sports medicine and running injuries, I understand how frustrating it is to have to discontinue an exercise program, especially if you are training to achieve a specific goal. I do not automatically stop you from exercising if you come to my practice with heel pain.
While conservative treatment for heel pain is effective in the majority of cases, if the condition persists, there are other more advanced options. Even though they are aggressive, they are less invasive than surgery. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is the most common and widely available.
Treating the inflammation that causes heel pain is part of the solution. Treatment of the mechanical reasons of heel pain is also critical. The inflammation due to the unstable mechanics does not resolve on its own. The best technique to stabilize foot function and address biomechanical instability is with a custom orthotic.
The development of a heel spur is a result of the plantar fascia’s strain on the heel bone. In most situations, a heel spur is not the source of heel pain, despite its dramatic appearance on an x-ray. The inflammation where the plantar fascia joins to the heel is frequently the source of pain. Heel pain can also be caused by the heel spur itself.
