Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Treating Heel Pain or Plantar Fasciitis
What you can do to reduce heel pain.
Heel Pain Can Be Debilitating:
“Getting out of bed each morning was painful,” recalls a patient of her yearlong experience with heel pain. “As I place my foot on the floor, I could feel a sharp pain in my heel and could only shuffle about the room. It would loosen up after a few minutes, but my foot would continue to hurt as I went through the day.”
Heel pain with the first steps getting out of bed in the morning, or when standing from a seated position, are the most characteristic symptoms of plantar fasciitis (fashee-eye-tiss). Pain can also occur with prolonged standing and walking. The sharp pain is usually on the bottom inside part of the heel. While it most often occurs in only one foot, it can affect both feet.
Plantar Fasciitis Causes Heel Pain:
The plantar fascia is a tough, fibrous tissue band running under the soles of your feet, and connects the heel bone (calcaneus) to the base of the toes. It also helps support the arch of the foot in its role as a shock absorber. An injury or continuous irritation of this tissue causes plantar fasciitis and the resulting heel pain.
Multiple factors likely cause plantar fasciitis. It tends to affect people between 40 and 70 years of age, more likely in women, people who are overweight, or have jobs that require a lot of walking or standing on hard surfaces. Runners may be at a higher risk. People with flat feet or high arches are also more prone to plantar fasciitis.
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