We don’t think much about our heels until they give us problems. These weight-bearing parts of our body do a lot for us — and all of that work can take its toll. Fortunately, most heel pain is highly treatable.
Effective treatments starts with identifying the root cause of your heel pain. That’s precisely what Christopher Vittori, DPM, Ameet Thakrar, DPM, and the team at Vittori Foot & Ankle Specialist are here to do. At our offices in Homer Glen and New Lenox, Illinois, we can identify the cause of your heel pain and start you on a personalized treatment program to bring you relief.
What are the most common causes of heel pain? Here, we take a look.
One of the most prevalent causes of heel pain in American adults, plantar fasciitis causes inflammation in your plantar fascia. This thick ligament connects your heel to the front of your foot, giving your arch support and helping to absorb shock as you move. But when your plantar fascia undergoes excess stress from things like running, jumping, or wearing improper shoes, it can develop small tears. As those tears get inflamed, you get heel pain.
Another common cause of heel pain, Achilles tendonitis develops when the Achilles tendon — the large tendon that connects your calf to your heel — gets inflamed. Achilles tendonitis usually feels like pain at the back of your heel, helping to differentiate it from plantar fasciitis, which you usually feel at the bottom of your heel.
Throughout your body, you have small, fluid-filled sacs called bursa that help to cushion your joints. When bursa get inflamed, usually as a result of an injury like rolling your ankle, you are diagnosed with bursitis. Typically, bursitis pain worsens as you walk on the affected heel throughout the day.
You might think you would know if you fractured a bone, but stress fractures can develop slowly over time as a result of excessive exercise, rigorous manual labor, or continual stress on your heel.
The good news is that all of these — and many other — causes of heel pain are treatable. After diagnosing the cause of your discomfort, our team helps you identify the best treatment to help your heel heal. That might be as simple as an at-home care routine involving rest and ice, or as involved as minimally invasive surgery. We help you find the least invasive treatment possible to bring you relief.
Don’t live with heel pain. To start your treatment program and find relief, call Vittori Foot & Ankle Specialist or schedule an appointment online today.
