Heal the pain

If you run, walk, jump, skip, or hop, you are susceptible to heel pain. So, who’s not susceptible to the dreaded heel pain? Well, no one, really. Every mile you walk (or run, jump, skip, or hop) is putting tons and tons of stress on your feet and this stress can cause heel and ankle pain. Luckily, this rarely requires surgery and will get better on its own. However, it’s extremely important that if your heel hurts, make an appointment with Dr. Mark Forman at his Scottsdale office to determine the right path for recovery and whether you could possibly have Achilles Tendonitis or Plantar Fasciitis.

Achilles Tendonitis is exactly what it sounds like: inflammation of the achilles tendon, or the back of the heel. If you have heel pain that is the worst in the morning when you get out of bed of when you stand up after sitting for a prolonged period of time, you should make an appointment ASAP. If you do happen to have Achilles tendonitis, calf stretch, Heel cups/lifts, ice, night splint, physical therapy, activity modification will be your best bet to a speedy recovery. Of course, every case is different and Dr. Forman will tell you the method that would be best for you.

Now, if your pain stems from the sole of the foot (toward the heel end of the arch), you could have plantar fasciitis. Anyone can get plantar fasciitis, yet athletes are more likely to get it, as put more stress on their feet. The same treatments are applied to Plantar fasciitis as to achilles tendonitis. Plantar fasciitis tends to go away around 90% of the time, but this can take 12 to 18 months.

The morale of the story is this: if your heel is in pain, your best bet is to make an appointment with Dr. Forman so he can: 1) determine the source of the pain and 2) what you should do to get better as fast as possible.