Sometimes minor heel pain goes away on its own after several days of rest. But if not, it must be addressed sooner rather than later to prevent it from progressing into a severe, chronic, issue that disrupts daily life. Dr. Keither Rosenthal, Dr. Julian Sansone, and Dr. Matthew Blutfield from The Foot and Ankle Center can recommend a treatment strategy that is best for your pain. They treat the many causes of heel pain often in Howell, and Brick, NJ.
What Are the Causes of Heel Pain?
The first step in choosing a treatment strategy is obtaining an accurate diagnosis of the root of the problem. The exact cause of your heel pain must be determined for treatment to be a success.
Some common causes of heel pain are:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Trauma to the foot and/or ankle
- Bone spurs
- Achilles tendonitis
- Arthritis
- Bursitis
The doctors will also rule out or diagnose less common causes of heel pain, which may be:
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome: There is a 'tunnel' in your ankle that encases the nerves going to the foot. When the space in this tunnel decreases, which can happen for a variety of reasons, nerves become pinched, leading to heel pain.
- Haglund's syndrome: This condition generally occurs in response to wearing poorly fitted shoes, consisting of a bony prominence on the back of the heel.
- Sever's disease: Affecting children, Sever's disease occurs when the heel cone grows faster than the surrounding ligaments and tendons. Heel pain can result because of these overworked structures.
- Osteomyelitis: This involves infection or inflammation of the heel bone
- Exercising without adequately warming up the calf muscles
- Stress fractures
- Heel pad bruise
What Can a Podiatrist Do for My Heel Pain?
Many causes of heel pain result in many options for treatment. Our podiatrists will recommend the treatment strategy that has the greatest chance of eliminating your pain. The chosen treatment for you may differ from another person with similar pain.
Treatment options are often conservative but others necessitate more involved intervention. Treatment strategies we may recommend for your heel pain in Howell, Brick, NJ are:
- Avoidance of aggravating activities and rest
- Prescription and OTC NSAIDs and painkillers
- Cortisone injections
- Custom orthotics
- Preventative diabetic foot care
- Physical therapy is a common initial treatment for many causes of heel pain. Targeted strengthening and stretching and exercises for the surrounding muscles that support the heel may relieve the pain.
When conservative measures have failed to relieve the pain, surgery may be considered as a last resort option. However, surgery will be considered as a first option in cases of severe trauma to the heel or other deformities that are unlikely to respond to conservative measures.
Contact Us
Treat your heel pain in Howell, and Brick, NJ. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Rosenthal, Dr. Sansone, or Dr. Blutfield from The Foot and Ankle Center by calling our Howell Township office at (732) 833-2800 or our Brick location at (732) 477-0441.