Heel Pain Treatment & Plantar Fasciitis Relief

3 Key Takeaways

• What Are the Most Common Causes of Heel Pain?

Heel pain can result from plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Achilles tendinitis, arthritis, overuse, or improper foot alignment. Plantar fasciitis is a common cause and often produces sharp heel pain when taking the first steps in the morning.

• Can Plantar Fasciitis Be Treated Without Surgery?

Yes. Most cases of plantar fasciitis can be treated conservatively with stretching exercises, custom orthotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and sometimes corticosteroid injections. Surgery is generally considered only when symptoms persist despite appropriate non-surgical treatment.

• How Do Custom Orthotics Help Relieve Heel Pain?

Custom orthotics provide personalized arch support and help distribute pressure more evenly across the feet. By improving foot alignment and reducing excessive strain on the plantar fascia, they may help relieve heel pain and improve walking comfort.

Heel Pain symptoms include pain when you first get up in the morning, burning, numbness and increased symptoms by the end of the day.

Heel pain is usually caused by tightening of the plantar fascia ligament located on the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia ligament supports the arch. When you're resting, the ligament contracts. As you start to walk, the ligament pulls and may tear slightly causing pain.

Heel pain can also be brought on by trauma, heel spurs, achilles tendinitis, arthritis, plantar fasciitis, over exertion, ill- fitting shoes,poor foot alignment or something else.

Non-Surgical Heel Pain Treatment Options

We initially treat heel pain / plantar fasciitis conservatively with:

• Custom Foot Orthoses

• Anti-Inflammatory Medication

• Plantar Fascia Exercise

• Cortisone Injections

Proper foot support is one of the most important treatments we recommend. The purpose of foot support is to stop the ligament from tearing, thereby, getting at the cause of the problem. We often prescribe custom orthotics for the best possible foot support. Custom orthotics are inserts that fit into your shoes, which are custom molded specifically to your foot, to correct the faulty foot alignment and bring your foot into a more correct position.

We find that most of our patients respond to conservative treatment with favorable outcomes. For those patients that require additional treatment surgery may be necessary. If you're suffering with heel pain or plantar fasciitis, don't wait for it to become a chronic problem. Make an appointment Louisville Podiatry and we'll get you back, to the activities you love.