Heel pain is quite common in England. Every year many thousands of patients experience this biomechanical condition, with males over fifty being the largest risk group. To find the origin of the name of this disorder, we must turn our attention to a specific area of the foot. The foot is made up of many small and large bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Under the foot runs the so-called plantar fascia, a strong and relatively inflexible fibrous ligament that supporting the arch of the foot. It attaches to the calcaneus (heel bone) and extends along the length of the foot to attach on the toes. During walking, weight is distributed across the feet and any imbalance in the biomechanics of the foot and weight distribution can cause pain and discomfort. The word fascitis end with itis with is latin for inflammatory. Repetitive motion activities like walking, running, sports etc puts excess strain on the plantar fascia. Because the fascia is not very flexible, excess strain may lead to small tears in turn resulting in inflammation and pain. There are many factors that may contribute to this foot condition, including:

biomechanical imbalances of the foot such as excessive pronation; excessive pressure on the feet due to being overweight or obese; rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis; a sudden increase in activity such as walking, running and sports; wearing shoes with poor support (especially in the heel counter); tightness in the calf muscles.

Symptoms

Patients with this condition often describe the feeling as a strong stabbing sensation in the heel. One usually notices the pain more severely when waking up early morning, when getting up out of bed. After walking for some time, the pain will lessen or even disappear.

Patients talking about this condition:

I had plantar fasciitis for many years. My HMO gave me some cortisone injections and I bought some orthotics which helped. new doctor decided I should try so-called fascia release surgery. I had that done and and I was on crutches for weeks. I guess it usually lasts about 1-2 years. The bottom of both my feet hurt when I first walk on them. I'd like to know what you do to loosen up my feet first thing in the morning, getting out of bed. The ligament that runs under my feet tightens up a lot and it really hurts when I first put weight on my feet in the morning. I think it would heal faster if I could figure out a good physical therapy.

You could try a foot massage maybe? Just use some lotion and gently rub it into the arch and bottom of your foot. You can also do some stretching exercises that might help without aggravating it. My orthotist gave me some hard plastic arch supports to insert in my shoes and after a few weeks the pain had hugely improved. In the last few years it started to feel like it was coming back, so I now use orthotics and they are great.

The following tips that will help prevent the onset of heel spur

Doing regular stretching exercises of the plantar fascia, achilles tendons and calf muscles is important. As long as it is practical and not too demanding for the feet and legs. See your physiotherapist for advice. Make sure you wear shoes that support the arch of the foot and absorb shock in the heel area. Wear well-cushioned shoes or boots during work and long walks. It is best to replace your shoes at the first sign of wear and tear. Running shoes should be renewed after one thousand kilometers of use. Be cautious during sports activities. In addition to having properly supported shoes, please consider the following recommendations:

always perform a stretching and warm-up program before any prolonged activity; gradually increase the distance when you're running or jogging; avoid running on sloping ground, hills and on hard surfaces like bitumen, grass would be better; even barefoot walking on hard sand should avoided!