Your heel bone is the largest bone in the human foot, meaning that if you experience heel pain, it can be felt in the front, bottom, or back of the heel. It's likely that this discomfort will keep you from participating in daily activities that you enjoy, perhaps tasks that you usually don't have any difficulty completing. Our team of podiatrists with Family Foot & Ankle Associates of Maryland, conveniently located in Olney, Camp Springs/Clinton, Silver Springs, Kensington, Laurel, and Maple Lawn, MD, are committed to providing exceptional foot care to help prevent heel pain from getting in the way of your day-to-day life.
Common Causes
Pain is a great indicator from your body that something isn't functioning as it should or wants to be. A common cause of heel pain is heel spurs, which are typically the result of the foot muscles and ligaments being strained. A growth, or calcium deposit, develops at the bottom of the heel bone and can protrude up to half an inch.
More causes of heel pain include:
- injuries—bruising caused from physical activities (e.g. walking, running, jumping, etc.)
- overuse
- irregular walking gait—this causes additional stress on the heel bone and the surrounding tissues
- wearing improper footwear—both from shoes that are excessively worn or lack support
Heel spurs aren't usually visible to the human eye, but through x-rays, and sometimes don't even cause pain. However, a heel spur can still cause symptoms to spread to the arch of your foot, resulting in changes to the tissues or bones nearby.
Managing Heel Pain
It's important to note that heel spurs evolve over time, so you may not realize that there's a chance you're ignoring symptoms or signs. Our foot and ankle experts in Olney, Camp Springs/Clinton, Silver Springs, Kensington, Laurel, and Maple Lawn, MD, suggest the following to deal with heel pain at home:
- minimizing the daily activity you may be used to relieves the additional straining, enabling proper rest
- placing ice on the heel can alleviate pain or reduce inflammation
- making the conscious effort to only wear shoes that offer proper arch and heel support, especially avoiding walking barefoot
- stretching your feet with exercises aimed to strengthen both your feet and calves
- speak with your doctor for recommendations of medicine for both pain and inflammation
When To Visit Family Foot & Ankle Associates of Maryland
If you're in Olney, Camp Springs/Clinton, Silver Springs, Kensington, Laurel, and Maple Lawn, MD, and are experiencing enduring heel pain, our team of podiatrists encourages you to give us a call at one of our convenient locations:
- (301) 924-5044 (Olney)
- (301) 868-7670 (Camp Springs/Clinton)
- (301) 439-0300 (Silver Spring)
- (301) 942-8110 (Kensington)
- (301) 317-6800 (Laurel and Maple Lawn)