What is heel pain?
Heel pain is pain or discomfort felt where your heel plants the floor. The main connection point between your leg and your heel is the achilles tendon, the largest and thickest tendon in the body. At the bottom of your heel, the achilles tendon connects to the planter fascia. Where your heel plants the floor, there is a fat pad and a fluid filed sack called a bursa which functions to keep a cushion and lubrication between the ground and your heel. All of these structures can become irritated and inflamed. The common causes of heel pain is Plantar Fasciitis.
What is Plantar Fasciitis?
The Plantar Fascia is a thick piece of ligament which runs from your heel to your big toe.
Planter Fasciitis is characterised by pain and stiffness when you put your foot to the floor in the morning after a nights sleep. These symptoms often settle after 3-5 minutes. The pain can worsen after prolonged periods of activity such as walking or running.
What are the causes?
- Increased load during running or sporting activities
- Starting a new sport or activity which places extra load and stress into the heel structures
- Weak muscles in the hips and core region
- Spinal stiffness contributing to poor lower limb biomechanics and heel pain
- Referred pain from the spine
- Incorrect training technique
- Poor foot wear used for sporting or walking activities
How can Physiotherapy Help?
A Physiotherapist can help find the source of the problem by carrying out a throughout physical examination. After the root cause has been identified, a focused treatment programme is designed to address the problem and get you back to what you enjoy doing. Physiotherapy is the first line treatment for heel pain. Treatment may include:
- Manual therapy and soft tissue therapy
- Gait analysis
- Strengthening specific muscle groups to reduce load through the heel
- Discussion about appropriate insoles or footwear
- Soft tissue loading dosage
- Advise on long term prevention strategies
When Should You See A Physiotherapist For Your Heel Pain?
If you’re struggling with day to day walking or if your heel pain is effecting your ability to run or play sport, A Physiotherapist will be able to help.
Contact our team to book an assessment with one of our expert Physiotherapists