Pain in the heel...
Most of us are always on our toes, but the price is paid by our heels. I am sure sometime in your life, you must have experienced a shooting, pricking kind of pain exactly where your heel rests on the floor.
Some of us have more pain after getting up in the morning when we take the first step out of the bed, while others have pain while walking or climbing stairs. This can involve any age group, with females being more commonly affected.
As we learn the causes, it is important to understand the relevant anatomy. We all must have noticed that the sole of our feet are not flat but usually arched (How can we forget the custom of making the newly wed bride walk with coloured feet to check that!!!!), this is because of a taut fascia called PLANTAR FASCIA. It gets attached from the base of our heel to the ball of great toe. It's the inflammation or irritation of this fascia which commonly leads to heel pain. The cause of inflammation are plenty, ranging from biomechanical to biochemical causes, trauma, exertion and what not.
Now, after all that insight let's discuss about how to get rid of this nagging pain. The usual protocol starts with taking few anti-inflammatory medications under medical supervision, placing a soft heel pad in your shoes, hot fomentation and Analgesic gel application alongwith few Plantar fascia stretching exercises. Most of us benefit by these measures. If pain is not relieved by these measures, it's always advised to get a thorough bloodwork done to rule out any underlying pathology.
All is not lost even if we don't get relieved by these measures in a few cases. The next step is, taking local injections by a certified practitioner to even getting operated in a few reluctant cases.
With this I hope you all keep bouncing on your toes while your heels are ready to be more than a silent bystander.....