Foot Heel Pain And Plantar Fasciitis – Causes And Treatment
Foot And Heel Pain Remedies
While heel pain may be caused by a stress fracture, arthritis, tendonitis or even nerve irritation, if the condition has been around for a considerable period of time, the problem is more likely to be a condition called plantar fasciitis. To identify and properly diagnose that the heel pain is, in fact, caused by plantar fasciitis, you may need to consult an orthopedic doctor or a foot and ankle surgeon. The condition is primarily caused by an inflammation of the tissue known as plantar fascia, which extends from the heel to the toes. The fascia tissue will initially get irritated and then inflamed which results in the heel pain. The tissue is initially like a rubber band, but when a person gets older, it loses some of its elasticity causing it to act like a loose rope. The fat pad on the heel will become thinner and will not be able to absorb most of the shock caused when walking and this extra force will damage the fascia by causing it to swell, tear or bruise. Other factors that could lead to its damage include obesity, putting the feet under a huge amount of strain while standing all day long, diabetes as well as structural problems of the foot like being flat footed or having a high arch. Most patients complain that the pain is more prominent in the morning when they wake up and eases down through the course of the day while the tissue warms up.
Most remedies are more concerned with rest and controlled exercise. Since the damage is more to do with wear and tear of a tissue, there is not much that can be done by way of natural herbs and concoctions. It is important t give your feet adequate rest and not doing so will continue to make the problem even worse. Refrain from any unnecessary activity that will aggravate the tissue in the foot. Use ice therapy to help reduce any pain and inflammation over the heel. The cold therapy should be continuously resumed until all symptoms have gone. However, this does not indicate that the condition has been resolved and you will not feel the pain again. Since the tissue has been worn out over the years, you will continue to feel the pain whenever you put your affected foot under considerable strain. Some people incorporate the use of a plantar fasciitis night splint that helps prevent the plantar fascia from tightening up during the night.
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