Help for Heel Pain

You wake up in the morning and almost dread putting your foot down on the floor because as soon as you do, you experience excruciating heel pain. After you walk around a bit, it starts to subside but by the end of the day your heel is burning, tingling, and sometimes swollen. At Pasco-Hernando Foot & Ankle, we see many cases of heel pain and the most frequent cause is plantar fasciitis.

The plantar fascia is a long band of tissue that extends from your heel to your toes and runs along the bottom of your foot. When the plantar fascia becomes inflamed, heel (and sometimes arch) pain result. Without treatment, the pain will continue to increase over time.

Getting Relief

If the above symptoms sound familiar, make an appointment at our Spring Hill (352-683-5799) or Hudson (727-868-2128) office in the nature coast of Florida. Our podiatrists, Lawrence J. Kales, DPM and Alexis Kreplick, DPM, will perform a complete examination of your foot and also get your medical history. X-rays or other diagnostic imaging studies may be ordered as well. Once our foot doctors have confirmed a diagnosis of plantar fasciitis, the proper treatment plan can be designed for you.

The goal of the treatment is to relieve pain and prevent future inflammation of the plantar fascia. Depending on the severity of your condition, the foot doctor may ask you to try one or more of the following:

●        Resting the heel for a time by reducing activities that put a strain on it

●        Using over-the-counter, nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen

●        Icing your heel

●        Avoiding going barefoot

●        Switching to shoes that have a good arch support and a slight lift in the heel

●        Doing calf stretching exercises to help relieve pressure on the plantar fascia

If after a few weeks, you are still experiencing significant pain, the podiatrist may move on to more aggressive measures. These may include cortisone shots and custom orthotics designed to properly support and position your foot to prevent the movement that causes the inflammation.

Don’t suffer needlessly. Contact us for more information or to make an appointment.