West Jordan Heel Pain Fasciitis

Home » West Jordan » West Jordan Foot & Ankle Conditions » West Jordan Heel Pain Fasciitis

Heel pain is a common concern that brings people to a podiatrist’s office. It can have multiple potential causes, including certain types of tendonitis, bone spurs, and a condition called plantar fasciitis.

When Should I Be Concerned About Heel Pain?

Occasional heel pain that goes away on its own is usually not serious. Often these episodes are caused by minor issues like standing too long or wearing uncomfortable shoes.

Resting with your feet up and using at-home care methods like applying ice will usually help relieve the symptoms.

If you have any kind of heel pain that lasts more than 2-3 weeks, there is a, you should seek help from a foot and ankle specialist. There is a good chance it is no longer a minor issue, and you may have plantar fasciitis.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

The plantar fascia is a sturdy band of tissue that connects with both the base of the toe and heel bones. It plays a crucial role in walking and supporting the foot’s arch, and when you experience issues with the plantar fascia, these can affect your overall foot health.

When the plantar fascia becomes inflamed, heel pain is usually one of the first symptoms. In cases of plantar fasciitis, heel pain usually worsens after you’ve been inactive for a while.

For instance, when you first wake up or stand and walk around after sitting for a few hours, the pain will be the most intense in the first few steps.

The pain is frequently described as stabbing, but sometimes it comes on more gradually. While pain often improves as you walk, intense activity or overuse can worsen it – generally, after the activity.

Wearing worn or unsupportive shoes or walking barefoot sometimes worsens the pain.

What Causes Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is usually caused by tiny tears in the fascia or any injury or inflammation in this band of tissue. Some potential risk factors for plantar fasciitis include:

• Increased physical activity strains the fascia: Some people have difficulties walking or running, putting more stress on their feet. Often the problem isn’t the activity itself but a lack of supportive shoes to protect the foot during the activity.
• The anatomy of your foot: Everyone’s feet are a little different, and some feet are shaped in a way that naturally puts more stress on the fascia. People with high arches, flat feet, or other anatomical differences in the feet may be more likely to have plantar fasciitis.
• Standing, walking, or running on hard surfaces for a prolonged period: This problem is often exacerbated by uncomfortable footwear.
• Higher body weight: More weight on the feet means more strain on the plantar fascia.
• Shoes that don’t provide the right support for your feet and activities: This can be a cause on its own or contribute to other causes, as noted above.

How Do You Treat Plantar Fasciitis?

Once you’ve been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, your doctor will create a treatment plan, which may include one or more of the following:

Rest, Ice, and Medication

For mild cases, we may start by telling you to stay off your feet, elevate the foot that’s bothering you, and apply ice. Often people feel better after a few days, and over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen can help reduce the pain and inflammation even more.

There is one caveat: some people find that the pain returns when they return to their usual activities. It may not be possible to take more time off from work if you have a job requiring a lot of standing or walking.

Physical Therapy

A physical therapist can teach you stretching exercises to help improve flexibility and strength in the plantar fascia and Achilles Tendon. They might also recommend exercises to stretch and strengthen the calf muscles.

With physical therapy, it’s vital that you follow the therapist’s instructions – they will usually show you how to do several exercises, then give you a schedule for performing these stretches at home.

If you don’t put in the work, your physical therapy will be much less helpful. However, if you’re struggling to do exercises because of pain, please let your physical therapist and podiatrist know so we can find a solution.

Modifying Activities and Custom Orthotics

As discussed earlier, some plantar fasciitis patients have jobs requiring standing or walking for many hours. If this is the case, you might be unable to avoid all the activities that aggravate your heel pain.

Thankfully, your podiatrist can help you find ways to reduce the strain on the plantar fascia while you do them.

We can often help by looking at the shoes you normally wear and making recommendations. Sometimes lightweight, inexpensive shoes like flats or tennis shoes have little support and cushioning.

If you’re wearing these while standing on a hard floor all day, the heel and plantar fascia can quickly become irritated. In this situation, we’ll usually recommend a more supportive shoe, and we can send you to a local store that offers fittings for orthotic shoes in various styles.

If you have Medicaid, you can even receive one pair of supportive shoes per year at no cost, but you’ll need a prescription from your doctor.

Your doctor can create custom orthotics when more sturdy shoes help but don’t completely solve the problem.

If fallen arches or other anatomical issues contribute to your pain, a shoe insert can provide the adjustment you need. Some patients benefit from heel cups, which add extra cushioning in the area where you have the most pain.

Custom orthotics are created in your doctor’s office using scans and plaster molds, and we’ll provide you with a temporary insert until the more durable permanent version is ready.

Sometimes the plantar fascia is irritated from exercises like intense running or walking.

Very active people may resist giving up these activities, so we will try to find a solution. Walking or running may be less stressful if you have a more comfortable, shock-absorbing surface to exercise on.

In some cases, a new pair of shoes can also help absorb some of the impacts, and we can add custom orthotics to these as well. If your heel pain is severe, we might recommend switching to an exercise that puts less strain on your feet, like swimming or bicycling, at least temporarily.

Shock Wave Therapy

For some patients, applying shock waves to a specific area stimulates healing and allows the plantar fascia to repair itself.

Steroid Injections

If your pain prevents you from doing physical therapy or is keeping you off your feet for an extended period of time, your podiatrist may give you a steroid injection in the affected area.

Steroids reduce pain and inflammation and often allow people to work on stretching and other exercises. They do have potentially serious side effects, so we will only use them for a short period of time and in conjunction with other therapies to address the root causes of your pain.

Surgery

Most plantar fasciitis patients will recover with other treatments, but in less common cases, surgery may be considered if all other treatment options have failed to provide enough relief.

If surgery is necessary, your doctor will perform a procedure to lengthen the gastroc tendon, reducing tension in the plantar fascia. It can be especially helpful for people with an equinus contracture, or stiff calf muscles that prevent holding the foot in a neutral position.

After surgery, you will need to rest the foot, and when you’re ready, a physical therapist will help with your recovery process.

How Can You Get Treatment for Heel Pain or Fasciits in West Jordan?

Please call the office of Dr. Elizabeth Auger, DPM, at 801-845-3960 for a consultation. Dr. Auger will examine your foot, ask about your symptoms and medical history, and order imaging and tests as needed. 

Dr. Auger has spent 24 years working as a podiatrist in the West Jordan area. She completed her medical residency in Salt Lake City, with an intense focus on foot surgery and wound care.

Additionally, Dr. Auger is a member of The College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons and is also Board Certified in Podiatric Medicine by The American Board of Lower Extremity Surgery. She takes a patient-centered, holistic approach to foot care and works to help keep people moving.