Pain in the heel or in its area is usually associated with heel spurs – a well-known condition that makes it difficult to move efficiently and is associated with felt ailments. Most of the time, however, this is a misconception. A spur is a bone appendage, which, when it appears, usually indicates a completely different disease and most importantly – it does not cause pain! So what is this disease? What are the treatments for chronic heel inflammation? What steps should be taken if diagnosed with this condition?
Heel spurs – pain in the heel?
Spurs on the feet they appear when calcium is deposited on the heel. This is usually due to excessive stretching of the foot ligament. What are they anyway? How does this condition manifest itself? Well, the famous ones heel spurs are bony outgrowths of a few millimeters that appear on the sole of the calcaneus. The professional name of this ailment is plantar fasciitis, which is caused by inflammation. This causes the formation of extra bone tissue in the critical place – and that’s what it’s called calcaneal spur. These microtraumas gradually turn into a spur, forming at the site of damage to individual fibers of the aponeurosis. However, it is assumed that this is not the cause of the disease, but only a symptom of some ailment. However, for the person struggling with this ailment, it means sore heels.If it accompanies us heel pain when walking, it is crucial to correctly diagnose the disease by conducting a clinical examination beforehand. The diagnosis is based on on palpation of the foot – that is, a touch test, which allows you to determine what and where it hurts. The confirmation of the diagnosis may be an X-ray or possibly an additional ultrasound.
Spurs – how to treat?
Before we decide to take professional treatment, it is worth trying to alleviate the feeling on our own heel pain when walking. Very often, this condition is caused by not maintaining the correct weight, which puts excessive strain on the bones, creating a risk of developing a growth or bump on the heel or feeling sore in these places. Another thing that will help prevent an uprising heel spursis choosing the right footwear. Regularly wearing high-heeled shoes is unfavorable for the feet, which puts excessive pressure on the ligaments of the foot. Remember to warm up your feet before any activity, wear insoles, apply an ice pack in case of swelling.
Heel spur treatment
It is estimated that non-surgical treatment is effective in 90% of cases. In the treatment of heel pain associated with heel spurs, the method of ultrasound, physiotherapy and the technique commonly known as “strapping” are used. Sometimes injections of steroids are also used, thanks to which it is possible to minimize pain, inflammation or swelling. At the same time, the patient is instructed on what exercises to do to stretch the muscles to avoid future injury. At the initial stage, splints or taping are used, thanks to which stiffening of the stretched muscles is prevented. And it should be remembered that it is stiffening that causes the feeling of pain in the morning when taking steps. In some people, the ailments are also aggravated when the toes are lifted. If these methods prove ineffective, in the most advanced cases of the disease, doctors decide to perform a procedure that requires great precision from the surgeon. It happens that as a result of surgery, the patient loses the plasticity of the foot, which ultimately impairs its later functioning.