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Ways to Treat Heel Pain

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Discover the best ways to eliminate your uncomfortable heel pain for good.

Heel pain can be the result of a variety of different foot problems; however, many people experience heel pain due to plantar fascia or Achilles tendonitis, which causes inflammation in these bands of tissue. While these conditions often surface due to overtraining or suddenly increasing the length or intensity of a workout, even those who aren’t athletes can deal with heel pain. Find out the most common treatments that can get rid of your heel pain:

At-home care

Luckily, most heel pain can be effectively treated at home. Your Warminster podiatrist recommends trying these helpful methods for reducing your heel pain naturally:

  • Rest and stay off your foot as much as possible. When you are resting or going to bed try to keep your foot elevated to reduce swelling.
  • Ice your heel for up to 20 minutes a day a couple times throughout the day. This will help keep pain and swelling down.
  • Consider wearing orthotics to help take pressure off the heel while walking. Talk to your Warminster podiatrist about whether orthotics is right for you.
  • Always wear the proper shoes that offer support. This means avoiding shoes with heels, pointed toes or high arches like sandals or high heels.
  • Use over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories to help reduce pain and swelling. For those with more moderate forms of pain, talk to your Warminster podiatrist about prescription-strength pain relievers.

Non-surgical options

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT): By transmitting shockwaves through electrodes placed around your foot, we stimulate the body’s natural healing response to repair itself. This therapy can eliminate pain almost immediately, in some cases; however, it is only recommended for those with chronic heel pain cases that don’t experience relief from other conservative measures.

Surgery

Surgery is very rarely necessary when it comes to heel pain; however, if the plantar fascia tissue detaches from the heel bone then your Warminster podiatrist will need to perform surgery to repair the tissue. Surgery is a last resort, only advised when all other treatments have failed.

If you are experiencing severe heel pain, swelling, numbness or heel pain is interfering with your daily activities then it’s time to see your Warminster podiatrist right away. Contact Dr. Jack Gorman and Dr. Howard S. Shapiro with Bux-Mont Foot & Ankle Care Centers and let’s get you back to living your life!

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