Heel Pain

Are you experiencing heel pain that won’t go away? At Specialized Foot and Ankle Care, the team of leading foot and ankle doctors led by Ankur Bahri, DPM, and Sandeep Sandhu, DPM, have the solution. Using a range of techniques, including conservative methods, precision medicine, and surgery, the team crafts a personalized recovery plan to get you back to life free from nagging heel pain. Call the office in Carteret, Perth Amboy, or Edison, New Jersey, today, or book your appointment online. 

What causes heel pain?

Heel pain is caused by many things, but plantar fasciitis is nearly synonymous with heel pain.

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia — the fibrous ligament that runs from the bottom of the heel to the toes. Tearing and/or inflammation of this ligament is the leading cause of heel pain. The condition causes sharp heel pain that can shoot into the first part of the arch.

Plantar fasciitis often strikes people who put excessive pressure on the plantar fascia. This includes overweight people, distance runners, and people who stand for extended periods.

Conditions that can lead to heel pain include:

• Over-flattened feet when walking or standing (excessive pronation)
• Heel spurs: bony growths on the bottom of the heel bone
• Achilles tendinitis: inflammation of the tendon linking your leg and heel bones
• Sever’s disease: inflammation of the heel’s growth plate during growth spurts
• Haglund’s deformity: also called “pump bump,” a bony bump on the back of the heel
• Wearing shoes with too little cushioning in the heel

In some cases, a lower leg injury can cause heel pain.

When do I need treatment for heel pain?

You need treatment for heel pain if the pain lasts more than a few days, is severe, or keeps you from following your daily routine.

Walking on a painful heel can increase local inflammation or aggravate your injury in other ways. To avoid this, contact the Specialized Foot and Ankle Care team as soon as possible.

How is heel pain treated? 

How heel pain is treated varies with the condition and your symptoms. Every condition calls for a different approach. The Specialized Foot and Ankle Care team prioritizes nonsurgical care when possible. This reduces your recovery time. Some standard treatments are:

• Splinting, such as a night splint for plantar fasciitis
• Custom orthotics made using a 3D computer program
• Changing your shoes
• Ice massage
• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Stretching and strengthening exercises
• Shockwave therapy
• Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
• Corticosteroid injections

If you need surgery, the experienced foot surgeons usually use minimally invasive surgery. For example, they use a procedure to reduce tension in your plantar fascia if you have plantar fasciitis. Minimally invasive surgery uses very small incisions and is often outpatient.

Does your heel hurt? You can be out of pain sooner than you think. At Specialized Foot & Ankle Care, Dr. Sandhu or Dr. Bahari treat patients for bunions, diabetic foot care, athlete foot, sports injuries, heel pain, and more. We are a foot and ankle specialist practice located in New Jersey. Call us to book your appointment today.