The most common reason behind heel pain is the plantar fasciitis. Find out more about the causes and possible treatments in the following Buzzle article.

Our foot has 26 bones, 33 joints more than 100 muscles and tendons and a network of many blood vessels, nerves and soft tissue. These all combine and enable our foot to balance, and support the movements of our body. It gives mobility which is the most important among all. 80% of the body weight is taken care by the arch area and rest 20% is managed by rest of the muscles and tendons. Heel is among the most used part as heel bone is the largest bone in the foot. Daily activity and exertion may cause stress and inflammation in the heels. Let us check out some of the possible causes of heel pain in the following write-up.

Causes of Heel Pain
The causes of pain in the heel of foot are as follows:

• The most common heel pain cause is the plantar fasciitis. It is the inflammation of the plantar fascia tissues which is present in the base of the foot and extends from toe to the heel. Pain in the heel is mostly observed in the people who have problems with the arches of the foot. Hence people with flat feet and over arched feet are more prone to have plantar fasciitis. Pain increases in the morning as you use your heal after a long rest and decreases when you walk for a while as the plantar fascia gets stretched.
• Over weight people or obese people experience heel pain very frequently. This is because there is an overload in the feet muscles which might result in inflamed muscles and tissues.
• Running long distance or on the hard surface like concrete, sudden regress exercise or physical activity, etc., can also take you to burning pain in heel.
• Sudden jerk, strain, turning with improper posture can also cause pain.
• Injury to the heel which may result in tearing of muscles or tendons may also be one of the causes.
• Heel spur or excessive growth of the heel bone can also cause sharp pain in the heel. Usually the bone grows towards the inner part of the heel bone. It is the over deposition of the calcium which further forms a bony structure. This makes the nearing tissues to tear and may result in tremendous pain.
• Shoes with low heels or bad supportive sole can also harm your heels. Therefore it is very necessary to have a proper shoe with a proper sole support.

Treatment for Heel Pain
Treatment for heel pain can be segregated into home treatments and medical treatments. Following are some of them.

Home Treatments
Following are some of the treatments which one can perform at home to get rid of the heel pain.

• Go for the exercises which include stretching of the calf muscles. This may give you relief naturally.
• Use ice therapy on the heel several times a day. Do not put ice directly on the skin, use a towel or an ice bag. This will relax your inflamed muscles.
• Avoid being barefoot and try to limit any physical activity which includes heels. Give rest to your heels for some days.
• Wear shoes with a proper support. Check for the soles and go for the shoes which have slightly raised heels. This will reduce the pressure on the plantar fascia.

Medical Treatments
If you are not able to get relief from the home treatments and are suffering from the same intense pain then you should go for the medical treatments. Following are some of the treatments which may be prescribed by your doctor.

• Orthotic device is suggested to the patients which can be placed inside shoes. This can give you relief from the problems faced due to the plantar fasciitis.
• Corticosteroid injections are usually given by the doctors to give immediate relief from the pain.
• Some pain killers or anti-inflammatory drugs may also be suggested.
• Night splints are also considered very effective in curing heel pain.
• If none of the above options are helpful to you, doctor may advice you to go for a surgery. Surgery is the last option for curing heal pain.

Try to exercise daily and have proper supportive shoes. Heel pain can reappear and then disappear so the best option is to take proper care of your heel.

Disclaimer: This Buzzle article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.