Find out why your heel may be throbbing and what you should do to stop the pain.
You got up this morning and the minute you put your feet on the ground you knew something was wrong. What could be causing that nagging heel pain? Our Scarborough & Windham, ME podiatrist Dr. Peter Ocampo is here to shed some light.
A condition known as plantar fasciitis is often the cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs along the soles of your feet. This tissue can become inflamed and irritated due to overuse. If you are a runner you may be prone to developing this painful condition.
Symptoms: The most common symptom of plantar fasciitis is a sharp pain that is usually worse first thing in the morning. Throughout the course of the day, you may find that your pain starts to ease up. Of course, if you continue to run or perform certain high-impact activities you will find that the pain returns shortly after.
Treatment: Luckily, you can often manage your symptoms on your own while giving your foot time to heal. Common conservative treatment options include:
- Wearing compression bandages
- Avoiding high-impact exercises and other physical activities that could exacerbate your symptoms
- Wearing shoe inserts or custom orthotics in your shoes
- Wearing the proper protective footwear
- Stretching and strengthening exercises
If you don’t find relief from your symptoms after a couple of weeks or if symptoms actually start to get worse then this is the perfect time to reach out to our Scarborough, ME, foot doctor for care. If you’ve never had heel pain before you should also play it safe and schedule an appointment with us to make sure that your pain is due to plantar fasciitis and not something else. After all, how can you effectively treat your symptoms if you aren’t sure what could be causing them in the first place?
Southern Maine Foot & Ankle is pleased to provide comprehensive podiatric services to the Scarborough, ME and Windham, ME, areas. If heel pain has gotten the better of you, then it’s the perfect time to reach out to us for care.