Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
We often encounter numerous pain complaints at our orthopaedic practice, relating to the heel. One of the more common questions we get asked is, ‘Why do I have heel pain in the morning?’ You would surely expect to only feel pain after being on your feet for a long time and being particularly active, right? Well, this is not the case with a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. This common foot issue is much easier to understand when you look a little deeper into the anatomy of the foot.
The Source of Your Pain
The foot can be broken down into three basic parts: the forefoot, ankle, and heel. These three areas have their own unique vulnerabilities, and the heel is a section of the foot which patients most often complain about.
The heel is primarily made up of the heel bone and a fibrous band of tissue called the Plantar Fascia, which runs along the length of the foot and connects from the toes to the heel bone.
Image Credit: orthoinfo.aaos.org
Plantar Fasciitis (pronounced fashee-EYE-tiss) is a condition where there is inflammation or swelling of the plantar fascia, which can lead to a sharp, stabbing pain in the heel.
The reason patients feel pain in the morning is because this band of tissue usually shortens at night, and when they get up and start placing pressure on their feet, the band is suddenly forced to stretch. This rapid tension from this causes great pain.
However, the morning is not the only time that individuals can feel pain, they can also experience pain if they are in a job that requires them to sit for extended periods of time, and when they get up – towards the end of the day, they start to feel unpleasant tension.
What is the Cause of Plantar Fasciitis?
There are four common causes of plantar fasciitis, which are: being overweight, having a flat foot, having a high arch, or repetitive use of the plantar fascia (seen in runners, who use the tissue to push off or spring into action).
What Can I do to Relieve My Heel Pain?
The way you would tackle your heel pain from Plantar Fasciitis would depend on the cause. If you are experiencing pain from being overweight, then we would assist patients with losing weight and relieving pressure on the plantar fascia. If, on the other hand, the cause is due to repetitive use, from being an athlete, we would assist our patients by prescribing steroid injections, for example. But no matter what the cause, common treatments we’d recommend across all patients are physiotherapy, visiting a biokineticist, specialised shoe inserts, pain killers, and anti-inflammatories. It is only in extreme cases that we would perform surgery to stretch out the tissue.
Now that you know why you have heel pain in the morning, and what you can do about it, we hope that you start to feel less pain as you take action against your condition. If you have tried all the recommended treatments and still feel pain, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and schedule an appointment with your foot-friendly doctor, Praven Reddy.
