What is Causing My Heel Pain?

Don’t let stubborn heel pain alter your daily activities. Manage your symptoms effectively.

While heel pain happens to a lot of people, it can be a real nuisance when it rears its ugly head. Our Butte and Bozeman, MT, podiatrists, Dr. Dallin Greene and Dr. Nathan Judd, have seen a lot of heel pain cases over the years. If you are one of those people currently dealing with heel pain then you may be wondering what’s going on and how you can eliminate your symptoms.

You may be surprised to hear this, but heel pain is a rather common issue. While some people may find the problem only self-limiting, there are others who have such severe cases that they aren’t able to put any weight on the foot. Of course, in most cases, conditions like plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendinitis are the most common causes of heel pain. If you notice pain that originates behind the heel then you may be dealing with Achilles tendinitis. If the pain is actually under the heel then plantar fasciitis may be the culprit.

The good news is that even if you are feeling serious pain, most cases of heel pain are self-limiting and will go away on their own. Other causes of heel pain include:

• Bursitis
• Heel spurs
• Arthritis
• Trauma
• Sprains, strains and fractures
• Heel pad inflammation
• Severs disease (common in active children and teens)
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome
• A bone cyst
• Bruised bone
• A Neuroma

It’s going to be challenging to determine the exact cause of your heel pain without first visiting one of our Butte and Bozeman foot doctors for a proper diagnosis. If you’ve never experienced this kind of pain before it’s a good idea to play it safe and turn to a podiatrist who can provide you with the proper diagnostic tools and treatment plan to get you back on your feet in no time.

Most heel pain, swelling and other symptoms can be managed with simple conservative options such as:

• Avoiding high-impact activities
• Resting
• Splinting and bracing
• Crutches (this is common for more serious cases where you shouldn’t put weight on the affected foot)

Big Sky Foot and Ankle Institute offers two locations to serve your podiatry needs. If you are dealing with chronic heel pain then call our Butte or Bozeman, MT, office today to find out what we can do to help.