Sore heels and how to treat. Unloading the foot from excessive pressure
If the heel hurts when walking, and there are no visible lesions on the skin, then you need to contact an orthopedist. This is one of them characteristic symptoms developing pathologies that respond well to therapy initial stage development. Timely diagnosis and their competent treatment will avoid serious complications.
Why does the heel hurt when walking
The causes of pain in the heel during movement can be different - from banal dry calluses to developing serious pathologies, for example, or ankylosing spondyloarthrosis. Discomfort in the foot can be provoked by epiphysitis, periostitis, chondropathy, tibial nerve neuropathy. Appearance pain more often 2-3 times a week with a high degree of probability indicates a developing pathology.
Atrophy of the subcutaneous fat pad in the heel
Atrophy, or a decrease in the size of the fat layer in the heel, is observed with a sharp weight loss. Since this fabric performs a shock-absorbing function, when you focus on the foot, discomfort occurs. Atrophy often develops with a sharp increase in physical activity, which occurs with intense sports training walking long distances.
Achilles
The Achilles tendon becomes inflamed due to excessive constant stress and wearing tight shoes with high heels. The leading symptom of Achillitis is pain in the heel region, which is aggravated by movement. It also indicates puffiness, swelling of the skin.
If a person does not apply for medical care, then at sharp decline immunity develops purulent process. In this case, it becomes impossible to move even around the room. In the acute course of the inflammatory process, it is possible.
Bursitis
Tumors
Pain is clinically manifested by sarcoma of the calcaneus - a malignant neoplasm emanating from the cellular elements of the connective tissue. At the initial stage of tumor formation, only mild discomfort occurs, but their severity gradually increases. Indicate sarcoma of the calcaneus concomitant symptoms- anemia, rapid weight loss, lack of appetite.
Overstretching the fascia
Wearing uncomfortable shoes, constant stress on the feet provoke an overstrain of the fascia - connective tissue membranes that cover blood vessels, nerves and form cases for muscles. If the cause of the pain is not eliminated, then the next step may be acute inflammation which will make movement very difficult.
Gout
Prevention measures
To prevent the appearance of pain in the heel, the exclusion from the usual lifestyle of factors that provoke damage to soft, cartilage and bone tissues will help. This is wearing uncomfortable shoes, walking on slippery or uneven surfaces, standing for a long time. Doctors recommend, if necessary, to lose weight, replace fatty foods in the diet with fresh vegetables, berries and fruits, and also stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
There are 24 bones in the human foot that form the transverse and longitudinal arches. Every day, it is on the feet that a great load is placed, they help to keep a person in balance, soften shocks when walking and give support to the whole body.
In youth, the legs rarely create problems for us, at an older age, joint problems begin, and this is understandable. But why do the heels of the legs hurt, why young age worries about such a symptom and how to treat the disease? Pain in this area signal a violation in the work of the body and you need to know what to do so that the discomfort does not spoil the usual rhythm of life.
When foot pain bothers you, pay attention to the shoes you wear. If it is a heel above 5 cm or a thin hairpin, then the foot is overloaded. standing work, strong sports loads, excess weight, lifting weights and many other factors provoke the appearance of pain.
The causes of pain in the feet can be a variety of factors, acquired and congenital: from traumatic injuries to complications of other diseases:
- Injuries
Traumatic foot injuries in which the patient feels pain is a sprain, fracture or dislocation. Stretching is characterized by swelling and severe discomfort. With a fracture of the bones, the leg also swells, and strong pain does not allow to step on the injured limb. - Neoplasms and inflammation
Another cause of pain is benign neoplasms in the tissues of the soles of the feet. In this case, nerve tissue (neuroma) grows. Such a formation occurs more often in women on one leg, and affects the base of the fourth or third toe. The neuroma is characterized by moderate pain, and only when the foot is neglected does it hurt a lot.
Heel spurs are growths and cause severe pain in the back of the foot that makes the person unable to stand or walk.
Inflammation of the joints (arthritis) is diagnosed by hyperthermia of the skin over the joint and its redness. At the same time, the fingers are constrained in their movement and swollen. - congenital anomalies
congenital cause foot pain is flat feet. Flat feet are characterized by touching the floor of the entire plane of the foot, it does not perform a spring function, quickly gets tired and hurts. This disease rarely occurs in a person throughout his life. Acquired flat feet is associated with increased body weight or with the constant wearing of heavy weights, fracture of the bones of the foot or ankle. - Other diseases
Other diseases also cause foot pain. In this case, their pain syndrome is regarded as a complication: with untreated varicose veins, vein thrombosis occurs, the veins become clogged and this provokes pain in the feet. Varicose veins veins provokes inflamed veins or phlebitis. Often these effects occur at the same time. Diabetes mellitus leads to the formation of the so-called diabetic foot, which also makes itself felt with pain.
Important! When the feet hurt, a person tries to walk so that the pain is less. From this, the gait changes, the distribution of the load on the spine and muscles is disturbed, and this entails even greater problems with the musculoskeletal system.
According to statistics, most often patients complain about plantar fasciitis- inflammation or tearing of a strip of fibrous connective tissue that covers the entire sole from the heel to the toes. The sources of fasciitis can be both uncomfortable shoes and a violation of the bone structure due to heavy loads, flat feet and other mechanical problems with the legs.
Pain in the heel can also be formed due to inflammation of the tendon tissue, which is accompanied by a feeling of a “needle in the heel”. Rheumatoid arthritis is another source of heel pain. In such a situation, doctors recommend wearing shoes with an open heel.
Pain when walking
A heel spur is the main cause of heel pain. Painful feelings of the heel when moving the foot provoke such ailments: fasciitis, heel spur, arthritis and inflammation of the Achilles tendon.
Plantar fasciitis is a neoplasm of a dense texture that is localized in the connective tissue and spreads along the perimeter of the entire foot.
Wearing uncomfortable shoes, the leg in which does not feel free, for a long time leads to such consequences. In the place of the inflammatory process, the accumulation of salts begins and a heel spur is formed.
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Heel spur is a chronic disease. Salts that accumulate on the sole cause a growth on the calcaneus. This growth cuts into soft tissues when a person walks, which provokes severe pain.
When a person “walks” throughout the day, the soft tissues get used to the foreign body, and the pain subsides a little, but everything repeats in the morning. Pain in the heel when walking further increases its intensity.
Pain after sleep
Heel pain after sleep and in the morning provoke the following diseases: heel spur, arthritis, reactive arthritis and other ailments.
Heel pain after sleep is often caused by arthritis. Arthritis is inflammation of the joints. It captures the bone tissue located along the foot, connecting the heel bone and toes. Pain in this disease increases gradually, increasing its intensity. In the morning, the pain is stronger, it subsides if you do a light massage. After walking or other loads, the pain returns again.
Soreness manifests itself not only when walking, but also at night, when the legs are in absolutely calm state. In some situations, discomfort accompanies the patient throughout the entire time.
Pain in the morning
Infectious diseases are the cause of heel pain. Sore heels in the morning or throughout the day provoke infectious processes in the body. This includes sexually transmitted infections. These are ailments such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, ureaplasmosis or intestinal latent infections (salmonellosis, dysentery, and others).
An infection that progresses in the human body provokes inflammation of the tissues of the calcaneal tendon. This leads to reactive arthritis.
There are a number of ailments that cause this discomfort in the heel area. Gout can cause pain. It develops against the background of inflammation of the chronic nature of the human body, as a result of which the metabolism is disturbed.
In addition, inflammation of the eyes and joints joins the inflammatory process of the heels, discomfort occurs in the area of the reproductive system.
Pain in the back of the heel
This symptom occurs with calcaneal apophysitis (inflammation of the nucleus of the emerging calcaneus). The disease manifests itself in adolescence (9 - 13 years), and affects more often boys. The same defeat of both heels is characteristic. A sick child complains of pain in the back of the heel after sports or long walking.
You can see how he avoids rolling the foot when walking, and fixes it at a right angle to the lower leg. Pain can pass, and then return again after regular sports. In this case, up to 13 years, you will have to completely eliminate additional loads on the legs.
In adults, pain at the back of the heel may be a sign of Achillodynia (inflammation of the heel bag, which is made up of connective tissue and surrounds the Achilles tendon). You may notice a slight swelling in the area of attachment of the Achilles tendon (this is behind the calcaneus) and an increase in skin temperature. Characterized by increased pain in the lower leg and ankle joint in a stationary state, as well as during sports. Touching the back of the foot is very painful.
Important! Pain in the back of the calcaneus can also manifest calcaneal exostosis. This disease is similar to a heel spur, but differs from it in that the pathological growth of bone tissue is observed not on the plantar side of the heel, but behind it. It most often affects young women.
The disease proceeds for a long time, and is accompanied by severe bursitis (inflammation of the mucous bags, which normally protect the ligaments from friction between themselves). This disease is treated in the same way as a heel spur.
Pain in the middle of the heel
Such pain is characteristic of Achilles bursitis (bursitis in combination with inflammation of the Achilles tendon). The disease affects the area of attachment of the Achilles tendon. Therefore, it is characteristic that the pain in the middle of the heel increases with flexion of the foot or movement in it.
With a load on the leg, the nature of the pain practically does not change. The back of the heel looks swollen, and touching this area causes pain. The disease proceeds in a chronic form. Treatment is carried out by a doctor with complete rest of the limb.
More about the causes of heel pain tells the specialist in this video:
Possible diseases
If you rule out the possibility of an accidental injury, you have persistent heel pain for a long time - perhaps this is a cause or effect various diseases:
- Arthritis, bursitis An inflammatory process that affects the tissue that runs along the foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. In this case, the pain increases gradually. Worse in the morning, if you massage your feet, the pain subsides, but may come back after standing on tiptoe or walking up the stairs.
- Plantar fasciitis Plantar fasciitis is a dense formation in the connective tissue that runs along the entire sole of the foot. With constant and prolonged wearing of uncomfortable tight shoes, an inflammatory process in this area may begin. The development of such a disease is accompanied by the deposition of salts in the inflamed part, which can lead to the formation of a heel spur.
- Heel spur Chronic inflammation of the plantar fascia. Such an outgrowth formed on the heel causes deep suffering. The heel hurts especially in the morning when a person gets out of bed. In the afternoon, in the process of walking, the pain subsides a little. But it is worth sitting for a while, as pain sensations resume with a vengeance.
- Inflammation of the Achilles tendon When your legs hurt while walking, it is possible that the inflammatory process of the Achilles tendon develops. In this case, the focus of pain is concentrated above the heel or under it from the side of the sole.
- Reactive arthritis Certain infections (chlamydia, venereal diseases) may also be accompanied by pain in the soles of the feet. Latent infections can provoke reactive inflammation of the calcaneal tendons. In the case of such a disease, the heels hurt constantly, pain is especially strong at night.
- Other diseases Inflammatory processes in the heel region can also be caused by diseases such as gout (Bekhterev's disease). With this chronic inflammation of the joints, a metabolic disorder occurs in the body.
If you have one of listed diseases, only a doctor can help get rid of pain in the heel. You should go to an appointment with a traumatologist or rheumatologist and get qualified advice from a specialist.
Treatment
Treatment for pain in the foot area depends on the cause of its origin. If the pain arose due to problems with the vessels, then they treat circulatory system, and if the discomfort is caused by a disease of the joints, flat feet or an injury, then the treatment can be complex - strengthening bones, blood vessels, removing puffiness, correcting with shoes or insoles. For this, a patient who feels discomfort in the legs should consult an orthopedic doctor.
It doesn’t matter if there is heel pain when walking or when at rest, in order to get rid of this symptom, you need to treat the underlying disease. When the patient complete examination and the cause will be determined, the doctor will prescribe appropriate therapy for him.
For a while, analgesics can relieve pain, these are Ketorol and others. But, taking painkillers, they will not relieve you of the cause of the pain, but only eliminate the pain itself. Therefore, you should undergo an examination and begin to treat the underlying ailment.
Medical
If the cause of the pain is an infection, then antibiotics are prescribed. There is no single remedy, each bacterium is sensitive to a certain species medicinal substance. These can be drugs in tablets, with sexual infections - and in the form of suppositories. Sometimes injections of antimicrobials are required.
In the treatment of arthritis and gout, NVPS are used - Diclofenac, Ibuprofen and others. They relieve inflammation and pain.
For therapy prescribed the following drugs:
- antibiotics a wide range actions;
- corticosteroids;
- medicines against fungi;
- antiviral drugs.
As an additional procedure, patients are recommended exercise therapy complexes. This treatment is aimed at improving the flexibility and elasticity of muscles, capillaries and blood vessels, as well as increasing their strength.
Physiotherapy
Effective treatment Pain in the feet is given by various physiotherapy and massages. Except drug treatment, experts prescribe procedures that allow you to increase the efficiency of the feet, as well as get rid of pain in this area. For this purpose, shock wave therapy or magnetic resonance manipulations are prescribed.
For patients with such problems, it is imperative to wear comfortable shoes, special orthoses and arch support insoles. In cases where conservative methods of treatment fail, direct surgical intervention is used.
Operations are often prescribed for serious foot injuries and in the case when the patient is ill with an acquired disease.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is used for treatment. Apart from medicines prescribed gymnastics for the legs. With heel pain, doctors recommend abandoning walking and from running. Better to ride a bike, swim. And with flat feet, in addition to gymnastics, pay attention to shoes.
These are the exercises:
- exercise with a tennis ball: roll it between your feet;
- foot stretch with a towel: grab the foot under the fingers with a towel, pull up;
- stretching the Achilles tendon - for example, heel squats.
A great and effective exercise for people with plantar fasciitis is to roll your feet on a golf ball for 2 minutes. Massage can help reduce swelling and pain. Make a few pinching movements of the heel. Then rub the heel vigorously with your fingers. From the heel, move to the Achilles tendon and repeat the same movements. It is effective to use ice during massage.
Folk methods
Often patients ignore the appeal to a specialist, try to relieve heel pain and cope with the problem on their own. Facilities traditional medicine for the treatment of heel pain exist, but they may not give the desired result, in which case a visit to the doctor is necessary.
First steps to relieve heel pain folk remedies are:
- salt baths;
- warming;
- trituration.
Salt foot baths are taken hot. 300 grams of salt are dissolved in one liter of water.
Important! If the patient's pain is caused by trauma or provoked by osteoporosis, then salt baths are prohibited.
Homemade ointments and tinctures for rubbing are prepared very simply:
- The ointment is made from garlic, rubbing it into the consistency of gruel.
- Put the egg in a glass of vinegar essence. After 10 days, the egg is pulled out, cleaned and rubbed with its contents. About 35 grams of oil is added to the resulting liquid and the heels are lubricated with this ointment overnight.
- Mumiyo is used to lubricate the sore spot: 5 grams of this substance is dissolved in 100 grams of honey. The process takes place in a vessel heated with a water bath. Then rub the heel with the mixture.
- Rubbing is carried out using a tincture of dry lilac and vodka, in a ratio of 1: 1. The tincture stands for 10 days, then it is used.
- Warm the sore spot with pepper poured into the sock. Apply to the surface of the heel and iodine mesh. This is how you walk all day long.
- Grate a raw potato, put it in a plastic bag and put it on your foot so that the potato touches the sole. Put on a thick sock on top. Keep for 2-3 hours, repeat daily at night, course - 1-2 weeks.
- Steam the leg in a hot bath: add 2 tablets of furacilin and analgin to 1 liter of water, 1 tbsp. l. honey and 2 tbsp. l. apple cider vinegar. After a 20-minute hot bath, put a clay cake on the foot. Keep it until it starts to heat up. Treat like this until the condition improves.
- A compress with black radish helps well. To do this, wash the radish and grate on a fine grater along with the skin. Put the gruel on a rag (according to the size of the foot), then - a plastic bag and a tight sock. Do this daily at night until the pain goes away.
- Boil potato peels and whole small potatoes, pour them into a basin and wait until they cool down a little so that you can endure. Mash potatoes in puree, gradually adding lugol (1 bottle for 1 procedure). Soak your foot with this mixture until it cools down, then put on woolen socks. The course of treatment is 1 week.
- Put fresh knotweed grass (highlander bird) in shoes and walk like that all day. The next day, replace the grass with a new one.
- Mix 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey, 1 vial of iodine (50 ml), 1 teaspoon of fine Extra salt. This amount of the mixture is designed for 5 procedures. Before going to bed, apply the mixture to a cotton swab or bandage, apply to the heel, cover with polyethylene on top and bandage it so that the bandage does not slip during sleep. Remove the bandage in the morning. It is quite possible that in 5 nights you will get rid of a heel spur. AT preventive purposes such treatment is recommended to be repeated after six months.
Another way is to knead boiled potatoes in uniforms with your feet. The procedure is carried out until the potatoes cool, then the legs are rinsed warm water.
Other measures
The use of orthopedic insoles prevents the occurrence of heel pain. To get rid of pain in the heel area during movement and in a state of calm, the underlying disease that led to this symptom should be cured. You can reduce the manifestation of heel pain by following these recommendations:
- use of orthopedic shoes;
- wearing orthopedic insoles, in particular with flat feet;
- the heel should not exceed 5 cm, but wearing shoes without a heel is not recommended at all;
- fight with overweight, since it provokes an increase in the load on the feet;
- physiotherapy and foot exercise.
To relieve sudden severe pain that appears on the heel, apply an ice pack wrapped in a cloth to it. So keep the cold for 20 minutes.
If heel pain when walking or touched you in the morning, do not rush to self-medicate, seek the advice of a therapist. It is important to detect the disease that led to pain at an early stage and treat it. If this is not done and the advice is ignored, then there is a possibility of complications.
For more information on heel pain, watch the video:
There are times when patients turn to doctors with a question about why the heel hurts while running or walking, and sometimes even while resting? The reasons for such sensations can be anything from tight and uncomfortable shoes to serious problems that are biomechanical in nature.
Why does the heel hurt at rest: possible causes
1. Fasciitis of the sole. Such a disease is characterized by a rather dense formation in the connective tissues of the sole, which runs along its entire surface and looks like a wide strip (from the calcaneus to the metatarsal bones). As a rule, after patients complain that their heel constantly hurts from the side and from below, the doctor in 60% of 100 finds inflammation or stretching of the plantar fascia in the place where it joins the calcaneal tubercle.
2. Spur. If a person is diagnosed with chronic inflammation of the fascia (plantar), then eventually calcium salts accumulate in the lesion. They subsequently lead to the formation of a bone growth, which becomes the reason that the heel constantly hurts. The spur makes itself felt not only at rest, but also while walking. Most often, such a growth brings severe pain in the morning when a person gets out of bed after a long night's sleep. During the day, the pain decreases slightly, although it often manifests itself during the first steps after a short rest.
Why does my heel hurt while walking?
The following reasons for this phenomenon are possible:
1. Inflammation or any disturbance in the Achilles tendon and its bags. In this case, pain can be concentrated above the heel, or rather, on the back of the leg. If the patient has lesions of the tendons of the muscles of the sole, then pain may also occur at the bottom of the heel.
2. Tearing or stretching of the tendon. This happens, for example, with a strong load while wearing shoes with heels. In addition, the answer to the question of why the heel hurts may well be its strong bruise, which provoked inflammation of the tissues. In this case, a person may experience burning pains right under the heel.
3. Some types of infections (for example, sexual) can also cause pain in the heel area.
4. Reactive arthritis. This disease is not only It's a dull pain in the heels, but also discomfort in the genital area. Also, inflammation of the tendons is quite often accompanied by conjunctivitis.
5. In rare cases, when people complain of plantar pain, they find inflammation of the heel region. As a rule, it occurs due to chronic joint diseases such as gout, psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. In order to find out if a person has these diseases, one should pass venous blood for analysis. Exactly this medical examination reveals a marked increase in uric acid and other signs, which, along with external symptoms contribute to the correct diagnosis.
If your heel constantly hurts, then it is best to contact a traumatologist or rheumatologist.
Heel pain is an unpleasant phenomenon that deprives a person of joy and does not allow him to fully enjoy life. Adults and children can suffer from this problem. Some people are disturbed by discomfort in the foot in the morning, and in the afternoon they only sometimes remind of themselves. Other people complain that their heels hurt when walking, after running, or at night. What causes discomfort in the back of the foot? How to get rid of heel pain in folk ways?
Reasons why heels hurt
When the heels constantly or regularly burn with fire, this lowers the quality of life, because with every step a person feels unbearable discomfort and severe pain in the foot. What are the causes of this condition? Why do the heels begin to literally burn with pain? The causes of foot pain can be different: chronic pain, infectious diseases, injuries of the foot, ankle, problems with the tendon over the heel. This phenomenon also sometimes occurs due to external factors, upon elimination of which the discomfort in the foot disappears. This is:
- wearing shoes with high heels;
- long stay on the legs;
- rapid and significant increase in body weight;
- the formation of cracks, calluses on the foot;
- depletion subcutaneous fat in the heel area with a sharply increased physical load, which sometimes leads to pain in this part of the foot.
Pain in the morning after sleep: what could it be
Why do my heels hurt in the morning? A common cause of this problem is plantar fasciitis, which often results in heel spurs. This disease occurs with constant trauma to the plantar ligaments caused by wearing tight shoes. Regular and prolonged stay in uncomfortable shoes or boots that constrain the leg does not allow the tendons, ligaments of the arch of the foot to function normally (relax / contract), which provokes the occurrence of microtraumas.
With constant damage to the anatomical structures of the foot, deposits of calcium salts may occur at the points of attachment of the ligaments to the bones. This leads to the appearance of a bone osteophyte (heel spur). If a bump appears on the heel, then the pain will disturb the back of the foot or be localized on its side. Obesity is another cause of plantar fasciitis.
As body weight increases, the feet begin to experience additional pressure. This causes a violation of blood circulation in this part of the leg, leading to the appearance of microcracks, growth of the heel bone and the formation of a bump. Often this disease occurs in patients with flat feet, diabetes, athletes (from increased training) and pregnant women. With plantar fasciitis, acute pain on the inside of the foot and in the heel area occurs in the morning, and then subsides slightly or completely in the afternoon. Why is this happening?
While you are resting at night, the micro-cracks formed during the day on the inflamed part of the fascia attached to the back of the sole grow together, shortening their surface. At the first steps after waking up, micro-ruptures of the ligaments again occur, which causes acute pain. Then the discomfort subsides, but in the afternoon it sometimes comes back again. In the morning, pain on the back of the sole can be caused by other diseases. Arthritis caused by inflammatory processes foot tissue, provokes discomfort in the heel after you wake up. Foot massage helps relieve such pain.
It hurts to step on the heel when walking or after running
If a person constantly feels that it hurts to walk due to discomfort in the heel, this may indicate serious illness or injury. Then, to eliminate discomfort in the foot, it is necessary to correctly diagnose and treat the root cause of this phenomenon. After a long walk, the heels of the legs may “burn” due to developing inflammation of the Achilles tendon, which is located on the leg above the heel. If the back of the foot constantly or regularly hurts when moving, the following diseases can also be the cause of this:
- Bechterew's disease, rheumatoid arthritis.
- Bone tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, reactive arthritis of the calcaneus joints, which occurs against the background of a genital tract infection.
- Plantar fasciitis, osteochondropathy of the calcaneal tuber, Achilles tendonitis.
- Malignant bone tumors.
- Diabetes.
- Sprains, tendon ruptures, heel contusion or calcaneus fracture, Sever's disease.
Why do heels hurt so much inside during pregnancy
While in position, women often experience pain in the feet. The cause of discomfort in the heels is often the increasing body weight of the expectant mother. In pregnant women, the center of gravity changes (it shifts forward), and this can lead to an increase in the load on the feet and heel pain. As a rule, these problems go away with the birth of a child. Uncomfortable shoes or a sharp change from a high heel habitual before pregnancy to low-speed shoes are also causes of heel pain. Another sharp pain in the heel may indicate salt deposits or a spur.
Causes of pain in a child
In children 7-11 years old, heels can regularly hurt. As a rule, in this case, doctors make a diagnosis - Schinz's disease. This disease indicates a violation of the process of ossification of the tuber of the heel bone. It often affects only the heel region of the left or right foot, but more often develops on both legs. The causes of Schinz's disease in children can be: a constant heavy load on the foot, a violation of the hormonal background or the process of assimilation of Ca by the body, vascular diseases, heredity, microtrauma in the heel. This disease is characterized by the following symptoms:
- heel pain that gets worse with movement
- swelling on the heel;
- difficulty with flexion/extension of the foot;
- an increase in local temperature;
- lameness;
- redness of the skin on the heels.
Which doctor to contact and how to treat
If your heels hurt, consult a neurologist, rheumatologist or traumatologist for advice. The specialist will carefully examine the problem area, ask a series of specific questions to determine the presence or absence of certain symptoms. A qualified doctor, after establishing an accurate diagnosis, will advise which exercises are best to perform to remove pain syndrome and take medication. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs and / or orthopedic shoe inserts to help relieve heel pain.
What to do at home when the heel is cracked
Heel pain is often caused by cracks in the back of the foot. They can appear as a result of a lack of regular care for the soles, a lack of vitamins in the body, or a metabolic disorder. Uncomfortable shoes are a common factor that provokes the appearance of this phenomenon on the heels. How to treat such cracks at home? Folk remedies will help restore the skin. medicinal plants used for the preparation of baths, compresses. Here are the most effective folk ways against cracked heels:
- Onion compress. Before the procedure 10 min. soak your feet in warm water with 1 tsp. soda. Chop a small onion and transfer the resulting slurry to a napkin, attach it to the heel, wrap it with a film, wrap it with a bandage on top and leave it overnight. In the morning, wash your feet, treat the soles with a pumice stone and spread with a fat cream. For a week, do this procedure on the heels 3-5 times.
- Compress with cabbage, honey. Beat the leaf of the plant a little, spread it with honey, sprinkle with a little flour and bandage it to the crack on the heel. In the morning, carry out the procedure as described above. The course of treatment is 4 days.
- Vaseline for cracked heels. Before a night's rest, make a warm bath for the feet at the rate of 4 tsp. boric acid for 1 liter of water. After that, dry your feet, generously smear the cracks on the heels with petroleum jelly, and glue a patch on top of the painful areas. Leave for a day. Do this procedure for heels every other day for 8-12 days.
- Bath with potatoes. Steam the soles before going to bed in a decoction of potato peels or use a bath for this with the addition of 2 tbsp. l. potato starch per 1 liter of water. Then treat the heels with a pumice stone, smear them with cream, put on socks. Do the procedure until the cracks on the feet disappear.
- Baths for heels. Three liters hot water connect with 3 k. ammonia, 1 tbsp. l. soda, 1 l decoction / infusion medicinal herbs(chamomile, elecampane, calendula or nettle). Steam your legs for 20 minutes. Then rub your heels salicylic ointment 2% or olive oil, cream.
- Foot bath with St. John's wort and apple cider vinegar. Pour 2 cups of water over 1 tbsp. l. herbs, boil, cool. Pour in 2 tbsp. l. vinegar. Strain mixture and add to water foot bath. After the procedure, treat the feet, heels as in paragraph 5.
- Flatbread with aloe and onion. Knead the dough with the following ingredients: 1 part aloe, 1 part fish oil, 1 part onion juice, 1 part flour. Should be a cake. It is applied to the heel and fixed with a bandage, sock. Leave for the night, and remove in the morning, wipe the foot with a decoction of oak bark / tincture of calendula.
Folk remedies for the treatment of heel pain
Sabelnik tincture is an effective remedy for heel spurs and the pain it causes. This medicine is sold in pharmacies, but it is not difficult to make it yourself. For treatment take 1 tbsp. l. tincture and pour 1/3 cup of water. Drink the drug three times a day for 2.5 weeks. Then 10 days do not take drops, and again repeat the treatment with Sabelnik. Good healing effect give compresses with this tincture. If your heel hurts, try the following folk remedies:
- Salt baths. Prepare a hot solution at the rate of 300 g of sodium chloride per 1 liter of water, and soak your heels in it for 30 minutes. For injuries, osteoporosis, this method of treatment is not recommended.
- Pour red pepper into a sock, put it on, wear it all day.
- Pour dry lilac flowers with vodka (1: 1), leave for 10 days. Rub the heels with the resulting tincture.
- Combine 5 g of mummy with 100 g of honey, dissolve this composition in a water bath. The resulting tool to smear the heels, feet before going to bed.
- Boil the potatoes and crush them with your feet until they cool. After - wash the feet with warm water and draw a grid of iodine on the heels.
- Grind the garlic and apply the resulting mixture to the feet for 4 hours.
- Alternately applying heat and cold to the back of the foot helps to quickly relieve pain in the back of the foot. This procedure is easy to do if you put two basins of ice and hot liquid next to each other.
- Put one egg in a container with vinegar essence and do not remove it for 10 days. Then take it out, clean it, grind it, mix it with 40 g of oil. Rub the feet and heels with this mixture.
Prevention measures
Heel pain brings a lot of problems and significantly worsens the quality of life. These troubles can be easily prevented with the help of special prevention. It includes simple rules hygiene procedures, the right lifestyle that will help keep your feet healthy. Consider the main recommendations of doctors for the prevention of heel pain:
- Eat a balanced diet rich in protein and plant matter. This will help prevent metabolic failure and the occurrence of diseases leading to heel pain.
- Avoid sudden weight gain.
- Do not exercise if your heels or feet hurt. If you experience pain in your foot while exercising, stop exercising.
- Wear only comfortable shoes so that they do not compress the foot and heel too much.
- If you have suffered from heel pain in the past, consult with a specialist about the advisability of wearing orthopedic insoles.
- Don't forget about regular care behind the feet and heels with the help of special tools.
- Do a daily foot massage, including stroking the feet and heels.
Regardless of gender and age, many are faced with such a phenomenon when. It happens on many factors. There are many nerve endings in the heel, therefore, with the slightest damage, it responds with pain.
The modern rhythm of life makes you spend a lot of time on your feet, which can cause pain in the heel when walking, the reasons for this will be revealed later in the article.
Causes
The main sources of provoking the appearance of malaise:
- heel spur or plantar fasciitis;
- fascia strain;
- bursitis;
- achilles;
- diseases of the spine;
- reactive arthritis;
- infections, incl. and sexual;
- gout;
- problematic shoes;
- bruises of the calcaneus and other bruises;
- obesity;
- long stay on the legs;
- atrophy of the subcutaneous fat "pillow" in the heel;
- tumors;
Additional prerequisites tarsal nerve syndrome, Morton's neuralgia, northern disease, Haglund-Schinz pathology, Bechterew's disease, erythromelalgia, metastases in lower limb, sensory neuropathy of a hereditary nature, valgus deformity of the foot, cracks, fungal infections, skin dermatitis.
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Irina Martynova. Graduated from the Voronezh State medical University them. N.N. Burdenko. Clinical intern and neurologist of BUZ VO \"Moscow Polyclinic\".
Heel spur or plantar fasciitis
By spur means chronic ailment resulting from trauma to the fascia or ligament. Subsequently, inflammation causes the growth of an osteophyte, a bone process that cuts into soft tissue and violates its integrity. Visual changes are not visible, but if you feel the area, the spike will be felt. The culprits of the growth of the spur are flat feet, extra pounds, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, poor blood supply to the limbs, and malfunctions in the nervous and vascular systems.
The onset of fasciitis proceeds imperceptibly, then more and more often severe pain after walking worries, it is localized in the lower part of the sole, there is a seal.
The nature of the pain
Tall, stingy intensifies at the time of overload sometimes at rest. Intermittent, subsiding with a distant disposition to the nerve endings.
Diagnosis and treatment
Consult a surgeon, orthopedist or physiotherapist. To set up a complete clinical picture he will need clinical and biochemical blood samples, MRI, X-ray, urinalysis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Ibuprofen, Tempalgin, Analgin are prescribed. Ointments against edema Voltaren, Indomethacin, Diclogel. Local hormonal agents. Introduced into the affected area. Special orthopedic insoles will help to alleviate the condition. Electrophoresis with, laser, X-ray irradiation, UHF, mud therapy, paraffin baths, ozocerite. Remedial gymnastics, physical education are obligatory.
Inefficiency conservative methods provides for the traditional open or endoscopic surgery. Mustard plasters, contrast baths, foot massages are made at home.
Overstretching the fascia
Inflammatory response in elastic tissues leading to plantar fasciitis. Chronic, long course of pathology provokes the growth of osteophytes. There is an overstrain due to excessive physical exertion, in people suffering from diabetes, gout, atherosclerosis, flat feet, arthritis, when the leg is in the wrong position. The harbingers are malaise in the lower part of the heel, burning on approach, difficulty in climbing stairs, long activity.
The nature of the pain
Sharp to aching, especially in the morning after walking. It subsides during rest.
Diagnosis and treatment
An orthopedist, a surgeon will visually examine the limb. He will send you for an x-ray, a micro-resonance examination, in order to exclude a possible crack, fracture. NSAIDs Ibuprofen, Baralgin, Ketonal, Ketoprofen, glucocorticoids are used. Outwardly cream Golden Us, products based on cinquefoil, plantain, shark oil. A good outcome is given by electrophoresis, ultrasound, shock wave method, exercise therapy, massage, mud pads, stretching exercises to lengthen the fascia. Known folk methods baths with sea salt, iodine.
Lotions with grated horseradish, garlic, hot crushed potatoes.
Bursitis
inflammatory response of the mucosa, synovial bag. Bursitis is specific due to the bacteria of gonococci, streptococci and non-specific due to injuries. The fluid accumulating in the bag can be purulent, serous-fibrinous, serous. Under the influence of the contents, the bag stretches, calcium deposits accumulate in it, which affect movement and performance. Prerequisites: polyarthritis, urate metabolism failure, tuberculosis, infectious microorganisms, tight shoes.
General malaise, fever, bulging of the back of the foot in the case of purulent exudate, redness, swelling on the ankle, pain in the foot, fistula formation indicate the pathology.
The nature of the pain
A sharp, acute, often latent course in the chronic phase. Worse at night, after walking.
Diagnosis and treatment
An orthopedist or surgeon will help in the matter. We need x-rays, MRI, ultrasound, puncture of synovial contents, biochemical analysis blood. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, hormonal injections are prescribed. Abundant accumulation of pus is stopped by pumping out with a puncture into this area. The joint is mobilized. Electrophoresis, magnet, heating, paraffin therapy, kinesiotherapy are used. In a severe stage, surgical intervention is reasonable. At home, warm, salt compresses are made, the application of a cabbage leaf, baths.
For prevention, the load is reduced, with the slightest cuts, the foot is treated with an antiseptic.
Achilles
Achilles tendon injury occurs due to, for example, exhausting training in athletes, frequent wearing of heels, a shortened tendon from birth, loss of elasticity of the tendon fibers, mainly after 40 years. Additionally, diabetes mellitus, heel spur, gout, Haglund's deformity, Achilles bursitis, tight shoes, flat feet. More female is exposed to Achilles. The basis of the disease will be swelling, redness, hotness of the site, a kind of crunch when moving.
Also, a person has a heel pain when walking, gives to the junction of the bone and tendon.
The nature of the pain
Strong, burning near the heel, there is a pulsation in the place of the tendon.
Diagnosis and treatment
Traumatologist, surgeon will examine. To exclude a serious fracture, you will need x-rays, ultrasound, as well as blood and urine tests. For the relief of spasms, analgesics, antispasmodics, antipyretics are used. Drugs to improve blood circulation, vitamins. The leg must be at rest, so the doctor will apply a splint or plaster. Cold, decongestant, healing ointments are applied to the place. Subsequently, moderate physical activity is observed, wearing the right shoes.
The absence of the proper effect or with a strong rupture of the ligaments suggests an operation with suturing of the tendons, rehabilitation lasts from 1 to 3 months.
Diseases of the spine
When there is pain in the heel when walking, the source can be inflammatory diseases spinal column. One of these will be ankylosing spondylitis. By it is meant damage to the joints and ligaments due to an aggressively tuned immune system. There is ossification of the vertebrae, discs, intervertebral joints. They grow together, the ridge loses its flexibility and elasticity. Factors are hypothermia, trauma, failures in endocrine system, pathologies of the urinary tract, stomach, pathogens streptococci, Klebsiella. The very initial signal if the heel hurts when standing still and walking. Not contacting a doctor leads to the fact that all the vertebrae grow together forming one bone stiff arch.
With osteoporosis, malaise is immediately observed in all joints and especially strongly in the ridge.
Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the calcaneus lead to spasms, sensitivity when attacked. Violations provoke both a calcium deficiency and an overabundance.
The nature of the pain
Systematic, increases by night, irradiates to the buttocks, legs. Characteristic defeat of two heels at once.
Diagnosis and treatment
To detect ankylosing spondylitis, osteoporosis, the patient is examined by an orthopedist, a neurologist. Requires x-ray, MRI, KM, total blood sample, rarely antigen determination. Prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Ibuprofen, Metindol,. , Tolpeziron, glucocorticoids. Local injections with glucocorticoids in the heel area, lotions with Dimexide solution. Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen has a beneficial effect in spinal column, hirudotherapy, magnet, laser, ultrasound, ozokerite, phonophoresis with hydrocortisone, radon baths, massage, therapeutic gymnastics.
Proper nutrition is essential vitamin complexes visiting sanatoriums.
Inflammatory process in which one or more joints are affected. Sources are urogenital, intestinal pathogens. A disorder of the immune apparatus causes pain in the heel when walking. Additional factors malnutrition, bad habits, excessive load, injury, wearing heels, certain professions. Develops in 1-6 weeks from the moment of infection. It is localized in the knees, ankle area, foot, tendons.
Tendon enthesitis often joins reactive arthritis, then sensations are concentrated on the back surface, if enthesitis of the plantar aponeurosis is then in the heel area.
The nature of the pain
Diagnosis and treatment
The rheumatologist will need x-rays, micro-resonance examination, computed tomography, ultrasound, blood samples, PCR smears from the genital tract, feces, consultation with a urologist, venereologist. Medicines NSAIDs, in case of osteoporosis Arta, intra-articular, peri-articular injections. The protracted form is eliminated by basic drugs,. Locally applied gels with analgesic, decongestant action. Physiotherapy phonophoresis with hydrocortisone, sinusoidal modeling current, cryotherapy, ultraphonophoresis, heat, laser, massage, exercise therapy.
infections
Tuberculosis, osteomyelitis, intestinal bacteria, chlamydia, ureaplasma, dysenteric bacillus All this serves as an occasion when the heels hurt when walking. Moreover, if the infection is sexual, then it is indicated by discharge from the genital tract, temperature, burning and pain during urination, pulling cramps in the lower abdomen. Intestinal means stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation, loss of appetite, weakness, nausea, lethargy. Running inflammation in the lungs entails coughing, general weakness. Damage to the bone in a certain place is due to swelling in the focus area, hotness, redness.
The purulent content presses, the patient feels a sharp malaise.
The nature of the pain
Pulling, breaking with sexual infection. Bursting, drilling in a specific place with osteomyelitis. Constant, pressing in tuberculosis.
Diagnosis and treatment
An orthopedist with suspicion of sexual pathology will send to a venereologist, a urologist, gastroenterologist treats stomach problems. Tuberculosis infectious disease specialist. You will need an x-ray, MRI, ultrasound, smears for intimate microflora, urine and blood tests. Depending on the reason, a certain scheme is selected. Tuberculosis is treated in hospital with antibiotics penicillin series. Osteomyelitis also, purulent contents are removed in an operative way. Problems with digestive tract require taking antibacterial drugs, after prebiotics.
Urological diseases are stopped with antibiotics, locally vaginal tablets Terzhinan, Betadine, Metronidazole, Clindamycin, ointments, in some situations, washing of intimate organs, baths with medicine are carried out in the clinic.
The disease occurs due to a malfunction in the metabolism, uric acid is not properly excreted from the body, which leads to salt deposits in the joints, near the articular tissue, kidney. Gout can affect one or more joints. Companions include excessive consumption of red meat, alcohol, inactivity, kidney failure, kidney cancer, polycystic, leukemia. Distinctive features there will be redness, bulge of the affected area, shiny skin, hotness of the territory, crunch in the chronic phase. The patient is tormented by pain in the heel when walking and after sleep.
Sometimes the attacks are so severe that people cannot sleep properly even at night.
The nature of the pain
Intense, the attack lasts from 1 to 3 weeks, then subsides.
Diagnosis and treatment
The rheumatologist will need KM, ultrasound of the kidneys, a tank of synovial material, a puncture of articular data, an x-ray is able to see the course of the pathology after at least 5 years. Eliminate the attack can non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Butadion, Indomethacin, Metindol. Reduce the concentration of uric acid Orotic acid, Allopurinol, Thiopurinol, Milurit. Acute current relieves. UVI, puncture evacuation in atypical form.
Diet and bad habits will become important.
Problematic shoes
Often pain in the heel when walking appears due to the cause wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes. The new one puts pressure on the heel zone, there are also places under the insole that put pressure on the foot. As a result, by the end of the day, you simply can’t step on it. There is a burning sensation, heat, heaviness, pain on palpation.
The nature of the pain
Moderate to strong, breaking.
Diagnosis and treatment
Heel bruises
Violation of the integrity of the tissue structure leads to dislocations, sprains, ligament ruptures. Factors are an unsuccessful jump, a fall, wearing heels, walking on a bumpy, uneven surface, various sports. Hematoma, edema, limping, spasms speak of a blow. A fracture of the heel is caused by severe malaise, it is impossible to fully stand on the limb, there is redness, tension of the calcaneal tendon, hematoma in the center of the sole. Bone fragment provokes bleeding if affected nerve fibers there is numbness, insensitivity.
The nature of the pain
Intense to medium.
Diagnosis and treatment
A traumatologist, a surgeon, based on the patient's complaints, will give a referral for an x-ray, MRI. If the bone is broken, then it is set under anesthesia, gypsum is applied, non-steroidal, Nimegesic are taken. Bruises are removed with analgesics, externally ointments Troxevasin, Lyoton.
At home, pads with Dimexide, vodka dressings, cabbage leaf, and beans are good.
Obesity
Calls similar redundant body fat in body tissues. The excess mass is dangerous because the good hinders development. diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke, atherosclerosis. Prerequisites are hypodynamia, eating errors, endocrine disorders, stress, lack of sleep, pregnancy, lactation. Gives a lot of weight increased load on the spine, which negatively affects the legs. The soles begin to hurt, the calves swell. Hence varicose veins, thrombosis, numbness of the lower extremities.
The nature of the pain
Breaking, permanent.
Diagnosis and treatment
Endocrinologist deals with metabolic disorders. Surrender to start general analyzes blood, urine, thyroid hormone tests, ultrasound, MRI, cholesterol tests.
A nutrition scheme is selected, in the absence of a result, amphetamine class medications Amfepramone, Phentermine, or Adiposin are prescribed.
Long stay on your feet
This syndrome is people of certain professions: hairdressers, sellers, postmen. Tolerating great physical stress on the joints. It is expressed by spasms in the foot, swelling, swelling of the calves, pain on palpation.
The nature of the pain
Dull, breaking, worse in the evening. After rest it subsides.
Diagnosis and treatment
The orthopedist will conduct an examination based on which the only solution There will be well-chosen shoes or insoles. To relieve tension from tired muscles, heels, Lioton, Troxevasin ointments are prescribed.
At home, you should try self-massage, rubbing with alcohol, ice cubes, baths with relaxing essential oils.
Atrophy of the subcutaneous fat pad in the heel
Sharp weight loss on the contrary, it causes tissue atrophy, additionally contributes to the state of spending a lot of time on your feet. Accompanied by malaise on the inside of the foot, unpleasant sensations in the process of advancing.
The nature of the pain
Intensive.
Diagnosis and treatment
The orthopedist will send for X-rays, ultrasound. Analgesic drugs Ibuprofen
First, the patient will be examined by an orthopedist, if a tumor is suspected, an x-ray, computed tomography, MRI is done. A consultation with an oncologist requires blood and urine samples, and a puncture of the formation. Therapy is stationary using antibiotics, chemotherapy, laser irradiation, tumor removal.
Situational causes
I would like to point out that such phenomena can disturb after sleep, with brisk walking and run. The first is plantar fasciitis, heel spur, psoriatic arthritis, inflammation of the Achilles tendon. A fast step causes spasm if the boots are tight, uncomfortable. Other culprits include plantar fasciitis, rheumatoid arthritis, damage to tendon tissues, infections.
Concentration specifically in or the right sole indicates too hard backs of shoes, osteophyte growth in a specific area, tendon rupture.
When should you visit a doctor?
If you notice that the sensations do not subside for a long time, do not leave alone, sleep has worsened, hyperemia, redness, burning have increased, the temperature has risen, you do not need to delay with the examination. Timely treatment will help to avoid serious complications.
How to eliminate pain at home on your own?
It is important to know first of all what caused the reaction? If the day before you hurt yourself, then you need to apply a cold compress to the place. They will relieve the malaise, Analgin. Dry corns that interfere with movement are removed with corrosive plasters, they are sold in a pharmacy.
If you feel unbearable spasms after a fall, you cannot move your foot, a fracture is possible! The main thing here is to quickly get to the nearest emergency room.
In conclusion, it remains to note the provoking factors of an unpleasant ailment a lot, so it is rather difficult to determine the source on your own. Often, changing hard insoles becomes a way out of the situation. If there are any of the above symptoms in the article, then you need to make an appointment with an orthopedist, traumatologist.
Thus, it can be concluded
- Heel pain most often occurs after a long walk in uncomfortable shoes.
- Flat feet and improperly selected shoes lead to an uneven distribution of the load on the entire foot.
- Bursitis, Achilles, gout are infectious diseases, which are activated when frequent injuries, violations of metabolic processes in the body.
- Bruises, falls from a height, punctures cause acute, constricting pain.
- Medical assistance is necessary when, when stepping on the heel, acute pain occurs, making it impossible to fully move.