Why do the heels of the legs hurt and how to treat? The heel hurts and it hurts to step on Pain in the heel of the right leg treatment

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 tuberosity.

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 characterized not only by aching pain in the heels, but also by 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 Bechterew's disease. In order to find out if a person has these diseases, you should donate venous blood for analysis. It is this medical examination that reveals a noticeable increase in uric acid levels and other signs that, along with external symptoms, contribute to the correct diagnosis.

If your heel constantly hurts, then it is best to contact a traumatologist or rheumatologist.

The heel hurts, it hurts to step on, how to treat it - one of the common problems, especially among women. With the wrong treatment, you can harm yourself. Therefore, if you are going to start treatment on your own, without the help of a specialist, read the medical information and only after that apply the methods of treatment in practice.

The causes of pain in the heels can be very different. Consider the most common of them:

  1. Arthritis is an inflammation of the tissue that runs along the foot, connecting the heel bone to the toes. In this case, the pain increases with time. The peak of pain occurs in the morning when attacked. When you stand for a long time, the pain intensifies again. With hypothermia of the leg, the inflammatory process inside the tissue intensifies, and the pain becomes stronger. It is almost impossible to stand on your toes with arthritis, a sharp, sharp pain immediately appears.
  2. Inflammation of the Achilles tendon. If your legs hurt while walking, especially your heels, this may indicate an inflammatory process in the so-called Achilles tendon. With the Achilles tendon, the focus of pain is located under the heel from the side of the sole or above it.
  3. Reactive arthritis is a sexually transmitted infection. They can cause pain in the feet. The inflammatory process of the heel tendons can provoke the presence of a latent infection. With this type of arthritis, heel pain is permanent. The pain may not subside even at night.
  4. Plantar fasciitis is a compacted formation in the connective tissue. Wearing constantly tight and uncomfortable shoes, you can thereby cause an inflammatory process in the sole area. Plantar fasciitis can cause heel spurs to form due to salt deposits in the area of ​​inflammation.
  5. Heel spur is a chronic process of inflammation of the fascia of the sole. Often, a growth on the heel causes severe pain. A sharp pain occurs in the morning, during the rise, then by lunchtime it decreases. However, after a long period of rest, for example, if you sit for a couple of hours, it intensifies again, causing even more suffering. The sole of the foot with a spur needs to reduce the pressure of body weight, so be sure to wear soft slippers for this at home.
  6. Reactive arthritis - sexually transmitted infections can cause pain in the feet. The inflammatory process of the heel tendons can provoke the presence of a latent infection. With this type of arthritis, heel pain is permanent. Even at night, the pain may not subside.
  7. Constant stress on the structure of the foot as a result of wearing shoes with high heels for a long time can also provoke pain in the foot area.
  8. The heel bone experiences additional stress due to the increase in body weight in a short period of time, so being overweight is one of the causes of heel pain.
  9. Overstrain of the feet associated with long walking and other loads also provokes heel pain.

If your right or left foot suddenly hurts for no apparent reason, it is necessary to take measures to stop the inflammatory process in time. You must first find out the causes of the disease.

It should be remembered that although some people treat any pain using only the advice of traditional medicine, you should not ignore the advice and appointment of a specialist. Whatever the cause of the inflammatory process in the heel area you have, in no case, without the recommendation of a doctor, do not follow the methods of traditional medicine and in no case use steam foot baths. In the case of using such methods, you will not only harm yourself, but also increase the pain inside the foot. Warm compresses also increase inflammation. Never use alcohol or mustard compresses.

The iodine mesh is also useless and destructive in this case. In this case, it can only burn tissue.

If you nevertheless arranged a steam bath or a warm compress for a toga and you have a large red spot or a slightly swollen leg, you should not treat yourself at home, but seek help from a doctor.

A few simple recipes to muffle the pain at home before seeking qualified help.

  1. Take an anti-inflammatory tablet. This will not only relieve pain for a certain time, but will also have a neutralizing effect on the inflammatory process in the foot area.
  2. Be sure to rub some inflammatory ointment at night (nise, ketonal, fastum-gel, etc.).
  3. In case of severely disturbing pain, put your foot under an ice jet, shower, or simply apply a piece of ice on the area of ​​\u200b\u200binflammation for half an hour.

For 1 hour, make a compress with Demixid and Novocaine. In order to make a compress, you will need sterile cotton wool, foil or a regular plastic bag, a bandage and solutions of Demixid and Novocaine. Mix 30 mg of Demexide solution with 50 mg of Novocaine. Moisten cotton wool with the resulting solution and apply to the site of inflammation. Then wrap the leg with foil or polyethylene and secure the compress with a bandage.

Relatively budgetary Dicloran Plus gel will also provide effective assistance. It is enough to apply it at night, on the foot and put on a sock on the foot. Or you can make a compress with it for half an hour, wrapping your leg and cling film. Do not worry about burning, but remember that the compress should not be kept for more than 30 minutes.

Kuznetsov applicator. Despite great skepticism, Kuznetsov's applicator is able to have a great healing effect on the feet. Standing on a mat (Kuznetsov's applicator) allows you to dull the pain and stimulate nerve impulses. It is especially good to stand on it in the morning, immediately after waking up, when the peak of pain in the legs is noted. If the pain intensifies during the use of the applicator, then you should not use it.

Shock wave therapy is the most successful method that will gradually help relieve pain symptoms in the heel. SWT helps relieve inflammation, get rid of bone growths and improve blood circulation in the lesion. In order to sign up for SWT treatments, the doctor will ask you to take a complete blood count, serological analysis (rheumatoid factor) and an x-ray of the foot. According to the results of the research, you will be prescribed the required number of procedures. Remember that it is not recommended to undergo the SWT procedure more than 14 times, since under the influence of the shock wave, calcium in the bone is destroyed. If your clinic does not have UVT, you can replace this procedure with ultrasound, ultraviolet, UHF therapy and magnetotherapy.

Be sure to massage yourself in the morning. Kneading the tissues of the foot, thereby you improve its blood circulation. The coefficient of pain after sleep is reduced due to the manipulation.

If you play sports, especially dancing or running, you need to postpone training indefinitely or choose gentle physical activity (swimming, Pilates, yoga). If you do not give up the load, the inflammatory process in the foot will only intensify.

If the cause of heel pain is rapidly gaining body weight, go on a diet and take up Pilates, yoga, or regular walking. Your legs, like the rest of your body, suffer from the accumulated mass of fat. The joints and connective tissues are not yet so accustomed to your new build, so the weight presses on them. In this case, you should definitely abandon high heels and wear more comfortable shoes to reduce pressure on the foot.

In no case, if there is any inflammatory process in the foot, do not use high-heeled shoes. You should not wear such shoes even with normal weight. While you have an inflammatory process, it is recommended to wear shoes whose heels do not exceed 5 cm. By following these recommendations, you will thereby relieve the load on your heels.

For prevention, orthopedists are advised to purchase orthopedic shoes or insoles. Let orthopedic shoes not delight everyone, but the insoles will not catch anyone's eye, and you will feel lightness in your legs while walking. You can order orthopedic insoles at any pharmacy or specialty store. While you are waiting for insoles to be made for your feet, you can purchase gel insoles at any shoe store and walk around with them. The effect, of course, will not be immediately noticeable, however, due to the softness and texture, you will relieve the load and immediately feel relief in the first hours.

There is a whole range of exercises that have a positive effect on strengthening the tendons, joints and tissues of the foot:

  1. A bicycle is an exercise familiar to all of us from childhood. Lie on your back, legs parallel to the floor, arms along the body. Start imitating cycling with both feet. Do the exercise as correctly as possible: with each rotation of the leg, stretch the toe and heel.
  2. Path of health. It is best to purchase special rugs or collect small pebbles. Lay out the pebbles or spread the rug and walk back and forth along such a path of health for 10 minutes 5 times a day.
  3. Take a small ball, you can use a children's or tennis ball, and start rolling it alternately with both feet.
  4. Remember the physical education lessons at school: start walking in a circle, first standing on your toes, raising your hands, then resting your hands on your hips, start walking on your heels. Then start walking on the outside and inside of the feet. When walking, be sure to do the exercise in special shoes.
  5. Lay small objects (buttons, beads, etc.) in front of you and, using your toes, begin to pick them up from the floor. The effectiveness of this method lies in the fact that when performing this exercise, the upper sections of the ligaments of the foot begin to actively move, thereby increasing their flexibility and improving blood circulation.

It is recommended to engage in physiotherapy exercises even in the absence of such symptoms. Only it is better to do this in sneakers and other sports shoes with thick soles. Wearing such shoes is necessary in order to provide cushioning. Very often, a large number of injuries and inflammations are formed due to the fact that a person performs a set of exercises without shoes or in shoes that do not provide cushioning. Czech shoes are not the most suitable type of footwear for active sports.

Cardinal treatments for spurs

Unlike other causes of foot disease, spurs are the quickest and easiest to fix.

Removal of spur growths on the foot has long been carried out using a laser.

Treatment must be prescribed by a doctor and carried out under his supervision, because despite the general harmlessness of the laser, it has a great effect on the body. Along with this, the procedure has a large number of contraindications. The spur itself is not removed by the laser, but the laser acts on the tissue around it, relieving pain and reducing swelling, resulting in the foot getting rid of acute pain when walking or standing for a long time.

In cases where neither the laser nor the other methods above help, a surgical method for removing the spur is prescribed.

Heel pain - an unpleasant symptom that accompanies injury, excessive load on this part of the foot. Causes of discomfort and pain can occur when bone tissue grows, the patient is overweight, the fatty tissue on the heels becomes thinner, and it absorbs shocks and runs worse. The heel can hurt with a strong tension of the calcaneus, when the patient walks in high-heeled shoes or stands for a long time.

Pain is not excluded during inflammation in the articular tissue and muscles, with infectious diseases and other pathologies.

Causes of pain and their symptoms

plantar fasciitis

Pain in this disease begin in the morning after a person gets out of bed. When stepping on the heel, the pain spreads throughout the foot, you have to practically walk on tiptoe to get rid of the discomfort.

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Irina Martynova. Graduated from the Voronezh State Medical University. N.N. Burdenko. Clinical intern and neurologist of BUZ VO \"Moscow Polyclinic\".

Then the unpleasant symptoms go away, but if the patient lies or sits for a long time, they come back sharply again.

Causes in inflammation of the connective tissue of the sole (fascia). Prerequisites:

  • Constant wearing of low heels
  • Great physical activity
  • Prolonged standing
  • Excess weight
  • Flat feet (when the arch of the foot is lowered, the sole is under tension, injured and hurts).
  • The process can become chronic, often accompanied by the deposition of salts, leading to the formation of a heel spur.

Systemic pathologies

  1. Bechterew's disease. It is characterized by an inflammatory process in the spine, articular tissue, it begins due to malfunctions in the immune system and its hostility to the ligaments and joints. As the disease progresses, the vertebrae fuse together, the spine stops bending. Pain manifests itself at the very beginning of the disease.
  2. Rheumatoid arthritis. Affects the patient's joints, begins with movement, intensifies at night. Sometimes the pain keeps me awake at night.
  3. - a pathology that occurs when the metabolic process is disturbed. Uric acid salts accumulate in soft tissues. Pain begins, radiating to the joints, often the most severe symptoms begin in the feet and toes, pain is given to the heel. The skin turns red, the local skin temperature rises.

Injuries

  1. Heel fracture. The pain is localized at the site of injury, deformity of the calcaneus occurs. The patient complains of swelling, the appearance of hematomas. The pain is so severe that it is impossible to stand up.
  2. Bruised bone. It is characterized by inflammation of nearby tissues. A burning pain appears in the heel area, it hurts to get on the leg.
  3. . When bending the foot, the pain intensifies. The cause could be a sprain.
  4. Calcaneal epiphysitis. The reason is micro-tears in the connective tissue in the heel area. Discomfort when walking or touching the foot.

Inflammatory processes

  1. Bursitis. It begins after mechanical impact, leg injuries. The heel swells, it hurts, the skin turns red. Pain is felt on palpation. If the inflammation goes into a chronic stage, then the skin of the heel coarsens and becomes thicker.
  2. Tendinitis. The prerequisite is a large load on the muscles of the calves. There is a local increase in temperature, edema and swelling of the heel.

infectious diseases

  1. Tuberculosis of bone tissue. Manifestations of the disease begin with necrosis of the skin or bones. The infection quickly spreads to large areas of tissue; fistulas filled with pus are formed. Consequences of the disease: deformation of the affected leg and lameness.
  2. Arthritis. Prerequisites: infections of the gastrointestinal tract and urogenital area, which are hidden. Pain begins when walking, intensifies at night.
  3. Osteomyelitis. This inflammation, caused by bacteria, forms in bone tissue and involves nearby soft tissues. The pain is bursting, sharp, becomes stronger with movement. The skin of the heel is red and swollen.

Which doctors to contact?

For heel pain, the following can help:

  • Podiatrist (a doctor who specializes in leg and foot pathologies). He performs the functions of a neurosurgeon, orthopedist, vascular surgeon, etc.
  • Surgeon
  • Traumatologist
  • Orthopedist

Treatment

When there is pain in the heel, then depending on the cause of the pathology you can prescribe a course of massage, apply compresses, drink nutritional supplements to restore bone tissue.

Folk recipes created from natural products, honey, medicinal herbs will also be an effective remedy.

First aid for pain

  • To eliminate acute pain, tincture of cinquefoil on alcohol is used. The liquid can also be purchased at the pharmacy kiosk and made by yourself. The resulting mixture is diluted with water (2 teaspoons of tincture per 1/3 of a glass). Course of treatment: 20 days, 3 times a day. A compress from the tincture on the heel also helps. A compress is made at night.
  • Another excellent tool that allows you to quickly stop the pain is a compress with propolis. We apply a compress, apply a bandage or warm the leg with a scarf.
  • If a spur has become the cause of acute unbearable pain, then white cabbage will help. It is chopped, poured with boiling water in a basin. We wait for the broth to cool down a bit, and soak our feet in warm cabbage infusion until it becomes cold.
  • We apply a compress of ammonia mixed with vegetable oil. The ingredients are taken in a ratio of 1 to 1. We moisten a tampon in it and put it on the heel.

Folk recipes

These are compounds made from infusions and decoctions of medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits, bee products, salt, tar, etc.

The use of these funds by patients is external and internal.

Outdoor use

Compresses

  • An effective method to stop pain: a compress of boiled potatoes in "uniforms". It will help remove the heel spur, eliminate salt deposits and calluses. Warm potatoes are kneaded without peeling to a puree state, and put on the heel. We tie the affected area of ​​the foot with polyethylene, put a warm scarf on top. Leave on the heel for 2-3 hours. Course of treatment: a week.
  • A mixture of grated garlic and chalk. Mix the grated garlic cloves and crushed chalk in a ratio of 1 to 1 and mix thoroughly. We steam the feet in warm water and apply the mixture on the heel, fixing it with gauze or a bandage.
  • If the heels are very sore or spurs have formed, then a grated radish compress will become an assistant. To do this, several radish fruits are rubbed on a fine grater without peeling. The resulting mass is spread on a cloth or gauze and applied to the affected area. From above we cover the compress with polyethylene. From above, the patient puts on socks and goes to bed. In the morning, the compress is washed off with warm water.

Trays

  • We take two containers, which we fill with cold and hot water. In turn, we hold the limbs, first in hot water, then in cold water for half a minute. We repeat thirty times. You can enrich hot water with a decoction of chamomile. After the procedure, the feet are lubricated with a nourishing cream or vegetable oil and massaged.
  • With the help of such a bath, you can quickly stop pain and increase blood flow in the limbs. We take a liter of boiling water, three hundred grams of salt dissolves in it. The resulting solution is poured into the prepared container. Heels are treated in this way for 14 days.

Ointments, creams

  • A mixture of mumiyo with liquid honey works effectively. We take five grams of mountain resin, and dissolve in 2 tablespoons of honey. Every evening we lubricate our heels until the symptoms are completely eliminated.
  • An ointment based on wild rosemary and lanolin will help eliminate pain and make your heels healthy. To do this, wash the collected rosemary grass, pass it through a meat grinder (chopped with a food processor). We squeeze the juice from the resulting slurry. We take 20 ml of juice, mix 40 gr. butter (lanolin) and mix until smooth. We enrich the ointment with 40 grams of petroleum jelly, mix again. The ointment is used after steaming the feet and gently rubbed until completely absorbed. Keep the resulting medicine in the refrigerator.

Internal application

Infusions and decoctions

  • We take 6 teaspoons of vegetable raw materials (yellow capsule flowers), pour a liter of boiling water. We put on a small fire and boil for another 15 minutes. Let it brew for an hour, strain, bring to a liter of liquid with warm water. We take 100 grams 3 times a day while eating. Relieves pain in the joints, eliminates inflammation of the muscles in the feet, eliminates pain from bruises.
  • We take one hundred grams of birch buds, add two and a half liters of water and prepare a decoction until the volume of liquid decreases to 0.5 liters. We strain the broth from the kidneys, add a glass of granulated sugar. After the medicine has cooled down, you need to add a glass of liquid honey to it and stir. Means drink 100 grams 3 times a day.
  • To eliminate the inflammatory process in a mortar, we take crushed rosehip roots, pour them with boiling water. Boil them for 30 minutes, after which we insist for a couple of hours and strain through cheesecloth, add a little water. Dosage: 150 grams 3-4 times a day.

herbal teas

  • Well eliminates pain in the heels tea from lingonberry leaves. To do this, take a tablespoon of raw materials, brew with boiling water and insist for 15-20 minutes.
  • For relief of pain, tea prepared on the basis of the herb of pharmacy chamomile or calendula is suitable.

Alternative Methods

  • Massage with a kitchen rolling pin. This measure will help not only to remove the formed heel spur, but also to prevent its development and formation. We take a rolling pin, lay it on the floor and roll it with our heel for 15 minutes back and forth. So you can strengthen the muscle tissue of the foot and increase blood flow. After treatment, a bath is made and a compress with medicinal herbs is applied.
  • We heat half a kilogram of coarse salt in a cast-iron skillet (without vegetable oil). We pour it into a container, wait until the salt cools down a little, and heat the heel in it. The procedure continues until the warm salt has completely cooled down. Course of treatment: 7-14 days.
  • We take rustic moonshine (150 gr.), set it on fire, put the heel over the hot flame and warm it over the fumes. Then we smear the foot with rosehip oil and massage with energetic movements. Alternatively, instead of massage, you can use rolling on the floor with the foot of an ear of corn or walking on pebbles.

Prevention

Suitable for preventive measures refusal to run and walk. The patient is encouraged to ride a bike, swim in the pool.

If a person suffers from flat feet, then it is necessary to purchase special insoles recommended by an orthopedist, and generally wear comfortable shoes.

You can not give a strong physical load on the legs, you should beware of foot injuries, treat the legs at the first manifestations of inflammation or infection of the soft tissues.

If there is excess weight, it is necessary to go on a diet to reduce it so that the load on the foot is less.

Based on this, we can conclude that pain in the heel can be treated not only with medicines, but also with traditional medicine recipes. It should be remembered that initially you need to consult a doctor and identify the root cause of the disease.

In some cases, the cause can only be eliminated by surgery.

The heels are an integral part of the foot. They consist of bone and a soft layer of fat. This structure helps the legs withstand significant loads that occur when walking and running. The heel tissues relieve the pressure that appears during movement and protect the spine from possible injuries. Together with the foot, they act as a shock absorber.

The heel bone is filled with blood vessels, nerve fibers and tendons that increase the sensitivity of this part of the foot to external injuries. It is not difficult to damage it, and, as a result, pain will be felt when walking. The high probability of injury is largely due to the anatomical structure of the heels.

It hurts to step on the heel in the morning after waking up

Heel pain in the morning is a common occurrence. Painful sensations appear immediately after sleep. One has only to get out of bed - and unpleasant pain covers almost the entire foot. You have to move on tiptoe, because it is painful to completely step on your foot.

Gradually, the pain disappears, but may return after a long stay in a sitting or lying position. An unpleasant syndrome makes itself felt immediately after a person steps on his foot.

The reason for this state of affairs is plantar fasciitis. Heel pain is the main symptom of this disease. In most cases, painful sensations are caused by inflammatory and degenerative changes occurring in the plantar (plantar) connective tissue membrane - fascia.

Reasons for negative processes:

  • Foot overload. It occurs when:
    • wearing shoes, sandals or boots without a heel;
    • a significant and rapid increase in physical activity;
    • constantly on your feet, this is due to the type of production activity;
    • rapid weight gain.
  • Flat feet, in which the arch of the foot droops and the plantar sheath is overstretched. The result is microtrauma that causes pain.

Inflammation of the fascia can become chronic over time. This process leads to the fact that calcium salts are deposited in the area of ​​​​inflammation. Gradually, a bone outgrowth is formed - a heel spur. It causes pain, especially unpleasant in the morning.

It hurts to step on the heel: possible causes

Causes of painful sensations can be combined into several groups.

I. Systemic ailments:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis (Bechterew's disease)- chronic inflammation of the joints and spine. The cause of the disease is the hostility of the human immune system to the tissues of the ligaments and joints of their own body. The vertebrae fuse with each other, and the spine ceases to be flexible and mobile. Often it is pain in the heels that is the first symptom of the disease. It is so painful that it does not allow you to stand on a hard floor.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis- one of the most severe joint ailments. It proceeds with multiple complications. Painful syndrome at first appears only during movement. When inflammation increases, painful sensations can wake you up at night and disturb you until morning.
  • Gout. This metabolic disease is characterized by the accumulation of urate crystals in the form of uric acid in various tissues of the body. There is severe pain in the joints. They become red, hot and swollen. Gout most often affects the joints of the thumb on the lower extremities, spreading pain to the calcaneus.

II. Injuries:

  • Bruised calcaneus, which is further accompanied by inflammation of neighboring tissues. There is a burning pain under the heel, as if it had been pierced by a sharp arrow. She becomes unbearable when trying to stand on a bruised leg.
  • Fracture of the calcaneus. Pain syndrome is born in the area of ​​damage. The heel is deformed inward or outward. The entire foot swells and is covered with small hematomas. It is impossible to step on the foot: the pain does not allow.
  • Torn or stretched tendons. It is better not to bend the sole: the sensations are very painful.
  • Sever's disease (calcaneal epiphysitis). The disease manifests itself in the form of a micro-rupture of connective tissue fibers in the region of the calcaneus. Disturbs pain on the side and back of the heel. It can be felt on palpation of the foot, but mostly occurs with active movement.

III. Inflammatory ailments:

  • Bursitis- inflammation that appears after injuries or constant mechanical irritation of the limbs. It happens that there are no visible causes of bursitis. The disease is characterized by all the classic signs of inflammation: redness and swelling of the heel, pain when touched. If the inflammation becomes chronic, then the skin thickens.
  • Achilles tendonitis. A provoking factor in the development of inflammation is too much load on the calf muscles. The temperature of the skin rises, the heels swell and turn red. The inflamed tendon may rupture, making a characteristic popping sound.

    Immediate medical attention is indispensable.

IV. Infectious diseases:

  • Tuberculosis of the bone. It begins with necrosis of large areas of the skin or with the melting of the bone substance. The infectious process covers a significant area, provokes the formation of purulent fistulas. After a few weeks, it may stop, and the person will go into remission. But more often the disease leads to limb deformity and lameness.
  • Reactive arthritis. Provoke the disease urogenital and intestinal infections occurring in a latent form. Heel pain doesn't just show up while walking. They often disturb at night. In this case, the pain is quite strong and more unpleasant than in the daytime.
  • Osteomyelitis of the calcaneus- purulent-necrotic process caused by bacteria. It develops in the bone and bone marrow, covers the surrounding soft tissues. Pain sensations are sharp and boring, bursting from the inside. They intensify with the slightest movement. The heel becomes red and swollen.

V. Other diseases:

  • diabetes;
  • malignant neoplasms;
  • neuropathy of the tibial nerve.

Only a doctor can diagnose a specific disease. It is necessary to contact a rheumatologist or traumatologist. You may also need to consult a neurologist, surgeon, oncologist.

Heel pain therapy

After passing the examination, the specialist prescribes complex therapy. Its composition depends on the cause that caused the pain.

To reduce pain and prevent it, you should use the following recommendations:

  • Pay attention to choosing the right shoes. Let it be more expensive, but more convenient and comfortable. The most acceptable heel height is 4-5 centimeters.
  • If you have excess weight, you should work to get rid of it. Extra pounds overload the muscles of the feet.
  • Do a little exercise for the legs. It includes flexion and extension of the feet for two or three minutes. It is best to do exercises in a sitting position. It's a good idea to roll the massage ball with your bare feet, try to pick up some small objects with your toes.
  • If possible, walk barefoot on the sand and grass.

Treatment of pain in the heel folk remedies

Many traditional medicine tips are effective in reducing painful sensations. Here are some methods:

  • Contrasting foot baths. You need to prepare two dishes: one with warm water, the other with cold. Feet should be alternately dipped in them and held for several minutes. Then wipe your feet dry and put on cotton socks.
  • Relaxing baths. In warm water (4-5 liters), add 100 grams of sea salt and a teaspoon of pine extract. Dip your feet in the bath and hold for a quarter of an hour. The second way to carry out the procedure: chop the cabbage stump with a grater and pour boiling water; leave to brew for half an hour and add a little hot water. In such a bath, you should hold your feet for twenty minutes.
  • Turn into gruel 0.25 kg of orris root. Pour it with the same amount of vodka and leave it in a dark room for a couple of weeks. The tincture is used to prepare compresses: moisten the bandage, apply to the heel and wrap it with plastic wrap. Remove the bandage in the morning. It is necessary to use compresses with iris for at least twenty days in a row.
  • Prepare a mixture of honey and mummy. The components should be dissolved in the following quantity: 2 tablespoons of honey (tablespoons) and 5 grams of mummy. Homemade ointment should be lubricated on the heels before going to bed.

Propolis, black radish, lilac flowers, garlic, potato gruel are also used.

Folk remedies can be used in parallel with taking medications and carrying out procedures prescribed by the doctor.

The simple methods described above can only temporarily relieve discomfort. In order for heel pain to stop bothering, it is necessary to diagnose the cause of the problem. This can only be done by a specialist.

The life of a modern woman, as a rule, passes on her feet. Therefore, pain in the legs, especially acute pain in the heel, becomes a serious problem for many women.

What causes heel pain?

Acute heel pain can be caused by a variety of factors. It is important to know that one should not endure heel pain for a long time, since the disease that caused it can progress and become more dangerous. In order to get rid of the discomfort when walking and restore health to your legs, you need to find out what caused the heel pain.

The causes of heel pain can be both external negative factors and a number of different diseases.

External causes of heel pain

  • Uncomfortable shoes - a sharp transition from a high heel to an absolutely flat non-shock-absorbing sole can lead to acute pain in the foot and heel area.
  • Excessive sports activities - if the pain appears after jogging, you should temporarily prefer another type of physical activity.
  • Bruises and injuries are also one of the causes of heel pain. If the onset of pain was preceded by an injury, you should try not to step on the injured leg and consult a doctor as soon as possible.

Diseases that can cause heel pain

  • Cracks in the heels - those people who have not encountered such a phenomenon as cracks in the heels do not even realize how much discomfort they bring. Deep cracks formed in a thick layer of rough skin can cause acute pain when walking and even bleed.
  • Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation that develops in a dense connective tissue formation, which is located in the form of a wide strip on the plantar surface of the foot. It's called the plantar fascia. A common symptom of "heel pain" is usually associated with stretching and subsequent inflammation of the fascia where it attaches to the calcaneal tuberosity. If the fascist is not treated in a timely manner, calcium salts can be deposited at the site of chronic inflammation, which lead to the formation of a heel spur.
  • A heel spur is a bony growth on the plantar surface of the heel bone. The main symptom of a heel spur is pain, especially in the morning when the person has just gotten out of bed. To determine if you have a heel spur, you can undergo an ultrasound or x-ray examination of the foot.

  • Chronic inflammatory diseases of the joints - rheumatoid, reactive, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis - diseases associated with metabolic disorders. The pain in this case is due to acute inflammation of the heel tendons. To determine the presence of one of these diseases, you can use a blood test and a doctor's examination.

How to treat heel pain?

Heels can hurt for a variety of reasons.

Treatment for heel pain depends on the underlying cause.

  • Uncomfortable shoes - if you have to walk in heels for a long time, try to pick up a comfortable shoe, if possible, sit with your shoes off as often as possible. To avoid a sharp transition from a heel to a flat sole, which greatly increases the load on the heel, you can purchase home slippers with a small heel or platform.
  • Cracked heels - the first step is to consult a dermatologist in order to exclude the possibility of a fungal infection of the feet. Another cause of cracked heels is dry skin. This is especially acute in the summer, when we wear open shoes. To prevent the appearance of deep cracks, it is necessary to moisturize the soles of the feet with creams and remove keratinized skin with the help of pedicure devices.
  • Plantar fasciitis - there is no universal treatment for this disease. But there are several ways to alleviate the condition and prevent further development of the disease:

    first of all, you need to reduce the load on the legs, try to refrain from playing sports related to running or walking for some time;

    to reduce swelling and pain in the legs, ice should be applied to the feet, you can also take over-the-counter pain medications based on ibuprofen;

    before getting out of bed, do a foot warm-up, including stretching exercises for the lower leg.

    Heel spurs - complex treatment of heel spurs includes:

    unloading the foot from excessive pressure;

    getting rid of excess weight;

    use of heels and orthopedic insoles;

    physiotherapy treatment: mud applications, mineral baths, ultrasound therapy;

    drug therapy - local administration of corticosteroid drugs;

    in extreme cases - surgery to remove the bone growth.

    Reactive arthritis - if inflammation of the heel region is the result of diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and other genital infections, they must be urgently cured. Distinctive symptoms of reactive arthritis, in addition to pain in the heels, aggravated at night, are discomfort in the genital area, inflammation of the joints, eyes.

  • Inflammatory processes in the heel region - the cause of the inflammation can only be determined during a medical diagnostic examination. You should not delay visiting a doctor, as the disease can progress and lead to serious complications.

First aid for heel pain

In order to quickly relieve heel pain, you must:

  • Attach an ice cube to the arch of the foot and move it along the arch of the foot in the direction from the toes to the heel.
  • Dip your feet in a basin of room temperature water.
  • An anesthetic tablet based on ibuprofen (Ibufen, Markofen, Nurafen, Solpaflex) will help relieve pain.
  • The heel and the area of ​​the foot above it can be smeared with any ointment with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect (indomethacin, chidrocartisone, butadiene, kartek, pelan, etc.).

Gymnastics to strengthen the arch of the foot and get rid of heel pain

  1. Knead the feet and calves with light massage movements.
  2. Lying on the bed with straightened legs, pull the foot towards you until slight pain appears, and then stretch the sock as far as possible. Do this exercise slowly 5-7 times.
  3. Walk on your toes, then on your heels, stretching the arch of your foot as much as possible.
  4. Leaning on the outer arch of the foot, perform several raises on the toes.
  5. Spread a towel on the floor, and then try to make folds on it with your toes and smooth them out, and then lift the towel.
  6. Roll a small massage ball with the arches of your feet.
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