Do All Neuromas Need Surgery?
Neuromas are common in your feet and can be very painful. Will you need surgery? Read on to learn the answer.
When You Should — and Shouldn't — Run Through Heel Pain
Walking often occurs without thinking. Each step when walking shifts our center of mass when our feet land as we move.
This puts the weight of our bodies onto our feet. One of the many foot problems people struggle with is heel pain, a part of the foot essential to taking those important steps when walking.
Fortunately, there are solutions.
Dr. Andrew Harrison and our experienced medical staff help residents of the Lower Pacific Heights area of San Francisco and San Jose, California, with many foot conditions, including heel pain.
Causes of heel pain
Pain in the heel joint comes in several forms, depending on what part of the heel is damaged:
- Achilles tendonitis: your body’s longest and strongest tendon can be inflamed and stiff due to overuse
- Bursitis: the bursa in your joints provides cushioning when walking, and bursitis happens when they swell
- Plantar fasciitis: the tissue that connects your heel to your toes underfoot can be stretched or torn, causing pain
- Stress fracture: cracks or breaks in your heel bones can cause pain on the side or bottom
- Bone bruise: a contusion that happens when you step on a hard or sharp object
Plantar fasciitis happens more frequently than the other problems, but any of these conditions can make walking or running unpleasant.
Activities that help reduce heel pain
To ease the pain, various exercises can warm the bones and tissue in the joints up for walking and running, including calf raises, ankle flexions, and rolling stretches.
Do these before being active to help reduce discomfort in mild-to-moderate conditions. Other prevention methods include wearing proper footwear, orthotics, and resting your feet.
An ice compress on the affected part of your foot can also help alleviate swelling and pain. However, avoid putting ice directly on the skin. Foot supports like wedges and heel cups can also help with symptoms.
When to avoid running
If you have severe conditions that cause heel pain, running can potentially make your problems worse. In cases where you have severe, persistent, sharp heel pain, along with radiating pain, limited mobility, difficulty bearing weight, and visible swelling or bruising, running or other forms of exercise can worsen symptoms, alter gait, and lengthen recovery.
To determine the severity of your heel pain, make an appointment with Dr. Harrison and his team today to ensure your recovery is as seamless as possible.
Just give our office a call, and our friendly staff will help you make an appointment around your schedule.
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