One of the most frequent problems in the foot is heel pain. It may be mild tolerable pain or can be very debilitating for some. Heel pain is mostly due to injury to the band of tissue at the bottom of the foot, called the plantar fascia. With constant stress and repeated injuries to the foot, this may lead to inflammation of this fascia or plantar fasciitis.

Often, plantar fasciitis is accompanied by a heel spur. The spur can be seen on xray and appears as a bony growth on the underside of the heel bone. This is formed when the plantar fascia pulls away from the heel. When people overuse or put too much stress on the plantar fascia, they are at risk of developing heel spurs.

Contrary to popular belief, heel spurs are not actually the source of pain. The heel spur growth itself has no feeling, but pain is felt when the bony growth sticks out into the soft tissues around the heel of the foot. The tissues in the area become bruised and inflamed, resulting to heel pain. Since the heel spur itself is not the actual cause of plantar fasciitis, the pain can usually be treated without surgical removal of the spur.

So is surgery necessary for treating heel pain? In most cases, surgery is not needed. Heel pain is mostly due to tissue swelling in the heel and arch and pain is experienced when pressure is applied to it. Essentially, what is needed to treatheel pain is to control the inflammation, which will reduce the pain.

Nonsurgical treatments to plantar fasciitis include stretching, applying ice packs, use of night splints to relax the fascia, and anti-inflammatory medications. If bone spurs are present, foot pads or over the counter inserts can be used, although these provide limited support. For cases of severe pain, boot or cast may be needed to completely rest the foot and minimize pressure. Corticosteroid injections may be used by the podiatrist to address the painful area. However, this is not really recommended due to the need for multiple injections and subsequent risk for plantar fascia rupture.

Non-surgical therapies can take a month to several months to work. Therefore, surgery is not something to be rushed into. While surgery has been successfully utilized in the treatment of heel pain, it is not commonly indicated in plantar fasciitis treatment. Nonsurgical treatments usually provide pain relief and surgery is often th last recourse.

In the past years, shockwave therapy for plantar fasciitis has been used. ESWT or extracorporeal shockwave therapy is a noninvasive painless method that uses sound waves directed at the painful area. When arch supports, custom orthotics, and other basic treatments fail, shockwave therapy or ESWT can be considered instead of resorting to surgery.

For more information on ESWT shockwave therapy for heel pain treatment, visit naplesheelpain.com.

Related Keyword terms:

,Is an operation necessary for plantar faciatas