Hey everyone, my name is Belinda. When I was a young girl, I injured the muscles in my legs performing complex gymnastic moves. I was under the care of an orthopedist for several months during the recovery period. I had to complete a number of strengthening exercises to regain my range of motion and mobility. The orthopedist performed regular examinations to determine if the given treatment was working. I will use this site to talk about different orthopedic treatments. I hope you will visit my site often to learn about this fascinating subject.
Heel pain is often caused by plantar fasciitis. This is an inflammation of the tissue that is on the bottom of your foot. In some cases, the heel pain of plantar fasciitis is made worse by a heel spur. A spur is an accumulation of calcium deposits on the bottom of the heel bone.
The spur can act as a splinter that pokes and irritates the plantar fascia. This might feel like you're stepping on a sharp rock when you walk. Here are the symptoms of a heel spur and an overview of how a heel pain doctor may treat the condition.
Symptoms Of A Heel Spur
You might have a heel spur and not realize it since they don't always cause symptoms. However, they sometimes cause heel pain. You might have sharp pains when you walk or constant dull pains. The pain might be worse after you've been resting and the plantar fascia has tightened around the spur.
Treatments For A Heel Spur
Working with a heel pain doctor to manage plantar fasciitis is an important step for managing the pain from a heel spur. This might include things like stretching exercises for your foot, wearing a splint when you sleep that keeps your foot stretched, and wearing supportive shoes. Your doctor might also want you to lose weight and keep medical conditions such as diabetes under control.
It can take several months for plantar fasciitis to heal, and your heel spur might stop bothering you after that time. If your spur continues to hurt, or if it hurts bad enough that you can't wait months for healing, your doctor might recommend surgery.
Surgery For A Heel Spur
There are two approaches to doing surgery on your heel. One is an open incision that opens up your heel so your doctor can see the plantar fasciitis and spur. The other is endoscopic surgery which uses small incisions and an endoscope to look inside your heel.
Your doctor might release the plantar fascia near the heel or they might shave off the bone spur. Sometimes, they perform both procedures. The approach taken for your heel surgery depends on the nature of your pain and how the heel spur bothers you.
You'll probably need to use crutches after the surgery or some other mobility aid such as a wheelchair or knee walker. You'll need to stay off your foot while it heals, so you'll need to take off from work for as long as your doctor recommends.
You'll need to rest and keep your foot elevated for a short time right after the surgery, but your heel gradually improves, and you should be almost back to normal within a few months. Your doctor will let you know when you can resume running and other physical activities.
Reach out to an orthopedist to learn more about heel pain causes and treatment.
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