Heel pain sucks. It is one of the most painful and debilitating conditions affecting the feet. For most people, once heel pain has settled in, it rarely resolves overnight. Given that heel pain can take quite some time to resolve, it's essential to avoid making mistakes that could prolong your recovery. In this blog post, I'll explain three common causes of a long and frustrating heel pain recovery.
1. Wrong diagnosis
While irritation of the plantar fascia is the most common cause of heel pain, this is just one of many injuries that can cause heel pain.
We see lots of people that have been self-treating their heel pain as if it's originating from the plantar fascia when it isn't. There isn't much chance of getting better if your plan of attack isn't specific to your problem.
If you have been self-treating heel pain for more than two weeks without any positive change in symptoms, you should consult a podiatrist to work out what's going on and what you need to do about it.
2. Wishing it away for too long
For most of us, our days would be jam-packed with medical appointments if we consulted a health professional every time we experienced an ache or pain.
Our bodies are incredibly resilient and excellent at healing, so it's perfectly acceptable to wait a couple of weeks to give your body a chance to sort out a new ache or pain.
However, if you are experiencing pain in the same location in a consistent pattern for more than a couple of weeks, the chances are that you're going to have to do something about it.
Most people suffer from heel pain for 3-6 months before they come to see us. This is frustrating because the longer you've had heel pain, the longer it tends to take to overcome.
Do yourself a favour and seek help sooner than later.
3. Changing course too frequently
Heel pain can be quite painful and debilitating, so we can't blame people for wanting to throw everything at it.
However, this approach often leads people to give up on the evidence-based treatment options that are more likely to work well before they have a chance to do so.
Changing course too frequently also tends to happen as a result of what a person has read online or been told by someone they know. It is important to remember that we're all different, and so is each case of heel pain. The treatment option that worked well for your friend may not work at all for you.
Lots of people jump from one quick fix to another and waste a lot of time and money while not getting any closer to beating heel pain. Don't forget that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
In our experience, the recipe for success usually consists of:
Your podiatrist helping you to understand what's going on and what you need to do about it.
You setting realistic goals.
Your podiatrist providing you with a personalised and multifaceted recovery plan.
You working hard and sticking at it through the ups and downs with the support and guidance of your podiatrist.
Your podiatrist looking for opportunities to tweak your recovery plan based on your feedback and progress.
If you're sick of heel pain and ready to get some help, contact us or book an appointment online today.
Author: Shaun Bergin