Collection: Foot Heel Pain

Heel pain is most often caused by plantar fasciitis, a condition that is sometimes also called heel spur syndrome when a spur is present. Heel pain may also be due to other causes, such as a stress fracture, tendonitis, arthritis, nerve irritation or, rarely, a cyst.

Because there are several potential causes, it is important to have heel pain properly diagnosed. A foot and ankle surgeon is able to distinguish between all the possibilities and to determine the underlying source of your heel pain.

The heel is the first bone to contact the ground when walking and takes the full force of impact and the resulting shock of bearing weight during motion, resulting sometimes in sore heel pain. General heel pain tends to dissipate overnight and can reappear or worsen during prolonged periods of walking or standing.

One common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis involves stretching of the plantar fascia, a ligament that runs from the ball of foot through the arch and is attached to the heel which becomes aggravated and causes pain in your heel. One way to tell if your heel pain is plantar fasciitis is whether the pain is more acute first thing in the morning and then fades.

Heel spurs, which are abnormal bone growths coming off the heel, can also cause heel pain. Other causes include repetitive stress or shock to the heel, standing for prolonged periods and osteoarthritis.