Causes and treatment of heel pain

  There are many patients who visit the clinic for heel pain, mainly presenting with pain below the heel, slightly swollen, and increasing after walking on the ground; some have more pain in the morning after waking up or when they start walking after resting, but the pain is relieved after a little activity, but the pain increases again after walking more. After a night’s rest, the symptoms can be relieved. If you have similar symptoms, then it is possible that you are suffering from what is often referred to clinically as “achalasia”.  Heel pain refers to a variety of chronic diseases that cause pain on the metatarsal surface of the heel bone, mostly in obese people after middle age, mostly on one side, and occasionally on both sides at the same time.  Anatomically, the lower heel skin is thicker, and there is elastic fat tissue between the skin and the heel bone, called the fat pad or heel pad, which plays an important role in cushioning the body when bearing weight. Between the heel pad and the heel bone, there is a heel subacromial bursa. The above anatomical structures and the important role in the human body, with the decline of the body quality, long-term chronic strain, as well as lasting standing, walking and sports stimulation, can make the bursa wall congestion, hypertrophy, cystic fluid; metatarsal tendon membrane attachment point at the congestive exudate, calcification changes (bone spurs); fat pad congestion, injury; thus producing a variety of heel pain around the performance.  In middle-aged and elderly people, heel pain is mostly caused by metatarsal tenosynovitis, subacromial bursitis, and heel fat pad inflammation. The incidence of metatarsophalangeal tendonitis is the highest. Continuous muscle and fascia strain, especially long-term standing, running and jumping, can lead to degenerative changes, resulting in inflammation and pain at the attachment site, and over time, bone growth and spur formation. The bone spur will also stimulate the heel subacromial bursa when walking, leading to heel pain caused by subacromial bursitis. In addition, the fat pad of the heel of the elderly often has different degrees of atrophy and thinning, which reduces the cushioning effect of the body when bearing weight and is more likely to cause heel pain.  According to more than ten years of clinical treatment and follow-up experience, I suggest: 1. Early treatment: the cure rate of those with onset within 1 month is close to 100% after the following treatment. And more than 3 months symptoms can be relieved, but the recurrence rate is high.  2.Forbid the affected heel to touch the ground within 1-2 weeks. Because heel pain comes from chronic fatigue injury, to a certain extent and in some triggering factors (mainly long standing, walking and sports) under the stimulation of acute attack resulting in pain. Removal of the triggers and adequate rest for the soft tissues of the chronically fatigued heel is the most important part of the treatment. General soft tissue sterile inflammation in about 2 weeks can be more completely absorbed, so patients who can adhere to 2 weeks often have a significant treatment effect, and the probability of recurrence will be reduced.  3, at least 3 times a day warm water foot soak, dilate blood vessels, promote local blood circulation, improve the nutrition of surrounding tissues, to achieve the purpose of reducing swelling, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Soak the feet after the affected foot elevated above the heart for at least 20 minutes. At the same time, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving ointment can be applied.  4.Oral anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs can be taken to improve the quality of life and increase the effectiveness of treatment.  5.Closure treatment. Not recommended. Generally can be strictly in accordance with the above-mentioned treatment more relief, and can not follow the appeal treatment of closed only to solve the temporary pain, will soon relapse.  Heel pain is not a major disease, but the impact on work life is very big, has been advocated in the idea of “small disease big treatment”, so as to achieve the best treatment effect in the shortest possible time.