Heel Pain

The symptoms of heel pain are:

• Pain while walking (mostly on the heel)

• Pain after standing from a sitting or resting position

• Heel pain that occurs at night or while resting

• Heel pain that lasts beyond a few days

• Swelling

• Discolouration (bruising or redness)

• Tenderness

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​The causes of heel pain are:

• Improper fitted shoes without arch support and/or cushion

• Achilles tendinitis: An overuse injury that cause inflammation to the Achilles tendon the body's longest and strongest tendon that connects the calf muscle to the heel bone. This will cause the back of the heel to swell, feeling stiff and pain.

• Bursitis

• Haglund’s deformity: An enlarged bony bump (pump bump) formed in the back of the heel causing chronic inflammation and irritation. 

• Sever’s disease (calcaneal apophysitis): Children between 8 and 14 who actively participate in activities that require a lot of running and jumping are more prone to this problem. These activities will irritate the growth plate in the back of the heel.

• Bone bruise (contusion): A pain all along the back of the heel on the bottom, side and back of the heel due to steeping on hard or sharp object.

• Plantar fasciitis: The most common cause of heel pain. Usually occurs on people who run and jump a lot on hard surfaces due the tear or stretching of the fascia (a connective tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot).

• Heel spurs: A bony growth that forms on the heel bone caused by chronic plantar fasciitis.