It is important to note that the human foot and ankle are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons. And amongst them, the heel is by far the largest bone in your foot. So, a slight injury to the heel gives you intense pain and makes it nearly impossible to make your heal functional. This pain can be mild and severe depending on the injury and its nature. Doctor on call attention becomes paramount if this happens to examine you and start treatment if required.
Ignoring this pain for a prolonged time might lead to chronic problems requiring a longer recovery. However, it is famous that heel pain rarely needs surgery.
Moreover, it is also pivotal to note that understanding the causes and nature of heel pain is exceptionally important. The heel pain may occur underneath the heel or behind it. There are a whole of reasons which can become the victim of heel pain; including,
- The first is plantar fasciitis. It occurs when there is too much pressure on the feet that ultimately damage the plantar fascia ligament, causing extreme pain and stiffness.
- Sprains and strains come next, which are generally the injuries to the body resulting from physical activity.
- Achilles tendonitis is another heel pain caused due to the overuse of injuries.
- The next to come is bursitis which surrounds the areas where skin, tendons, and muscle tissues meet each other.
- A fracture is a broken bone that is a medical emergency and needs rapid action.
- Another is Haglund’s deformity, which is a chronic inflammation and irritation in the heel’s back. It usually happens with people wearing high heels as it tends to add extreme pressure to the surface.
- Calcaneal apophysitis is Sever disease in the heel that causes extreme pain in active children between 8 and 14 years.
Complications of Heel Pain
If you develop heel pain, there are some easy-to-do home remedies such as rest to recover if it’s not a major injury. However, some clear indications might lead to the necessity of a physiotherapist at home to get a timely diagnosis and treatment. Here are a few indications or alarming factors that make physical therapists need pivotally vital;
- The first is severe pain in the heel that is not leaving despite doing all the home remedies.
- The pain starts all of a sudden without having any prior complication.
- If you find unusual redness in your heel.
- The need to ask for a medical team at home also becomes gravely crucial if your heel swells.
- Lastly, if you find yourself troubling walking with pain in your heal.
Risk Factors Regarding Heel Pain
The risk factor for heel pain enhances exceptionally when you put a lot of strain or pressure on your foot. This tends to develop pain in the heel. Sometimes, the walking style also adds a lot of pressure on your foot as it gives an unusual shape to your foot. Having said this, here are a few of the risk factors that lead to a lot of pain in the heel;
- The first and probable reason is if you are overweight. Obesity tends to add a lot of pressure to the heel and causes pain.
- Heel pain tends to develop or get severe if you have foot and ankle arthritis, flat feet, or high foot arches.
- People who run or jump a lot in sports for exercise also develop heel pain.
- If you spend a lot of time standing, especially on concrete floors, you are likely to develop heel pain.
- Another grave reason for heel pain is if you wear improper shoes with unusual fitting without arch support, heel pain develops.
Physiotherapy for Heel Pain – Plantar Fasciitis
Aims Healthcare is a powerhouse of top-notch professionals who provide excellent physiotherapy at home in Dubai to treat your heel pain. Here’s how;
a. Wall Calf Stretch
World-class and trained physical therapists at Aims Healthcare provide excellent exercises to relieve your heel pain. Here’s how we do it with the wall calf stretch method;
- In this, the patient has to stand facing the wall and place their palm on the wall at eye level.
- The next step comes where they must keep the painful leg back and keep the heel on the ground. At the same time, the patient needs to move to the other led and bent their knee. Moreover, rotating their feet is also a part of this physical exercise.
- Now slowly lean towards the wall until a slight stretch is felt in the calf muscle. When doing this, the leg must be straight at all costs.
- Hold this stretch for around 15-30 seconds and then return to the starting position.
b. Seated Towel Stretch
Our physiotherapist at your home will perform the perfect seated towel stretch. Here’s how to do the seated towel stretch;
- First, the patient is instructed to sit on the floor with the painful leg stretched in front.
- As soon as the patient is seated, loop the towel around the painful foot and hold the towel with both hands while keeping the knee straight.
- Now, keep the hold of the towel for around 15-30 seconds and repeat it in 5 total sets.
c. Crossover Fascia Stretch
Here’s how to do the crossover fascia stretch;
- The first part of the crossover fascia stretch requires the patient to cross the painful foot over the other knee.
- The next part is to grab hold of the toes and pull them towards the shin until the patient feels a stretch in the arch.
- Holding this stretch for 15 seconds and repeating the tasks in 3 sets would lead to incredible results.
d. Sideways Leg Lifts
Performing sideways leg lifts for heel pain recovery is done perfectly by the professional, trained, and certified staff of Aims Healthcare. Here’s how we do it;
- At first, the patient is asked to rest on the side and relaxes the head down on the lower arm.
- Then our therapist will ask the patient to straighten the legs and stack them on top of each other.
- The next step is to clench the front thigh muscle on the upper leg.
- When moving to the next part, lift the upper leg away around 8 inches.
- Do not rush while doing this. Remember, slow and steady is the key to perfection. Complete a total of 2 sets of 15 repetitions.
The Final Takeaway!
Heel pain can be severe, and acquiring nonsurgical treatment for it, such as physiotherapy, is the key to success. This is how you’d be able to determine what’s causing the pain. Aims Healthcare specializes in providing top-class physiotherapy services at home to help our patients expedite their recovery process.
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