What to do if heels hurt?
It’s definitely not worth ignoring these sensations, as pain can be a symptom of serious illnesses.
Therefore, you need to identify the cause of the pain and begin treatment.
Causes of Heel Pain
There are many reasons that cause pain in the heels. Most often, heels hurt in the following cases:
• long-term wearing high-heeled shoes, which leads to the so-called "Friday pain syndrome";
• thinning of subcutaneous fat on the foot, which often appears with prolonged physical activity;
• injuries of the lower extremities.
As for injuries, normal ankle sprains and fractures can lead to heel pain. With extension, plantar flexion becomes difficult. A bruise or fracture of the Friday bone, as well as pineal gland, are serious herbs that should be consulted by a doctor.
Systemic diseases
Heel pain can occur with various serious illnesses. Often, pain in the heel occurs with rheumatoid arthritis. The main symptom is swelling, which hinders the mobility of the joints. In addition, the patient may feel severe drowsiness and loss of appetite.
With gout, the toes are most often inflamed, but sometimes inflammation can spread throughout the foot. Therefore, heel pain is felt. Another disease in which pain in the heels is a symptom is ankylosing spondylitis. Despite the fact that the disease affects the spine, making it stiff, the patient may feel pain in the heels.
Infectious diseases
A large number of infectious diseases, such as gonorrhea or dysentery, can trigger reactive arthritis. This disease also manifests with heel pain. Of infectious diseases, bone tuberculosis can cause pain, the main symptom of which is tissue necrosis. No less dangerous is osteomyelitis, accompanied by severe pain and swelling.
Inflammatory diseases
Pain in the Friday area often occurs with plantar fasciitis, an inflammatory disease that affects the soles of the feet. It is heel pain in this disease that is the main symptom. If redness and swelling appear on the heel, then it may be bursitis. The tumor may increase in this case. Also, painful sensations appear with malignant bone tumors. The main symptom is dilated blood vessels over the neoplasm.
Heel Pain Treatment
Any pain is an occasion to go to the doctor. Often, heel pain is accompanied by various symptoms, and the pain can be localized in the back or arms.
The first thing the doctor will do, after listening to the patient, is to prescribe an appropriate study. Among them:
• biochemical and general blood analysis;
• microbiological studies;
• check for cancer markers;
• x-ray;
• serological analysis;
• biopsy.
First aid for heel pain, treatment
Naturally, any treatment is based on the results of the examination. But what if the heel pain appeared suddenly?
It should urgently relieve sensations. To do this, take a cube of people and attach it to a sore spot. If it does not help, then make a warm foot bath. Special ointments, such as pelan or indomethacin ointment, can cope with pain and relieve inflammation. If this does not help, then you can take an anesthetic, ibufen or solpaflex.
There are generally accepted methods of treatment that are carried out only under the supervision of a physician.
A popular method is to use steroid injections. This method is especially effective for severe pain that cannot be stopped using standard methods.
Steroids (cortisol) quickly relieve inflammation and anesthetize, but this is only a temporary solution to the problem.
Another type of treatment for heel pain is extracorporeal shock wave therapy. The essence of the procedure is the effect of sound waves on a painful area of the body.
Everything is carried out using special medical equipment. This therapy helps with inflammation of the plantar fascia. This procedure is believed to be safe, as proven by clinical studies.
Radiation therapy is sometimes used, but there are very few such cases. Much more often they practice the use of a special tire, which will fix the leg in the required position. The tire is superimposed at night in order to prevent the fascia from growing together incorrectly. If the case is complex, then plaster is applied to the lower leg.
As for surgical intervention, this method is also used in complex cases. Usually, an operation is prescribed if the heel pain does not go away for a long time, and there are no obvious reasons for this. But the intervention of the surgeon can lead to even more complications, since injuries to the adjacent nerves, infection, etc. can occur. So, an operation should be performed if the heels hurt, it is only necessary as a last resort.
If the reason that heel pain appeared is associated with serious diseases, then it is the disease that needs to be treated, and not the symptom. That is why diagnostics and testing are so important. The doctor must know what exactly he should treat.
Folk remedies
Treatment at home with the help of folk recipes can not be called universal, but together with traditional methods it can give a good effect. Especially well, these procedures relieve inflammation, which eases the patient's condition. Therefore, if heels hurt, you can do the following:
1. For calcaneal spurs, tincture from the marsh cinquefoil is perfect. This plant is known for its anti-inflammatory and healing properties. He is insisted on alcohol and rubbed on a sore spot. You can do compresses.
2. Also, black radish compresses are used to treat heel pain. The root crop is thoroughly washed and rubbed on a fine grater. The gruel is wrapped in a clean rag and applied to the heel. From above you should put on a bag and wrap your leg with something warm.
3. The following recipe proved its effectiveness: 1 tbsp. l salt and honey must be mixed with 50 ml of iodine. This mixture should be thoroughly mixed and, applying on a bandage, do compresses overnight. Compress bandage and insulate. Medication should be enough for 4-5 times.
Prevention is sore in the heel
Much can be done to prevent heel pain. First of all, it is important to reduce the load on the feet, that is, to abandon running or sports walking.
In addition, you should control your weight, as it is also a serious strain on the feet. If necessary, lose extra pounds, of course, without resorting to large physical exertion.
Be sure to check for flat feet. If there is a problem, then special orthopedic insoles must be used. Wearing high heels should be reduced to a minimum. The ideal option is a heel up to 5 cm. In general, it is better to try to choose comfortable shoes.
An excellent option for prevention is therapeutic exercises for the legs. It can be done every day, since it does not take much time. It is done as follows:
1. First, a light foot massage is performed.
2. Next, you need to lie on your back and stretch your legs, trying to pull the foot in turn on yourself, and then pull the toe forward.
3. You need to walk around the room, first on toes, and then on the heels.
4. On the floor, lay a towel and try to make folds on it with your toes.
5. If there is a small ball, you can roll it with your foot on the floor.
If your heels hurt, be sure to consult your doctor as soon as possible. If treatment is not started at the time, then the disease can cause serious complications.
