Possible Heel Pain Causes
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When the Achilles tendon becomes irritated it is called tendonitis. Connecting the calf muscles to the heel bone, the Achilles is a flat and fiborous band of tissue. The Achilles tendon is part of the fulcrum that allows a person to walk. If it is cut through a person will not be cabeable of walking until it is repaired.
The tendon is very strong and tough but can become easily irritated. Achilles tendonitis is a repetitive use injury. Over use of the foot and ankle and or weakness of the calf muscles which the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone. The primary symptom is pain over the heel area. It’s common in athletes whose sport requires running and in people whose jobs require a great deal of standing especially in women who wear high heels as this chronically shortens the calf muscle.
Calf muscles that are weak, poorly stretched calf muscles, and calf muscles shortened by chronic high heel use can all strain the tendon. In addition when the calf muscles become fatigued and this causes them to shorten. All of these situations predispose a person to injury of the Achilles tendon. Being overweight, running and standing for long periods of time can also add to the problerm. Once injured the Achilles tendon is hard to heal because of poor blood flow.
The management of Achilles tendonitis involves rest of the affected extremity. One must determine what activities are contributing to the irritation of the tendon and correct them. Weight loss, rest, proper stretching before exercise and proper body mechanics may all be suggested. Use of ice to decrease the inflammation alternating with heat to increase blood flow and oxygen to the tendon may be suggested. Anti inflammatory medications such as Advil or other NSAID’s may be recommended by your doctor.
If not responsive to rest and NSAID’s your doctor may prescribe splinting of the affected foot, injections of steroids into the tissue surrounding the tendon, or a course of physical therapy. Surgery would be the last line of defense and generally only used in cases of tears. Treatment can sometimes be aggravated by an athlete’s unwillingness to rest the injury, however untreated the injury can become a chronic source of pain and scarring can occur around the tendon increasing the risk of future injury.
The good news is that Achilles tendonitis usually respons very well to rest and anti-inflammatories. Additionally adding heat and ice modalities with a change in foot wear heals most cases. As with any medical condition your doctor is the person to ask advice of. This article is meant to be infromational and is in no way to be construed as medical advice.


