Heal Problems
Aches and Pains come to us all at sometime or another, but with some of us, the pain and discomfort are almost constant, others may find walking or participating in sporting activities a difficult and painful experience. Musculoskeletal discomfort and disability is not confined to the elderly although if left undiagnosed and untreated it will as like as not get worse as we get older. The two most common causes of heel pain are heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. The chief diagnostic sign of these problems is: pain in the bottom of the heel or arch when first standing, which gradually improves with walking. This pain may return with continued walking. The treatment involves correcting the underlying causative problems. Description: The two most common causes of pain in the bottom of the heel and arch are heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. The plantar fascia is the thick ligamentous band in the bottom of the foot, which is attached to the heel, and runs forward to insert into the ball of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of this band at its attachment to the heel.
Symptoms: Plantar fasciitis pain is usually located in the centre or the inner side of the bottom of the heel. The pain is most intense when first standing, after any period of rest. Most people with this problem experience their greatest pain in the morning, with the first few steps after sleeping. After several minutes of walking, the pain becomes less intense and may disappear completely, only to return later with prolonged walking or standing. If a nerve is irritated due to the swollen plantar fascia, this pain may radiate into the arch or the ankle.