Healing the Heel: Treatment Simple for Common Heel Condition


Like many women, St. John’s administrator Alice Lord admits she has suffered for the sake of fashion.
“I wear a suit and high heels every day for work. One of my feet started hurting in the heel, but I suffered through it for awhile. Then, I finally broke down and bought some ‘granny shoes,’” Lord says. “But switching to lower-heeled shoes didn’t help. I probably bought six pair of ‘granny shoes,’ but my heel still hurt. It got to the point where I couldn’t even walk my dog in the evening. I knew I needed to see a doctor about it.”

Lord’s internal medicine physician immediately diagnosed plantar fasciitis, a common inflammation of the tissue supporting the arch of the foot. Lord went to St. John’s family practice and sports medicine specialist
Brian Mahaffey, M.D., for treatment.

“This condition is actually quite common among people of all ages, and can be caused by tightness of the foot and calf muscles, improper athletic training or stress on the arch or weakness of the foot. Shoes that don’t fit and overuse of the foot may also hurt the plantar fascia. People with low arches, flat feet or high arches are at increased risk of developing this condition,” Mahaffey says.

What does the condition feel like?

Lord remembers feeling the most tightness and pain in her heel when she would first get out of bed in the morning. The pain would sometimes disappear, but return by the end of the day.
“Prolonged standing may also cause pain. Sometimes plantar fasciitis is called ‘heel spurs,’ but this is not always accurate, since bony growths on the heel may or may not be a factor,” Mahaffey says. “Finding the cause of the pain and correcting the biomechanics of the foot are the keys to solving the problem.”
Lord was surprised at how quickly the pain in her heel diminished, then disappeared completely.
“I started feeling better immediately, and I felt 100 percent better after just six weeks of treatment. I took anti-inflammatory medication, had physical therapy for a few weeks and did exercises at home,” she says. “I wish I would have sought treatment earlier.”

How is it treated?

Treatment includes anti-inflammatory medication, icing the foot to control the inflammation and physical therapy exercises to change the biomechanics of the foot.” One good way to ice the foot is to freeze a water bottle and then roll it on the floor with the foot. In severe cases, treatment includes orthotics (shoe inserts) and cortisone injections. Surgery is a last resort,” Mahaffey says.
Dr. Mahaffey says preventive measures include staying active and maintaining flexibility in the foot and Achilles tendon.