Most clients who visit the podiatrist's office because of heel pain go with a bag of different types of orthotics other doctors or friends recommended, or they saw a TV advert. According to them the orthotics only worked for a while and then stopped and the pain came back worse. What is the reason for this? Well, while orthotics can help relieve some forms of heel pain, they may not always be useful because of the following reasons.
Many Factors Cause Heel Pain
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all kind of cure when it comes to heel pain because there are many causes of pain. While the most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, other factors like osteoarthritis, stress fracture, bone spur and irritation of small nerves could be the cause of the pain. What this means is that unless you know what is causing the pain, wearing orthotics, applying ice or even exercising may not always work.
Orthotics only work for someone whose pain is caused by overpronation, or rolling-in too much when walking, so they can walk straight. A podiatrist will, therefore, use cameras or X-ray to video your foot, look at how you are walking on the treadmill and take foot measurement to see if everything is where it should be. They will also take a look at the kind of shoes you wear and get a thorough update on what kind of exercises you do that may be making the heel pain worse.
You Continue Doing What Causes the Pain
Unfortunately, if the person suffering from heel pain does not know what is causing it, they will continue to expose themselves to those causes and making the pain worse. Orthotics, ice and medication will not treat heel pain if the person continues to stand or walk improperly or to put pressure on their heel during running or standing for too long. Only a podiatrist will help you identify the cause of your pain so you can remove it from your life and start getting some relief.
Your Lifestyle Is Contributing to the Pain
Have you gained too much weight suddenly? Do you wear high heels and ill-fitting shoes most of the time? Do you overwork and take no time to rest or exercise? All these are habits that will not only lead to heel pain but a backache and other health issues as well. Wearing orthotics while you are still living such the wrong lifestyle will be useless.
Before you jump into buying a pair of orthotics as amazing as they are, it's good to see an experienced and reputable podiatrist first so that your pain can be diagnosed correctly and a subsequent solution given.
Share1 November 2017
Hi, my name is Steve and I’m a keen runner. I’ve been running for fun for years. I love the buzz I get from a long run and the fact that my hobby helps keeps me fit. Last year, I started to experience problems with my feet and ankles. It started with just a few twinges and soreness but ended up getting so bad that I couldn’t run to my usual schedule any longer. I couldn’t work out what was going wrong, so a friend recommended I see a podiatrist. I was a bit sceptical at first; however, my podiatrist immediately identified some issues with my running gait and shoes that were causing my problems. I started this blog to pass on some of the advice I got for any other runners who are suddenly suffering from unexplained discomfort. Hope it helps keep you on the road!
