Heel Pain - What You Can Do to Reduce Heel Pain

By LL Brown

Most long distance runners and joggers often experience pain at the bottom of their heel. Such heel pain can be quite uncomfortable as it can hamper daily activity. One of the main reasons why people suffer from such heel pain is due to the plantar fascia tissue that runs across the bottom on the sole. It is this tissue that connects the five toes of the toe to the base of the heel. When people run, they often land on their heel and in order to propel themselves for the next jump, they need to raise themselves onto their toes, thus causing all pressure to be transferred directly onto the plantar fascia tissue. Such a repetitive action can cause immense pain to the tissue, resulting in its tearing.
Apart from running, there are also many other causes for increased pressure on this tissue such as wearing the wrong types of shoes. If a woman were to wear shoes that had a very stiff sole or were very wide on the ball of the foot, she would suffer from aggravated pressure on this tissue. In fact, even running too fast can affect this tissue. If you suffer from heel pain and it has been diagnosed as plantar fascia, the best thing you can do is to limit the amount of exercise you do. This means you have to avoid running and limit the distance you walk daily. The less the amount of pressure you apply on the foot, the better are the chances of your foot healing. It is also advisable that you wear shoes that offer you the right type of arch support.
If the heel pain is still unbearable, your last option would be to visit a podiatrist as such doctors offer various non-surgical solutions to cure such tissue tears. It is better to ensure that the podiatric doctor is able to provide you with the right medication to treat your foot. Many people all across the world often dismiss heel pain as something negligible and as such continue to work through the pain.
It is only when the pain becomes unbearable that they start thinking about visiting a podiatrist for treatment. Hence, it is best that one always takes proper care of their foot so as to protect it in the long run. Make sure that you purchase shoes that offer you proper heel support, preferably with padded cushioning. At the same time, ensure that the sole of your shoe is not hard as this could cause hardening of the skin around the heel, adding to the pain.

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