Heel pain is not always Plantar Fasciitis

If you experience heel pain first step out of bed in the morning or pain after long periods of sitting than standing than you may have plantar fasciitis. Although these are common symptoms of plantar fasciitis there can be other causes of heel pain. Some of these include a stress fracture of the heel, nerve entrapment, achilles tendonitis, growth plate injury in children, and arthritic conditions.
It is very important to be evaluated by your foot specialists as soon as possible if you have heel pain that doesn't go away after a couple of weeks. An undiagnosed stress fracture of the heel for example can lead to surgery if not treated the right way.
Initially ice, NSAIDS, and rest are conservative treatments you can do at home. If these simple treatments do not help you may need to be evaluated by your local foot specialists. We can correctly diagnose the foot condition that you may have by clinical evaluation as well as diagnostic evaluation via digital x-rays and ultrasound exam. X-rays and diagnostic ultrasound are available at both our West Ashley and Mt. Pleasant offices. We offer conservative and surgical options for heel pain with 95% of our patients responding to conservative treatment without the need for surgery. Call us today if you any lingering heel pain which is keeping you from staying active.

Andrew Saffer, DPM
Carolina Foot Specialists