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Pain in your heel is the most common type of foot and ankle complaint doctors see. Most minor heel pain can be treated at home, using a variety of remedies and exercises. Sometimes, though, you need to see a doctor to evaluate your heel pain. Some heel pain symptoms require immediate medical attention. Learn more about when you need to have a doctor check out the pain in your heel.
Common Causes of Heel Pain
Heel pain causes are primarily related to overuse, such as by running on a hard surface or wearing ill-fitting and non-supportive shoes. Other heel pain is related to medical conditions. Some of the most common causes of heel pain are:
- Plantar fasciitis: This condition occurs when a thick band of tissue that runs from the back of your heel to your toes becomes inflamed. You primarily feel pain on the bottom of your heel, though sometimes it extends to your arch.
- Achilles tendonitis: Your Achilles tendon connects your calf muscles to your heel bone. If it becomes irritated, you will feel pain and stiffness at the back of your ankle, close to your heel. Left untreated, Achilles tendonitis can worsen and even result in a rupture of the tendon.
- Bursitis: Bursa are fluid-filled sacs that help your joints operate more smoothly. The bursa near your heel joint can become inflamed, resulting in pain at the back of your heel. You also may notice a puffy swollen area near the back of your heel.
- Heel spur: Bone spurs on the heel (also called calcaneal spurs) are bony outgrowths that develop on the back or bottom of your heel and can be very painful.
- Calcaneal apophysitis (Sever’s disease): Children between the ages of 9 to 12 who participate in a lot of sports that involve jumping are most at risk of developing heel pain due to this condition, which occurs when the growth plate at the back of the heel becomes irritated.
- Fractures: Your heel bone can fracture when you land hard on your heel after a fall.
Heel Pain Treatment at Home
Most minor cases of heel pain can heal without seeing a doctor. Experts recommend a combination of heel pain remedies that you can try at home, including:
- Rest: Take weight off your heel (or heels) as much as possible, for at least a week. Crutches can help when you must move around.
- Ice: Apply ice to your painful heel at least twice daily, for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
- Better shoes: If needed, switch to more supportive, comfortable shoes. Ditch the heels to save your heels. If your pain is behind your heel, try shoes that don’t have backs to avoid pressure on this area.
- Foot padding: You can buy over-the-counter shoe inserts, foot cups, or felt heel pads to help relieve pain and pressure on your heel. For a more long-term solution, you may want to invest in custom-made orthotic shoe inserts that help stabilize and support your foot.
- Medication: Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or aspirin can help reduce pain and swelling.
- Heel pain exercises: Gentle stretches to your Achilles tendon and calf muscles can help if you have tendinitis.
When to See a Doctor for Heel Pain
Heel pain sometimes is serious enough to require immediate treatment, such as through urgent care or the emergency room. Symptoms that warrant immediate treatment:
- Severe pain and swelling near your heel, especially if it is sudden
- Loss of mobility in your foot (being unable to bend it downward or get on your toes)
- Inability to bear weight on your foot (being unable to walk)
- Heel pain along with fever or numbness or tingling in your heel
- Redness and swelling along with heel pain
- Severe heel pain after an injury
Other types of symptoms may not require treatment right away, but still should prompt you to call your doctor for an appointment. These symptoms requiring care include:
- Pain that lasts more than 2 or 3 weeks
- Heel pain that gets worse, despite home treatment
- Heel pain that continues when you’re not walking or standing
Who to See for Heel Pain
Your primary care physician should be able to evaluate and offer treatment advice for your heel pain. However, sometimes specialist care is needed. A podiatrist is a specialist trained in foot problems. Your health insurance carrier may require you to get a referral to a podiatrist from your primary doctor.
Once the cause of your foot pain is diagnosed, you may need to see other health professionals, such as a physical therapist to help with stretching exercises or an orthotics specialist who can create custom shoe inserts for you and counsel you on appropriate footwear.
Whomever you see, it’s important to carefully describe your symptoms, even if they might seem unrelated to your foot. Pay attention to when you first noticed heel pain, what makes the pain worse or better, and whether it comes and goes or is constant. Finding the cause of your heel pain early can be the key to more quickly overcoming it—before it becomes a more severe or chronic problem.
