Written by a foot and ankle surgeon
Heel pain, explained properly.
Six different problems cause pain around the heel, and the treatment that fixes one can make another worse. Start by working out which one you have.
Where does it hurt?
Underneath, worst first thing
Sharp pain on the first steps out of bed that eases as you walk, and returns after a long day. The classic pattern.
At the back of the heel
Stiff and sore in the morning, warms up with activity. Where exactly it is tender decides the treatment — and one type gets worse with the standard exercise.
Somebody mentioned a spur
An X-ray finding that looks like an answer. In most people it is a record of the problem rather than the cause of it.
Not sure which you have
Bruise-like in the middle? Burning? Getting worse the longer you are on it? Those are different problems with different answers.
The three things this site will always tell you
Heel pain is not one condition. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause, not the only one, and a heel that is not responding to fascia treatment is often not a fascia problem at all.
The spur is usually not the point. Calcaneal spurs turn up in plenty of feet that do not hurt, and spur size does not track with pain.
It takes months, and we will not pretend otherwise. Most plantar heel pain settles without surgery, but on a timescale of months rather than days. What shortens it is starting early and being consistent, not finding a better gadget.
Where to go next
Understand it
Treat it
In Michigan?
Dr. Biernacki treats heel pain in person at Balance Foot & Ankle in Howell and Bloomfield Township. Most heel pain is worked out in a single examination.
Heel Guide is education, not medical care, and it carries affiliate links. Read the editorial policy and the affiliate disclosure for exactly how that works.