Why do your heels hurt? The heel hurts, it hurts to step

Heel pain when walking is a fairly common symptom that can be caused by a wide range of both physiological and pathological causes. This condition is often observed in people from different age categories. It is worth noting that representatives of the fair half of humanity most often complain of heel pain. The reason for this is quite simple - women love high heels, and many of them wear them almost constantly.

The human heel is a unique part of the body. It has a special anatomical structure, as well as a fairly dense fat layer. All this gives her the ability to withstand enormous loads. But, despite all this, the heel is also a rather vulnerable place, since nerve fibers and blood vessels pass through it. It is damage to the nerve fibers that often becomes the main reason why heels hurt when walking, after sleep, etc.

Etiological factors

All the reasons why heels may hurt when walking, during sleep, and even at rest, clinicians conditionally divide into several large groups:

etiological factors that have no connection with pathological processes in the human body;
ailments in which the pathological process directly affects the structures of the heel and foot as a whole;
traumatization;
pathologies in the human body that affect the osteoarticular system.

Causes of heel pain that are not associated with pathological processes:

tension of the elements of the foot over a long period of time. Heel pain in this case is caused by wearing uncomfortable shoes, or by the fact that a person spends a lot of time on his feet;
the process of atrophy of the fat layer in the heel. In this case, heel pain appears if a person has sharply decreased body weight, or if he performs daily physical activity that is not suitable for him (too intense);
Professional activities can also cause heel pain. Typically, people who, due to their work, are forced to be “on their feet” complain about such uncomfortable sensations;
or rapid weight gain. Heel pain occurs due to severe overload.

Foot pathologies that may cause heel pain when walking:

plantar fasciitis. It is this disease that most often causes pain in the heels when walking or even after sleep;
tarsal tunnel syndrome;
apophysitis of the calcaneus. It often causes heel pain in children. Often appears after a long run or intense physical activity;
Haglund-Schinz disease;
Achillodynia;
compression neuropathy of the plantar nerves;
hallux valgus;
sensory neuropathy, which has a hereditary type. It is characterized by the appearance of painful sensations not only when walking, but also after sleep, and even at rest.

Pathologies that lead to damage to articular joints and bone structures:

metastatic disease;
. First, the heels hurt when walking, later the pain occurs in the morning (after sleep) and accompanies the patient throughout the day. With extensive damage, pain in the heel is observed constantly;
malignant formations progressing in the bones of the feet. In this case, the heels hurt in the morning, and later the pain becomes chronic;
erythromelalgia;
heel pain can also occur as a person progresses through diseases caused by infectious agents;
cracks on the heels.

Diagnostics

Since heel pain when walking can be caused by many reasons, if it occurs systematically, you should seek qualified medical help from a doctor. Doing anything on your own for the purpose of treatment is prohibited, as you can only worsen your condition. If it hurts to step on your heel, then you should turn to or to. Sometimes additional consultation with doctors of specialized medical specialties may be required.

The doctor will conduct a physical examination of the patient, clarify the medical history, and then be able to prescribe a diagnostic plan. To make an accurate diagnosis, if there is pain in the heel when walking, you will need to undergo both instrumental and laboratory diagnostics.

Laboratory methods:

puncture of the joint capsule to obtain exudate. After the procedure, a bacterioscopic examination of the material is carried out;
donating blood to identify tumor markers;
bacteriological analysis of exudate from the joint capsule;
blood for sugar.

Instrumental diagnostics:

An important diagnostic method for heel pain when walking is radiography. Makes it possible to assess the condition of bone structures. It can be done for patients of different age categories;
puncture of the synovial bursa. This procedure is performed only if there is a suspicion that a person’s bursitis has progressed;
electroneuromyography;
bone puncture is a method used to obtain a piece of bone marrow;

Therapeutic measures

For a more accurate diagnosis, the doctor will need to evaluate the test results, and only then will he be able to prescribe the optimal treatment plan. But for therapy to be effective, the patient should:

reduce body weight if it significantly exceeds the norm;
reduce the load on your legs;
do special exercises for the legs;
wear orthopedic shoes.

Depending on what pathological process provoked the appearance of such an unpleasant symptom, a treatment plan is prescribed. Doing anything on your own, without the approval of your doctor, is prohibited.

The treatment plan may include:

prescription of antibiotics;
prescription of anti-inflammatory drugs;
massage;
carrying out extra-articular drug blockade;
application of physiotherapeutic methods;
compresses on the heel;
set of exercises.

Movement is... pain. Barefoot on the grass is... torment. This is how every step is perceived by people who have heel pain. “What is there to hurt, in this heel?” - they sometimes ask a rhetorical question.

“Really, why?” - we thought and tried to understand this issue.

The heel acts as a support for the human body in an upright position, therefore, for better shock absorption, its structure is supplemented with a fatty layer. The components that make up the heel include:

muscles,
apparatus of ligaments and tendons,
nerve fibers,
blood vessels,
articular surfaces,
calcaneus, located in the posterior part of the metatarsus. This element has a well-defined heel tubercle, which can be easily felt by hand.

You don’t need to go into the deeper structural features of the heel to understand that there really is something to hurt there.

Heel pain: main causes

Analysis of the factors influencing the occurrence of heel pain allows us to divide them into 4 groups:

Negative effects on the heel not associated with foot diseases.
Injuries.
Diseases of the heel structures.
Systemic diseases of the body leading to heel pathology.

Pain in the absence of pathology

What happens after grueling training or unusual physical labor?

That's right, aches in your arms, legs, neck - all those parts of the body that you worked with. The same thing happens to the heel when there is excessive load on it.

These loads may be due to:

incorrectly selected shoes (high heels or lack thereof, size smaller than necessary, etc.);
standing on your feet for a long time (hairdressers, turners);
overweight.

FYI. Refusal to eat to lose excess weight has the same detrimental effect on the heel as obesity, since sudden weight loss leads to atrophy of the heel fat layer.

This is the most obvious cause of heel pain. In addition to the heel bruise, we note damage to the tendon and heel bone:

tendon strain,
tendon rupture
bone crack,
bone fracture.

Diseases of the heel structures that cause pain

Have you ever thought about how much stress a person's foot has to withstand? Why is it not flattened by the mass of the human body when walking?

The secret lies in plantar fascia. It is this dense connective tissue that lines the sole, protects it from damage, and supports the entire arch of the foot.

Due to heavy loads, the fascia often receives microtraumas (microtears). In the normal state of connective tissue, a period of sleep is enough to recover to its original state.

However, with inflammation or excessive stress, the fascia does not recover and ceases to perform its functions.

As it stretches, it undergoes structural deformation: from plastic it becomes compacted. This pathology is designated by the term plantar (or plantar) fasciitis.

Drug treatment is limited to taking non-steroidal drugs. If the disease is not advanced, then with timely treatment, the prognosis for recovery is favorable.

Refusal of treatment is fraught with progression of fasciitis. As a result, the matter is not limited to the deformation of the tissue, the person becomes the owner of a spur. Heel spurs.

This phenomenon is a pathology of bone tissue.

The inflammatory process, which initially affected only the fascia, moves to a new level, due to which the bone on the heel, like nails and hair, begins to grow.

But unlike the spur on boots that turns outward, the heel spur is pressed toward the heel like a dog’s tail and, bending around it from below, directs the tip of the spike towards the toes.

	Reference. Bone growths are called osteophytes.

Visually the disease does not manifest itself in any way. Palpation (palpation) of the heel will also not give results. The spur reveals itself only on x-rays.

To reduce the intensity of pain in this disease, there are special insoles-instep supports. They have a hole into which the spur is immersed, so there is no pressure on it.

Treatment of the disease includes:

taking non-steroidal drugs (orally, by injection, topical agents (ointments, gels));
taking painkillers;
hormonal therapy (medication is injected into the foot to reduce side effects);
therapeutic exercises (a set of selected exercises aimed at strengthening the plantar fascia);
physiotherapeutic procedures (mud therapy, mineral baths);
shock wave therapy (a special device destroys the spur by affecting it with sound);
surgical intervention (cutting out is a last resort when nothing else helps).

The disease is associated with inflammation of the synovial fluid in the bursae of the heel.

The purpose of bursas filled with liquid:

prevent bones from rubbing against nearby tissues;
transport nutrients to joint cells;
participate in metabolic processes.

There are 2 bursae located in the heel. Both are located next to the Achilles tendon:

the first is between him and the skin,
the second is between it and the heel bone (if inflammation occurs in this bursa, the disease is referred to as achillobursitis).

Inflammation of the bursae is accompanied by excessive accumulation of fluid. As a result, the functionality of the joints decreases, and movement is accompanied by pain in the heel.

The cause of bursitis is injury, uncomfortable shoes, infection (including calluses rubbing in the area of the heel tubercle).

Treatment of the disease is accompanied by the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In some cases, synovial fluid is pumped out.

Schinz's disease

This pathology of the calcaneal tuberosity, characterized by its necrosis. Tissue destruction is not associated with infection. The victims of the disease are usually children aged 10 years or athletes (age does not play a role in this case).

Correct diagnosis of the disease based on examination or palpation of the patient is difficult, since the symptoms are largely similar to those of other pathologies that cause heel pain:

the appearance of edema,
skin redness,
heel pain when walking.

The disease can be correctly diagnosed using x-rays.

Treatment is based on taking anti-inflammatory and painkillers, using physiotherapeutic procedures and mandatory application of a splint.

This disease is rare; it is an inflammatory process in the tissues adjacent to the tibial nerve.

Nerve compression in the ankle area, caused by swelling of damaged tissues, causes pain in the foot.

Pain in the foot, including the heel, torments a person both after long walking and after long standing.

To diagnose the disease, a special technique is used:

Phalen's symptom (the area of nerve compression responds with increased pain when pressing on it);
Tinel's symptom (a reaction to tapping the leg in the area of compression of the nerve becomes a lumbago).

Treatment of the disease is based on taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In the absence of positive dynamics, surgical intervention is possible.

Morton's neuralgia

Pathology of the foot caused by compression of the nerves. A characteristic feature of the disease is burning, diffuse pain.

Sever's disease

Occurs mainly in children due to:

rapid growth of the skeletal system;
excessive physical activity.

Often accompanied by strained muscles and tendons.

Diseases of body systems that can cause heel pathologies

Gout

A disease caused by a violation of metabolic processes in the body. Excess uric acid has a destructive effect on the kidneys, bone and joint tissues.

Reiter's syndrome

Chlamydia affects the eyes, joints and genitourinary system.

Ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis

A chronic systemic disease that affects the joints.

Oncological diseases

The growth of cancer cells in the bones of the feet leads to compression of the blood vessels and nerve fibers of the heel.

Skin cracks

May be caused by fungus, dermatitis, diabetes.

Tuberculosis of bone.

Possible consequences: necrosis or bone melting.

Sharp, burning, unbearable... stabbing, cutting... aching. The same phenomenon - heel pain - is given completely different epithets depending on the specific disease.

The patient’s ability to correctly describe his pain sensations helps the doctor make a correct diagnosis.

For example, burning pain may indicate neuropathy, sharp unbearable pain may indicate calcaneal fracture.

Painful sensations in the presence of a spur also have their own specifics:

Patients compare the pain to driving a nail into the heel (to reduce the intensity of this pain, some of them transfer the center of gravity when moving to their toes - they walk on tiptoes, or purchase a cane to distribute body weight not only on their feet, but also on their hand).
With a heel spur, morning starting pain is noted. This is explained by the fact that the fibers of the fascia at rest at night are somewhat shortened, and microtraumas begin to heal. Having assumed a vertical position, a person experiences sharp pain - the result of new damage to the fascia and stretching of its fibers.

Diagnosis of pain

Heel pain is a reason to visit one of three doctors:

orthopedist,
traumatologist,
rheumatologist.

Based on the results of the examination, the doctor decides on the advisability of further research.

We have systematized the most common diagnostic measures in the table.

Based on the results of the examination, the doctor prescribes treatment independently, or writes a referral to “narrow” specialists:

infectious disease specialist
neurologist,
surgeon,
oncologist.

Prevention

To summarize the study, we note that preventing heel pain is much easier than treating it.

Based on this thesis:

buy only the right shoes (with wide, stable heels no higher than 5 cm);
do not gain excess weight;
take care of the skin of your feet.

Good health to you! And let the motto “Movement is life!” It gives you only positive emotions!

If your heel hurts when walking, but there are no visible lesions on the skin, then you need to consult an orthopedist. This is one of the characteristic symptoms of developing pathologies that respond well to therapy at the initial stage of development. Timely diagnosis and proper treatment will help avoid serious complications.

Why does your heel hurt when walking?

The causes of heel pain when moving can be different - from banal dry calluses to developing serious pathologies, for example, or ankylosing spondylitis. Discomfort in the foot can be caused by epiphysitis, periostitis, chondropathy, and neuropathy of the tibial nerve. The appearance of painful sensations more than 2-3 times a week most likely indicates a developing pathology.

Atrophy of the subcutaneous fat pad in the heel

Atrophy, or a decrease in the size of the fat layer in the heel, is observed with sudden weight loss. Since this fabric performs a shock-absorbing function, discomfort occurs when you press your foot. Atrophy often develops with a sharp increase in physical activity, which occurs during intense sports training and walking long distances.

Achillitis

The Achilles tendon becomes inflamed due to excessive constant stress and wearing narrow high-heeled shoes. The leading symptom of achillesitis is pain in the heel area, which intensifies with movement. It is also indicated by puffiness and swelling of the skin.

If a person does not seek medical help, then with a sharp decrease in immunity, a purulent process develops. In this case, it becomes impossible to move even around the room. In the acute course of the inflammatory process, it is possible.

Bursitis

Tumors

Pain is clinically manifested by sarcoma of the calcaneus - a malignant neoplasm arising from the cellular elements of connective tissue. At the initial stage of tumor formation, only mild discomfort occurs, but its severity gradually increases. Heel bone sarcoma is indicated by accompanying symptoms - anemia, rapid weight loss, lack of appetite.

Fascial strain

Wearing uncomfortable shoes and constant stress on the feet provoke overstrain of the fascia - connective tissue membranes covering blood vessels, nerves and forming sheaths for muscles. If the cause of the pain is not eliminated, the next stage may be acute inflammation, during which movement will be greatly difficult.

Gout

Prevention measures

Eliminating factors that cause damage to soft, cartilage and bone tissues from your usual lifestyle will help prevent heel pain. This includes wearing uncomfortable shoes, walking on slippery or uneven surfaces, and standing on your feet for a long time. Doctors recommend, if necessary, to lose weight, replace fatty foods in the diet with fresh vegetables, berries and fruits, and also stop smoking and drinking alcohol.

Walk, run, jump, skip are verbs that describe human movements. Once you have problems with your legs, every step causes suffering and pain. The causes of pathologies are varied and occur frequently.

The symptoms are alarming to young people and adults who do not pay attention to the problem, only when it is a serious concern, and they understand that a doctor is needed. For people far from medicine, the information that pain has multiple causes becomes a revelation.

Inflammation of the plantar fascia causes pain and restrictions in movement. A specific fibrous ligament is localized in the sole, its functions are important - it supports the arch of the foot. The disease was popularly called a spur. Flat feet are to blame for the pathology; with constant loads on the foot, spurs often appear.

The growth that appears on the bone appears due to the accumulation of calcium salt in the area of inflammation, and strong pressure begins on the tissue. The pain is severe even with little exertion. A spur occurs after excessive stretching of the ligaments of the foot. The doctor will be able to determine the type of inflammation by examining an x-ray.

It happens that a profession causes tension in the legs when the work forces you to stand for a long time. The legs take the load. The feet do not have time to rest, and a painful process appears. Inflammation begins if a person with a passive lifestyle decides to suddenly begin active life. The heel hurts when walking or running.

Heel pain due to injury

When a tendon is stretched or ruptured, severe pain appears in the heel area. Trauma differs in both hidden and direct nature. The differences are determined by the doctor:

Direct injury occurs due to blows to the tendons located in the foot. More often when damaged by a hard object.
A hidden injury occurs due to a sharp contraction of the lower leg muscles.

An experienced doctor will identify damaged tendons by touch; the patient experiences acute pain, swelling appears in the sore spot, where the Achilles tendon is located. The pain spreads down the foot. Bending and straightening the legs creates a problem.

In addition to injuries, women's passion for stilettos causes trouble. Pain occurs above the heel when walking. If you want to show off the beauty of your feet, take care of changing your shoes and resting your feet.

When the heel bone is bruised, pain in the heel when walking is severe at the site of injury, pressure is placed on the heel. Treatment is required, otherwise adjacent tissues will become inflamed.

If the heel bone is fractured, even small loads on the legs are impossible. The pain is accompanied by curvature inward, sometimes outward. The arches of the feet thicken and painful bruises appear. Treatment is prescribed according to a given scheme.

When injured, swelling of the soft tissues occurs, tension in the heel tendon occurs, and mobility is limited, affecting the ankle joint.

Sharp pain occurs in the heels if a person has epiphysitis. When the disease occurs, tissue rupture occurs at the site of localization of the body of the heel bones, the apophysis. Adolescents under 14 years of age are susceptible to pathology, when the body and heel bone are being formed. Too rapid or slow development of the body affects pain above the heel when walking. Swelling appears and the temperature rises. As the disease progresses, the pain intensifies with movements affecting the calf muscles; you need to hurry up and visit a doctor.

Athletes often experience damage to their feet and heels - after landing unsuccessfully on their heels while jumping or running, severely injuring them.

Ministry of Health warns: lose weight, wear comfortable shoes

The heel also hurts when walking, if a person is heavy, the body experiences increased stress from extra pounds. The muscles that form the arch of the foot begin to weaken, the reason being that it is difficult to cope with the weight. A nutritionist determines the type of diet so that excess weight does not disrupt the well-coordinated functioning of the body and does not put strain on the legs.

The causes of pain also lie in shoes: when walking, it is caused by tight, poor-quality shoes, without heels, or with too small a heel. It is better to wear shoes that are appropriate to your size; if your heel hurts when walking, purchase an aid - orthopedic insoles. Advantages of ortho insoles:

align the feet, the pressure becomes gentle;
moving around is easier;
Using them constantly, the pain disappears.

The doctor will advise you to take care of your feet without prescribing special treatment.

If you don't take care of your feet, cracks will form on the sole, in the heel area. It is not difficult to treat small cracks at home in the early stages by treating them with a brush, freeing the skin from keratinized particles.

The cause of cracks is a fungal infection. Treatment is prescribed after laboratory tests, the doctor will recommend medications. It is difficult to get rid of the infection; the skin constantly becomes infected again. The heel doesn't hurt much, but it does cause anxiety.

Everything in the human body is tightly interconnected

When your heel hurts, you are worried about a possible cause - damage to internal organs. The reasons are hidden in a local or systemic nature. In the East, the connection between organs and points on the heel has long been determined. It is not surprising that when any organ suffers, the heel hurts.

Infectious diseases cause pain in the affected area and fever. If the pain manifests itself in the heel, the treatment will not be long-term; the prognosis for recovery is favorable. Autoimmune diseases to which the heel reacts painfully are difficult to treat; the causes of foot deformity and destruction of articular joints are determined after the onset of the disease.

It happens that the immune system stops working one hundred percent and suddenly begins to fight the body’s tissues, mistaking them for an enemy invasion.

Unexpected sharp pain occurs due to arthritis.

Pain appears in the heel area due to ankylosing spondylitis. Manifests itself in the form of chronic inflammation of the spinal column and joints.

A symptom of the unpleasant disease ankylosing spondylitis - pain in the heel:

as they develop, joints lose flexibility;
the vertebral discs gradually narrow and fuse together.

The reasons lead to ossification of the spine ultimately.

Rheumatoid arthritis brings complications. The joints are affected, restrictions in movement appear, and there is no previous activity in the area of the articular joints of the foot. Due to the appearance of severe pain, swelling occurs - treating the disease is difficult and long-term. At the onset of the disease, pain occurs when the legs are loaded - when walking, running, lifting weights. The pain is localized in the heel, spreads higher, and intensifies.

Gouty arthritis manifests itself as pain in the area of the big toe, spreading first to the foot, then higher to the ankle. The skin acquires a specific redness, and swelling appears in the affected joint area. The tendons are affected, the heel itself hurts when walking.

It is necessary to go to the hospital in time and begin treatment if purulent-necrotic processes caused by osteomyelitis of the heel begin. Fungi and viruses belonging to pathogenic flora are to blame. The species responsible for the disease is determined by laboratory analysis. It progresses in the bones, bone marrow, affects soft tissues, the process is accompanied by severe shooting pain, and redness forms near the affected area. The heel begins to swell greatly and pulsation is felt.

The diagnosis is made after tissue examination. Prepare for long-term treatment.

When microorganisms that cause tuberculosis appear in the human body, treatment begins immediately. Tuberculosis of the calcaneus is dangerous, it is difficult to walk, it hurts above the heel when walking, the heel itself hurts, now it is very thick. Without movement, the pain does not go away, soft tissues are affected. Dying begins, fistulas and purulent abscesses appear, hidden far inside. The doctor prescribes treatment.

Bursitis also requires urgent treatment. This is an inflammatory process. For the legs, the disease is destructive and takes a chronic form. The pain is not severe, the redness is not pronounced, in the absence of treatment:

swelling occurs;
temperature rises;
the temperature at the hearth rises.

Inflammatory processes can make life gloomy; the fight must be started on time. The doctor prescribes a course of health measures.

If discomfort occurs in your legs when moving, it is better to consult a traumatologist or rheumatologist with a complaint of pain above the heel when walking, or in the heel itself.

Folk remedies are also known. They make baths and compresses if the doctor allows you to use the methods. Do not self-medicate, do not harm your feet, and they will last reliably for years.

Causes of heel pain

Heel pain (painful to step on) is an extremely common complaint that can be caused by several reasons. It is necessary to make the most accurate diagnosis so that the appropriate treatment can be selected. If you have heel pain, the reasons may be:

- Plantar fasciitis is the most common condition that causes heel pain. It occurs due to irritation and inflammation of the tough tissue that forms the arch of the foot. Common symptoms of the disease include heel pain when walking or standing for long periods of time.

Heel spurs usually occur with chronic plantar fasciitis in an advanced form.

Tarsal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the tibial nerve, which runs from the calf to the foot.

- Heel bone fractures are a fairly rare cause. This injury is usually caused by hitting the heels during a fall while standing from a height.

It happens that the heel hurts (it hurts to step on it) in athletes, for example, long-distance runners.

Posterior achilles bursitis causes pain behind the heel. The cause may be inflammation of the synovial bursa.

Heel hurts - it hurts to step on: when to see a doctor

If you are unsure or do not know the cause of your symptoms, you should contact your doctor for specific advice. If your heels hurt, treatment should be based on an accurate diagnosis. Some signs that you should visit a doctor:

Inability to step on the affected leg.

Heel pain that occurs while resting or at night.

The pain persists for several days.

Swelling or discoloration of the back of the leg.

Signs of infection including fever, redness, temperature.

Any other strange symptoms.

Heels hurt: treatment

Treatment depends entirely on the cause of the disease. Therefore, it is imperative that you know the diagnosis before starting treatment. You should not self-medicate. Be sure to consult a doctor so that he can conduct an examination and prescribe medications and procedures. Some common treatments for heel pain are listed below:

Peace. Avoid jogging, standing and walking for long periods of time. Rest usually relieves the most severe pain and reduces inflammation.

If your heel hurts (it hurts to step on), then apply ice packs. Cooling can help minimize some symptoms and control pain. In addition, it has a particularly beneficial effect during an exacerbation.

Exercises and stretches are designed to relax the muscle tissue surrounding the heel bone. Sometimes a few simple exercises done in the evening or morning are enough to help patients feel much better.

- Anti-inflammatory medications help both heel pain and reduce inflammation. Medicines are usually sold without a prescription.

Boot inserts are often the key to successfully treating heel pain. Orthotic shoe insoles sometimes allow a person to continue daily activities without heel pain.