Some Tips To Prevent Heel Pain
Some Tips To Prevent Heel Pain
In some cases, repetitive stress on the foot may be the root cause of heel pain. This is because the calcaneus or heel bone is the largest bone in the foot. Thus, when we walk, the heel bone is the first part of the foot that hits the ground.
As such, it is responsible for supporting much of the body’s weight. This makes the heel of the foot highly susceptible to injury. Fortunately, there are a number of exercise solutions for heel pain.
Heel pain exercises
- Place a pen on the floor.
- Attempt to pick up the pen by curling all your toes around it.
- Once you grasp the pen, hold it for 5 seconds and repeat.
Additionally, you can spell out the alphabet with your big toe. Repeat this three times on each foot. Both of these exercises promote the healing of the plantar fascia.
- Hold the stair rail for support.
- Keep your legs slightly apart.
- Position your feet so that both heels are off the end of the step.
- Keeping your knees straight, gradually lower both of your heels.
- Lower until you feel a stretch in your calves.
- Hold this position for at least 30 seconds.
- Raise your heels back to neutral.
- Repeat 6 times, at least twice a day.
You can avoid heel pain by:
- Avoiding excessive exercise
- Wearing supportive shoes
- Maintaining a sensible weight
- Stretching your feet before getting out of bed
There are a number of important structures that are involved in the development of heel pain. For example, the plantar fascia ligament runs along the sole of the foot. This band of fibrous tissue helps retain the arch of the foot by bending and contracting as we walk or run.
The most common heel injury occurs when tears and inflammation develop along this ligament. Additionally, overuse injuries to the heel can also cause the formation of a spur on the heel bone. Bone spurs result in an outgrowth of calcium that extends from the heel bone. They tend to cause heel sensitivity with every step.
The Achilles tendon may also be responsible for heel pain. Damage to this tendon might deliver pain through tears and inflammation. However, it may also contribute to the development of plantar fasciitis.