Heel Pain Prevention
Heel pain is a common condition that troubles a large population along all age groups. It starts with mild pain but sometimes become severe enough to restrict mobility of patient and affect his activities of daily living. So, it is important to first know the cause of heel pain. There could be many causes like plantar fasciitis, Tendo-Achilles tear, flat foot, nerve compression, arthritis, obesity. If you have a heel pain consult a foot and ankle surgeon to know the exact cause and treatment. But routinely we can do few things to keep feet healthy and pain free.
- Rest: if you have heel pain, give appropriate rest to your ankle. Avoid unnecessary stress to the joint.
- Stretch: doing stretching exercises of small muscles of foot and lower leg helps in efficient functioning of foot walking mechanism and prevents heel pain.
- Footwear: good footwear as per the foot architecture is important to keep your foot healthy. If you indulge in sports activity, wear the shoe meant for the kind of sport.
- Ice: in case of new onset pain, apply ice packs 3 times a day for about 15 mins each time. You can roll a frozen water bottle under your foot also. This helps in reducing inflammation and pain.
- Splints and supports: if you have tight muscles and stiff joints, night splints and day time orthotic support can help prevent and even treat heel pain.