3 Ways That A Podiatrist Can Help You Deal With Heel Pain


One of the worst types of pain that you can experience is foot or heel pain, especially if you have an active lifestyle or a job that requires you to be on your feet all the time. However, a podiatrist can help you deal with or eliminate heel pain in a variety of ways, such as the three listed below.

Gait Adjustment

One of the most common causes of heel and foot pain is an incorrect or awkward gait. In many cases, if you walk with an odd or awkward gait it can cause a whole host of issues, such as poor posture and pain in various areas of your body. For example, the awkward or incorrect gait can cause hip, back, neck, leg, foot, and heel pain. 

A podiatrist will often ask you to walk through his or her office while he or she observes your gait to determine if that is the cause of your heel pain and have you make adjustments to the way that you walk to see if that helps at all. In addition, observing your gait can also help a podiatrist determine if you have other foot issues, such as heel spurs or weak arches.

Custom Orthotics

A podiatrist can help you out by prescribing custom orthotics. Custom orthotics are far more effective than off-the-shelf options in most cases because they are specifically designed to deal with your issue or issues. While an off-the-shelf orthotic can be useful for dealing with one particular issue, many custom orthotics can be designed to treat multiple foot and heel issues with a single orthotic in order to alleviate pain or reduce pressure in the heel. 

Surgery

Surgery is often going to be the last resort for a podiatrist when it comes to dealing with heel pain. In many cases, the podiatrist will try cortisone injections, medication, exercise, and orthotics before resorting to surgery. However, there are situations where surgery is necessary, such as when a heel spur does not respond to cortisone.

A heel spur forms when calcium deposits develop on your heel and can sometimes become quite painful to walk or stand on. In situations where other treatments have failed, a podiatrist can utilize surgery to remove the heel spur or detach the plantar fascia ligament in order to prevent heel spurs from developing in the future.

Make an appointment at a clinic like ETL Podiatry today if you are experiencing heel pain in order to discuss your treatment options. A podiatrist can utilize gait adjustment, custom orthotics, and surgery in order to alleviate your heel pain.

About Me

Understanding Podiatry Problems

When I started running every day, I realized that my feet were giving me some serious problems. Some of my toenails were getting irritated because of the constant impact, and after awhile one of my toenails even turned black. I didn't know what was going on, so I decided to meet with a podiatrist to gain some insight. I also brought my shoes, which proved helpful during the appointment. The doctor explained to me that my shoes were fitting too tightly, which was putting friction on my toes. This blog is all about understanding podiatry problems and trying to keep your feet healthy.