When presented with heel pain in a clinic it means various different things to a podiatrist, however to you as the patient it just means pain and that’s why you are reading this or coming in to see us.
When anyone types ‘heel pain’ into a search engine the main search results point to a condition called plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is a very common condition for all age groups and I’m sure we all have known someone who has had it in the past. However it is not always plantar fasciitis and may be any number of other conditions, for example:
- Heel spur
- Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction/ pathology
- Achilles tendon pathology
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome
- Heel pad atrophy (reduction in fatty padding on the heel)
- Reiters Syndrome
- Gout
- Heel fracture
- And of course plantar fasciitis
All of these should you have one, we would explain in detail during a consultation. The foot is complex and can have damage to so many different areas that surround the foot and in particular the heel.
