FIVE “Must Know” Tips for Treating Your Painful Heel

1. You will not get better if you do not treat your Equinus.

• Equinus is tightness of your heel cord (Achilles tendon), which is made up of two muscles. One of the muscles starts above your knee and one starts below your knee. The one that starts above your knee is the one that is tight most of the time.
• Tightness in this tendon results in increased tension on the arch ligament (Plantar Fascia).
• 83% of the time, Equinus is associated with heel pain (Plantar Fasciitis).
• Stretching exercises can help, but using a brace to stretch is much more effective.
• Typical stretching takes about 2-3 months. This tendon is something that tightens over years and requires some time to stretch.
• Getting this corrected will make the long-term treatment for heel pain go much smoother.

2. A heel spur does not mean your worse prognosis is worse or that you will need to have surgery.

• The heel spur is simply a result of the arch ligament (Plantar Fascia) pulling on the heel bone (Calcaneus). This is a reactive occurrence and does not relate to increased pain.
• The heel spur does not cause pain. Your pain is due to the strain or partial tearing of the plantar fascia where it attaches to the heel.
• 90% of heel pain cases can be treated non-surgically.

3. Heel pain treatment is a 2-step process.

• Step 1 — Acute-treatment is the initial treatment stage that consists of getting your pain level down to a 1 or 2 out of 10 on a pain scale. You must be 80-90% better before you can move on to long-term treatment.
  • This stage of treatment is variable for each patient, but it does take some time and effort with a dedicated treatment plan to treat the causes of your pain and the symptoms.
• Step 2 — Long-term treatment usually consists of custom made arch supports (orthotics). This is not meant to treat heel pain until your symptoms are gone, but, just as important, is to prevent the heel pain from coming back. This stage of treatment is very well documented and not variable from patient to patient.

4. You do not always have to have a steroid injection.

• Injections have a time and place in the treatment of heel pain, but usually are only required if you are not progressing as expected.
• Injections do hurt for a few seconds, but they can have a significant impact on your treatment.
• You can take oral steroids as an alternative to injected steroids.

5. If you are not getting better, then Shockwave therapy may be an alternative to surgery.

• Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive procedure with no down time or risks, with proven success rates at 90%.
• This treatment is done in the office setting and requires no anesthesia.
• This treatment is done weekly for 3 consecutive weeks.
• The only restriction after this treatment is that you are not allowed to take any anti-inflammatory medications.

For more information visit - http://www.indianashockwave.com/ You may ask questions at the online consultation request form available 24/7 for your convenience.

Or contact us at Hoosier Foot & Ankle – 800-615-1363 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-615-1363 end_of_the_skype_highlighting