Do you wake up with heel or foot pain? Meet Anastasia, a 30-year-old traffic warden. She came to our clinic with gradual heel pain over six months, forcing her to quit her job in the last two months. It felt like walking on broken glass, especially in the morning or after sitting for a while.
Anastasia’s pain eased with movement but returned if she sat for more than 10 minutes. During the exam, we found tendinopathy signs – tenderness in her plantar fascia insertion area, a stiff subtalar joint, and tight muscles causing a twist in her pelvis while walking.
Think of Aleksandra like a car—she lost shock absorbers (stiff foot joints and tight muscles), and her tire (plantar fascia) wore unevenly.
She asked how she got this pain. The answer? Apart from trauma, we’re not entirely sure. Changes in biomechanics, possibly in the pelvis, leg, or even higher, can influence heel position during walking. The loss of shock absorption overloads the plantar fascia insertion, leading to inflammation and pain.
Options for dealing with this include:
1. Do Nothing: It may resolve on its own over a year or two.
2. Standard Care: Icing, massage, anti-inflammatory meds, stretching, and exercises can be effective.
3. Injection Therapy: Corticosteroid injections can provide temporary relief.
4. Shockwave Therapy, Joint Mobilizations, and Exercises: This worked wonders for Aleksandra. After five sessions, her morning pain dropped from nine to zero in three weeks.
Whether you’re in North London or elsewhere, we’re here to help!