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Location
Pain arises in
the centre of the heel and sometimes can spread to the arch
region of the foot. Some patients complain of intense pain
when walking the first few steps in the morning and after
periods of rest.
How
it affects you running
The most common
cause of heel pain is plantar fascitis. The plantar fascia
is a broad band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the
foot. When this band of tissue is damaged due to biomechanical
reasons or inappropriate running shoes then the tissue can
become inflamed or even tear at the heel bone. This can be
very painful and can result in a total cessation of running.
Causes
of Heel Pain
As stated above,
if biomechanical complaints such as over pronation exist during
running than this can lead to planter fascitis. Over pronation
occurs when there is excessive mobility in the sab-taler joint
of the foot which causes hyper mobility of the foot. Conditions
such as flat feet can also cause over pronation. This increased
mobility adversely affects all the muscles in the foot and
can even affect the lower le, upper leg and cause back pain.
The mechanical imbalance is highlighted during running due
to the increased forces being applied to the body.
Runners often
complain that the pain increases when they enter the toe off
phase of the running cycle as this stretches the muscle away
from the heel bone. Apart from over pronation, other causes
of planter fascitis are a change of running shoes, dramatic
increases in speed work, hill work and mileage.
Rupture
Sprinters and
marathon runners can sometimes experience a plantar fascia
rupture. This occurs due to the predisposing factors accompanied
with abrupt forces being applied to the heel. A runner may
experience a sudden intense pain in the heel area. This will
result in a non-weight bearing cast being applied to the runner
for 1-3 weeks with full recovery in 12 weeks.
Treatment
of Heel Pain for Runners
Initial treatment
should consist of an ice pack. Some runners prefer to use
a wet towel that has been in the fridge. We recommend you
use commercially available ice packs for focused pain released.
Anti-inflammatory such as Ibrobrufen will help to reduce the
swelling. Please note this should be taken with meals and
never before running.
As with all soft
tissue injuries, you may have to re-examine your training
regime. A reduction or even a total break form running may
be necessary. Examination of running shoes making sure the
shoes do not bend excessively near the middle of the foot
and at the ball of the foot. Sports shoes with built in insoles
can be beneficial, however we recommend you replace existing
insoles with specific sports orthotics/ insoles. Silicone
heel cups, leather heel pads and contrasting cold and hot
therapy can all help to speed up the healing process. The
plantar fascia stretch will help to prevent the injury from
occurring again. Please note that this stretch should not
be done while the heel is inflamed and should only be attempted
once you’re a feeling minimal or no pain from you heel.
PLANTAR FASCIA
STRETCH
Stand straight with your hands against a wall and your injured
leg slightly behind your other leg. Keeping your heels flat
on the floor, slowly bend both knees. You should feel the
stretch in the lower part of your leg. Hold the stretch for
10 to 15 seconds. Repeat the stretch six to eight times. This
stretching exercise may be helpful for plantar fasciitis,
achilles tendonitis and calcaneal apophysitis.
Soccer
Players and Heel Pain
The below information
has been contributed by Bruce Brownlee from www.brucebrownlee.com
For soccer players,
you may see more plantar fasciitis with screw-in cleats on
hard ground, and also with kids playing without adequate arch
support. Most coaches aren't trained to be able to recognize
which problem is causal, so the usual approach is
1) rest, anti-inflammatories, icing, stretching
2) return to play gradually in heel cups (like Tuli or other
brands)
3) failing this, remove the heel cups and add arch support
Getting kids to stretch out their arches before getting out
of bed saves a lot of pain on that first jump out of bed to
the floor.
Getting arch supports into the kids walk-around running shoes
helps out as well. We have the kids walking around a great
deal, especially with travel teams, and somehow the average
running shoe does not have a stiff enough arch. A lot of kids
and coaches like arch supports nearly anything is better than
nothing.
For soccer coaches (usually overweight daddy coaches), you
may see a lot more problems with sore heels from lack of arch
support. You may also see a lot of stress fractures of the
sesamoid and some Taylor's bunions. A lot of the coaches are
50 pounds or more overweight, still muscular, and able to
put too much pressure on the ball of the foot trying to make
changes of direction that only 12 year old kids should do.
If you find players or coaches with Taylor's bunions, you
might ask them if they are in adidas shoes. Most adidas shoes
are cut far too narrow, and these aggravate this condition.
A number of other shoe brands like Kelme or Nike offer a wider
cut in the toe box. For running shoes, New Balance come in
widths up to 3E or 4E.
Recommended
Product
Dr Foot Sports
Insoles
Dr Foot's Sports
Insoles work wonders on problem-prone feet. These revolutionary
Insoles are biomechanically engineered to help relieve heel
pain.
The contoured shape supports
your feet in two directions, both lengthwise and across the
arch, for maximum relief of pain and fatigue. The special
poron heel cushion and the comfortable arch support helps
to reduce shock absorption and fatigue.
 Click
Here to View Dr Foot Sports Insoles
Testimonial
"I run distances and
also am a postman. Last year I began to suffer from plantar
faciitus. Nothing worked and the pain got worse. I then found
out the arches on my feet had begun to flatten after years
of running and walking miles. I tried various inserts to no
avail until I found the Dr Foot site by chance.
I then bought two pairs of
the Dr Foot sports insoles and voila! My feet almost instantly
felt the difference. I have had them in my shoes ever since
for running and at work. Would not be without them now. I
am going to buy my next batch soon. They do last for a good
while as I walk miles and run the same. I
happened to show them to my local podiatrist at my health
centre. She remarked, "they are good looking inserts
where did you get them?"
J Montgomery
, UK
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