Dealing with chronic heel pain? The most likely candidate behind it is plantar fasciitis. Before you visit your foot doctor, you should try these 6 at-home therapy methods of healing plantar fasciitis.
If you feel a sharp pain in your heel when you walk, exercise, play sports or put any sort of pressure on your feet, you may be experiencing a condition known as plantar fasciitis. This is one of the most common foot ailments and often affects people who are:
- Flat-footed
- Frequent exercisers
- Constantly on their feet
- Overweight
- Wearing poorly fitting shoes
Fortunately, there are many effective ways to treat this condition both at home and from a podiatrist. Here is a list of at-home remedies, followed by how your NYC foot doctor can help.
Start Walking Tall Again: Visit Our NYC Podiatrist To Get Rid Of Your Heel Pain
At To Healthy Feet Podiatry, our foot doctors specialize in providing effective pain relief from a myriad of foot conditions, including plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis, bunions, and many others. If you are feeling discomfort and are unsure of what is causing it, we have the experts who can effectively diagnose your pain an develop an optimal treatment plan.
To schedule your initial appointment, call our office at 917-398-3668 or book your appointment online!
Why Does My Heel Hurt?
Chronic heel pain can be a sign of one of any number of issues. However, the most common problem that plagues millions of people and is the cause of most cases involving heel pain is Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar Fasciitis is typically caused by overuse of your feet, more specifically, the thick band of tissue in your foot called the plantar fascia. Because of how crucial this band of tissue is to balance and weight support, when it is strained, it can cause serious debilitating harm.
Treat Your Heel Pain With These 6 Methods
1. Rest, rest, rest
The best thing you can do for your heel pain is to rest as much as you can. Plantar Fasciitis is an issue that is caused by overuse of the feet. Whether it be sports, running, walking, or even normal everyday use with improper footwear, it can all cause your plantar fascia to become inflamed. By resting, you will allow your body to focus on healing rather than using the tendon, meaning that you can soon do the activities you love, free of pain.
2. Stretch Your Feet
Stretching your muscles and tendons promotes blood flow to the areas being stretched. Blood flow is absolutely critical to healing injuries as they bring in oxygen and nutrients that can help the body heal. Here are two stretches you can use for your heel pain:
- While sitting, take a towel, wrap it up as if you were to wring it out, and hold the two long ends. Put the middle of the towel at the base of the arch of your foot, and pull the ends of the towel while pushing down with your foot, kind of like you are tightening your shoelaces. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds and then repeat three times for each foot.
- While sitting, fold one leg over the other so you can sit up straight but still reach your big toe with your arm. Grab your big toe and pull it gently towards you until you feel a stretch. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat three times for each foot.
3. Ice to Reduce Inflammation
Icing any inflamed joint, tendon, or muscle is an effective way to reduce the swelling and free up the blood vessels to receive more oxygen and nutrients. You can ice your plantar fascia by raising your foot and taping a cold pack to the bottom of your foot. Alternatively, you could take a plastic water bottle, freeze it, and roll your foot out on it to both massage your foot and ice it at the same time.
4. Use Pain Relievers
Over the counter pain relievers won’t help remedy your heel pain, but they can be effective treatments at reducing the pain you feel throughout the day. If OTC painkillers don’t provide enough relief, your NYC foot doctor can prescribe NSAID’s that could help provide relief.
5. Shoe Inserts
If you have shoe inserts such as Superfeet, Dr. Scholl's, or any other brand, they could be effective at reducing the pressure on your plantar fascia. However, these are likely not customized to your foot shape. At To Healthy Feet Podiatry, we can provide custom-fitting orthotics that will support your plantar fascia and provide instant relief.
6. Avoid Painful Shoes
While it may be tempting to put on those fancy high heels or great looking dress shoes for a nice night out, if you are suffering from plantar fasciitis, these could be incredibly detrimental. Do your best to wear properly sized, comfortable footwear whenever possible.
Additionally, many people believe that going barefoot is a good way to promote healthy feet. If barefoot on soft surfaces, this can be true. However, avoid going barefoot on hard surfaces as this can be more damaging than helpful.
For more information about proper footwear for plantar fasciitis, check out our recommended shoe brands.
What Can a Podiatrist Do To Help?
As much as you can do some of these at-home methods, only a podiatrist can administer specific treatments. If none of the above at home remedies help your heel pain, schedule your appointment with one of our NYC foot doctors, and they can administer the following treatments to help your discomfort:
- Physical therapy
- Splinting
- Surgery
- Steroid injections
- Tenex
- Custom orthotics
- NSAIDs medication
Our Podiatrists in Midtown and Downtown NYC Can Help Relieve Your Foot Pain
If you are looking for a surefire way to remedy your ailing foot, heel, or ankle pain, our team of podiatrists at To Healthy Feet podiatry are here for you. We can diagnose your condition, develop a custom plan for you, and execute various treatment methods so you can walk away from your pain. Book your initial consultation by calling us at 917-938-3668, filling in our online contact form, or booking an appointment online.
FAQ’s
Q: Can Plantar Fasciitis heal on its own?
Oftentimes yes, plantar fasciitis can heal itself over time. However, this is not always the case, and treatment methods are needed to speed up the healing process.
Q: What other conditions could my heel pain be?
Here are some common foot conditions that cause foot pain apart from plantar fasciitis:
- Heel spur
- Bursitis
- Stress fracture
- Achilles tendonitis
- Ankle or foot sprain
Q: Will surgery permanently remove my plantar fasciitis?
While surgery is an incredibly effective method of treating plantar fasciitis, as with any other surgery, it does not have a 100% success rate. If plantar fasciitis surgery is ineffective, a combination of alternative therapy methods can be used.
