One of the most common foot complaints people have is heel pain. Most people tend to believe that it's because they have a heel spur by the time they come to a podiatrist. This may be because they already have a confirmed heel spur shown on an x-ray that was ordered by another doctor or physician. However, having a heel spur does not automatically suggest that it's the cause of the problem. The presence of a heel spur can be a symptom of the underlying foot problem, caused by a systemic condition affecting your entire body, or an incidental finding that has no bearing on the reason behind your heel pain. Plantar fasciitis tends to be the most common cause of heel pain, which can result in the development of a heel spur over time in the chronic stages, but there are still other causes of heel pain that must be considered and ruled out before assuming the diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. If the other causes are not ruled out, then some of the treatments utilized to treat plantar fasciitis could either have no effect on improving your symptoms or may even worsen your underlying condition if misdiagnosed. The following are some of the possible conditions that could cause heel pain:
Plantar fasciitis
Plantar fasciosis
Calcaneal bursitis
Calcaneal Stress Fracture
Bone contusion
Trauma
Acute calcaneal fracture secondary to Trauma
Calcaneal stress reaction
Avulsion fracture at the Calcaneus
Fat Pad Atrophy
Haglund's Deformity
Os Trigonum Syndrome
Os Peroneum Syndrome
Peroneal Tendinitis
Peroneal tendon tear
Peroneal tendon rupture
Achilles Tendinitis
Partial Achilles Tendon Tear
Achilles Tendinosis
Achilles Tendon Rupture
Heel Spur Syndrome
Intractable Plantar Keratosis
Foreign Body
Plantar Fibromatosis
Soft tissue mass
Calcaneal Bone Cyst
Calcaneal Bone Tumor
Calcaneal Apophysitis
Baxter's Neuritis
Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral Arterial Disease
Foot Ulcer
Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis(DISH)
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Seronegative Arthropathy
Sarcoidosis
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Reactive Arthritis
Paget's Disease of Bone
Cellulitis
Osteomyelitis
Abscess
Infection
A well-trained foot and ankle specialist, such as a podiatrist, is able to to assess the cause of your heel pain by obtaining a thorough history of the nature of your symptoms and reviewing your medical history combined with a clinic exam to help you narrow down the possible reasons for your heel pain. Additional tests could be ordered by a foot specialist such as x-rays, bloodwork, nerve studies and/or an MRI depending on their findings to consider some of the possible causes of your heel pain. It is important to be evaluated by a foot and ankle specialist instead of self-diagnosing your pain so that you do not inadvertently cause more harm through self-treatment, or make it more challenging to resolve your heel pain by delaying treatment too long. Schedule your online appointment today with us or your local podiatrist and get help for your heel pain to continue living your life to its fullest.
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