Heel Pain X-ray YES or NO by Dr Brenden Brown – Podiatrist

Transcript

So, you've got heel pain and you want to know whether or not you need an X-ray. Well, guess what? I'm here to tell you that you most probably don't.

Why you ask? Most times no matter what great aunt Beth tells you, heel spurs on the bottom of your heel don't actually cause pain.

Now we know that because stacks of people actually have and present with heel spurs, but actually have no pain whatsoever.

You need to trust your clinician to actually make the right diagnosis for you. We know from research as well that heel spurs don't cause pain.

Heel spur and Why you don’t have one by Dr Brenden Brown – Podiatrist

Blog, Heel Pain

Transcript
So let's talk about do heel spurs actually cause pain? Guess what? The answer is probably not. Most pain in your heel is actually a result of soft tissue injury. That's right. The tendons, muscles, or nerves around your heel are the reason for the pain, and not the bony spur at all.

Now, how do we know this? There's stacks of ways and one of them is research. So we've done loads of research that actually shows that on taking x-rays of oodles of people, we've found that despite lots of people having x-rays, only a very tiny percent of those people actually have any pain. Now, if the spur causes the pain, shouldn't they all have pain? Hmmm, yeah, you see, that's one of the reasons why we know that most heel spurs don't cause pain.

Now what else do we know? Heel spurs don't come and go, right? Once you've got a heel spur, it's there the whole time. It's not going to come and go like the cast of "Neighbours." No one's moving to Queensland to get a job, right? Okay, so your spur is not going to suddenly appear and not appear, but that's what often happens with pain in your heel.

I realise that there's stacks of information out there and Auntie Bess is going to tell you that it's a heel spur that's causing your pain. Somewhere along the lines, you're going to have to trust me more than Auntie Bess. I hope that helps you with some of the confusion about why it's probably not a heel spur.

Want more information? That's fantastic. There's stacks of videos that we've made. Look down below. There's most likely a link there, or check us out on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc., all the normal socials because we've got stacks of educational videos on heel pain and all the other conditions that we look after. Thanks and stay happy, healthy and active.

Dr Foot’s Number 1 tip for reducing heel pain by Dr Brenden Brown Podiatrist

Blog, Fungal Nails

The number one tip for reducing heel pain that I give to patients every day is wearing good quality lace up running shoes. Now, I know this drives people insane, and I know it's annoying to have to do, but wearing a good quality lace up shoe is one of the things that instantly drops heel pain down in its severity.

I want you to think about your foot like it's a broken arm, for example, but it's a broken foot. If you had a broken arm, you keep your cast on all day. I want you to think about these shoes like it's a plaster cast for your foot, but it's more flexible. You wouldn't get home at the end of the day and take off your plaster cast, and nor should you get home at the end of the day and go home and take your sneakers or good-quality runners off. It just won't help you.

I'm not talking about the rest of your life. what I'm saying to people is, you need to do this just while you're in pain and until we've been able to get you better. If someone hasn't talked to you about this really, I think they should of. Telling you that you can wear flip flops or thongs, open feet, really won’t get you any better any quicker.

So, please wear your shoes.

Next Entries »

Conditions

Heel Pain
Diabetes
Sports Care
Common Conditions
Corns and Callous
Cracked Heels
Ingrown Nails
Flat Feet
Plantar Warts
Fungal Nails
Tinea
Shin Splints
Other Conditions
Children

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