Is All Heel Pain Plantar Fasciitis?

Watch our video to learn why it stands to reason that not all #HeelPain is #PlantarFasciitis.

Watch our video to find out what other foot-related conditions could be causing your #heel pain and what do to if, despite seeing a clinician, your heel pain still exists.

There are numerous cases of misunderstood, or misdiagnosed, heel pain. Problem is, not all heel pain is the same AND there could be many underlying causes. Plantar fasciitis is just one of them!

Plantar fasciitis refers to the ‘plantar fascia’—that’s the fibrous ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot, from the heel bone to the toes.

It acts as our in-built shock absorber, but sadly it doesn’t easily stretch, which can cause problems.

Plantar fasciitis is Latin for ‘inflammation of the plantar fascia’. This pain and inflammation is a result of pressure on the foot and micro tearing of the plantar fascia.

Typical indicators of plantar fasciitis include:

  • Stabbing pain and stiffness in the underside of the heel
  • Heel pain that’s more intense in the morning or after sitting for lengthy periods
  • Pain in the heel after standing for hours
  • Pain that increases after activity
Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world. Marilyn Monroe

That being said, getting to the bottom of heel pain can be challenging. Clinicians need to consider all the possible causes and not assume that all heel pain is plantar fasciitis.

What else could be causing my heel pain?

That’s a good question, particularly if you’ve been diagnosed with plantar fasciits and, despite treatment, your heel pain is not going away or getting any better.

According to Dr Foot, some other causes of heel pain include:

  • Nerve entrapment
  • Tibialis posterior

ABOUT DR BRENDEN BROWN

Founder of A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle Care in Sydney, and former president of the Australasian Podiatry Council, Dr Brenden Brown (A.K.A Dr Foot) is a wealth of knowledge on how to take care of your feet, including how to find the best shoes.

Follow him on social media:
 instagram.com/askdrfoot
 facebook.com/podiatristsydney
 twitter.com/AStepAheadFAC

Transcript
Is all heel pain plantar fasciitis?

Hmm, you know I think it's important to let people know that not all heel pain is a heel spur or plantar fasciitis. When I lecture or teach other doctors about foot and heel pain, I remind them how really complicated feet are. With dozens of ligaments and tendons and bones, how can it be that all pain is from only one Condition? And the thing is, it's not.

Apart from fasciitis, it could be abductor hallucis, nerve entrapment, tibialis posterior, flexor hallucis pain; there's literally half a dozen other conditions heel pain can be. If you're not getting better, it may be because you've misdiagnosed, and that's a sign that maybe you need another opinion.

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