Are you tired of hobbling through your day due to nagging heel pain? If so, you're not alone.
Heel pain can be stubborn and debilitating, making even the simplest tasks challenging. The good news is that relief may be closer than you think. Chiropractic care is an often overlooked but highly effective solution for addressing heel pain and its underlying causes.
Through gentle adjustments, targeted exercises, and holistic soft tissue therapies, chiropractors offer a comprehensive healing approach beyond symptom management.
In this post, we'll explain why you may have heel pain, how to treat heel pain at home naturally, and how your chiropractor can alleviate heel pain at the source.
Let’s do it.
Why Do I Have Heel Pain?
When you think about how much pressure your feet support daily, it’s no wonder you may suffer from heel pain. In fact, heel discomfort is common among those who are active, sedentary, young, elderly and everyone in between. But why?
Because of the connectivity within the body’s systems, injuries or dysfunction elsewhere can cause heel pain. Working with a chiropractor will help you identify the cause of your pain so you get the most efficient healing strategy.
Common reasons for heel pain include:
- Poor habitual movement patterns
- Regularly using an improper lifting technique
- Poor posture
- Overuse due to high-impact sports or physical activity, such as running
- Pregnancy or carrying too much weight
- Wearing improper shoes with poor support
- Standing for extended periods regularly, such as during your workday
- Aging or regular wear and tear
- A chronic illness or injury
- A traumatic event or accident, such as a sports-related accident
These habits, lifestyle choices, and events can cause ongoing heel discomfort or conditions related to heel pain, including:
- Plantar fasciitis- the inflammation or tearing of the thick band of tissue that runs from the heel to the toes
- Heel bursitis- inflammation of the bursa near the heel
- Arthritis- chronic inflammation of the soft tissues in and around the heel
- Achilles tendinitis- the inflammation or degeneration of the Achilles tendon
- Sprain or strain- when the soft tissues in and around the heel are overstretched or overextended
Tips to Reduce Heel Pain Now
Your local heel pain chiropractor will gladly approve these four tips to help you end heel pain right now.
Remove your shoes
This sounds like a no-brainer, but many people don’t think to do it. If possible, take your shoes off. Your shoes may add to discomfort, especially if they’re ill-fitting or unsupportive.
Stop any activities causing acute (immediate) heel pain
In the throes of heel pain, discontinue the activities that may contribute to your pain. When the body shows discomfort, it’s telling us something is wrong. It’s important to listen and not push through pain without the supervision of a chiropractor or healthcare provider.
Rest, elevate, and ice the foot and heel
When injured, the body pushes excess blood, nutrients, and oxygen to the area in need. This process helps heal the compromised tissues but also increases inflammation in already inflamed areas.
Elevating and icing the heel will reduce circulation, keeping inflammation down and promoting comfort.
Stretch and massage the foot and heel
Gentle stretching and massage will remove tension and pressure in the heel, relax soft tissues, and nurture soothing properties in the body and mind.
Pro tip: Roll a frozen water or soda bottle under the foot. This acts as both massage and stretch therapy. If you keep a frozen bottle in your freezer at all times, it can be used for this purpose whenever needed.
Visit Our Bay City Chiropractor to End Heel Pain
Chiropractic services find the cause of your pain; they don’t just treat the symptoms. Our goal is to allow the body to safely heal so you can attend to your priorities in comfort.
We understand the musculoskeletal system and how it needs to function to keep you safe. Our healing strategy will be designed around you, your imbalances, and your well-being.
The chiropractic techniques and services we use to help relieve heel pain include:
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Active Release Technique (ART)
- Therapeutic exercises
- Laser therapy
- And more
Our team will motivate the body’s natural healing capability and implement a plan unique to your needs and goals. A personalized approach, combined with in-clinic services and take-home guidance, is designed to help prevent re-injury with proactive care.
Imagine moving comfortably, knowing your feet will support your movements with no pain. Whether you’ve missed exercise, work, socializing, or all three, you need to get back to your routine. We can help.
Contact our Bay City chiropractic clinic, and let’s find out what’s causing your heel pain so you can confidently return to your active lifestyle.
