Heel pain in adults is caused by several different things, but the most common one is a condition known as plantar fasciitis. The pain from plantar fasciitis typically are under the heel and the classic sign is that the discomfort is worse when getting out of bed first thing in the morning for those first few steps. Following those first steps the discomfort does typically ease somewhat, but it worsens again as the day goes on. The plantar fascia is a long ligament underneath the bottom of the foot which is responsible for assisting the arch of the foot, so plantar fasciitis is because there being a lot of strain on the arch of the feet. The main risk factors for this are tight calf muscles, being overweight and having increased amounts of exercise. Lower limb dysfunctional problems that raises the load in the plantar fascia can also be a factor in increasing the strain.

The initial approach to plantar fasciitis is pain alleviation with the use of ice following activity and maybe using anti-inflammatory and pain relief medication. Taping may also be used for the short term to help with the pain. Foot supports enables you to decrease the load on the arch of the foot and fix any dysfunctional issues that maybe a issue in leading to the plantar fasciitis. It is important to stretch the leg muscles as that is a significant risk. Night can also be used to assist with that stretching if required. Strengthening the muscles which also support the arch can also be of great benefit since they take some load of the plantar fascia. In the long run, losing weight is essential because this really does create a lot of stress in the foot. Whenever these strategies aren't helping to well, then it's time to consider things like shockwave therapy or corticosteroid injection therapy. A final resort for plantar fasciitis could be a surgical procedure.