10 Causes of Heel Pain

By james

Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky

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Walking can be hard work. Long walks, in particular, can be tiring and our feet can be in agony after a day’s work, especially if we are wearing uncomfortable shoes. The brunt of the force when we are walking is placed on the heel as it is the part that first takes the impact of our feet landing on the floor.

This also means that the heel is particularly prone to developing complications that can be painful to us. These tend to be down to physical impacts and stresses and can also be down to problems with the internal physiology of the feet. Many problems can be treated and will pass in time, while others are harder to treat and may require surgery.

Cause #1: Fracture

When you think about it, it is quite impressive at just how much pressure our heels are put through on a daily basis. They need to be able to withstand the whole weight of our body as we put our feet on the ground when walking. This is made worse by running and jumping, which will increase the forces involved.

As tough as they are, the bones in our heels are not indestructible. The constant stresses of the impact with the ground can weaken the heel bone over time and this could potentially lead to a fracture. This is particularly likely to occur in people that take part in sports and people that are obese.