Most of us don’t give much thought to our hard-working heels — until they start to hurt. Then, even the simplest activities can suddenly be excruciatingly uncomfortable.
While both plantar fasciitis and heel spurs can contribute to painful heel symptoms, they affect your heels (and your feet) differently. As a leading provider of state-of-the-art solutions for heel pain, Texas Foot & Ankle Specialists, PLLC, offers this quick overview of both conditions to help you understand your heel pain a little bit better.
Both heel spurs and plantar fasciitis can be related to overuse or repetitive use issues, but the way they happen and the symptoms they cause can vary significantly.
Plantar fasciitis is a chronic condition that happens when the long, tough band of tissue called the plantar fascia becomes irritated and inflamed. The plantar fascia extends from the ball of your foot to your heel, providing support and buoyancy when you walk, stand, or perform other activities.
Not surprisingly, this tissue band takes on a lot of stress throughout the day, and over time, that stress can lead to inflammation and pain. High-impact athletic activities, like running and jumping, increase the risk of plantar fasciitis, but it can happen to anyone, particularly people who:
Plantar fasciitis also becomes more common with age as years of wear and tear take their toll on the plantar fascia ligament.
Also called calcaneal spurs or bone spurs, heel spurs happen when your body deposits excess calcium on the underside of your heel, creating a hard, bony growth.
Heel spurs typically form over time as a result of ongoing stress and strain on the muscles and ligaments of your foot. Your body responds by laying down extra calcium to protect the area.
For most people, heel spurs alone don’t cause any pain. In fact, many people don’t know they have a heel spur until it’s revealed on X-ray, usually when diagnosing another foot-related issue — like plantar fasciitis.
Although both conditions can cause heel discomfort, the type of discomfort and the way it happens can provide clues to help differentiate them from one another.
While plantar fasciitis pain may feel worse in the heel area, especially when you press along the bottom of your foot, the ligament extends along the entire sole of your foot. As a result, you can experience tenderness anywhere along this path.
Pain also tends to feel worse after a period of resting — for instance, after sleeping or spending a lot of time sitting. As you move, you may notice your discomfort decreases as the ligament “warms up.” then returns after another period of rest or inactivity.
As noted, many people have no discomfort from the heel spur itself. However, if the bony spur presses into the surrounding tissue — like the plantar fascia ligament — it can definitely cause discomfort.
That extra pressure can create a focused zone of irritation that exacerbates inflammation. If that happens, you may feel a sharp, stabbing pain in your heel when walking or standing, especially if you’ve already been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis.
Heel pain may be common, but the good news is, it also responds well to conservative treatment. Many people find relief from treatments involving a combination of:
For more severe cases, we may recommend injections or extracorporeal shockwave treatment to relieve inflammation at its source. Less often, we may recommend surgery to release the plantar fascia and remove bone spurs.
Don’t let heel pain interrupt your routine or take a toll on your comfort: Treatment can help. To learn how, request an appointment with our team at our locations in Mesquite, Forney, and Kaufman, Texas, today.
