Foot heels are a kind of shock absorbers that protect the entire bone tissue of the lower limbs, as well as the musculoskeletal apparatus. Due to their structure, they withstand colossal loads, as well as body weight pressure when walking and running. The heel bone is the largest of the foot bones, it is soft, spongy, surrounded by a fatty layer and passes through itself blood vessels and nerves, including leading to other parts of the foot. From the calcaneus, the Achilles (heel) tendon that connects it with the gastrocnemius muscle and provides mobility of the ankle joint.
Why can the heel of the legs hurt?
Feeling of pain in the heels of women is most often caused by excessive stress on the legs, as well as by wearing unsuitable footwear (with an improper shoe, lifting, insole, etc.), high-heeled shoes. Especially it is familiar to people who, due to their professional activities, have to walk a lot or stand for a long time. The most susceptible to heel pain are those who have flat feet . As a rule, these factors can explain why the heels of the feet hurt during walking and at the end of the working day.
Also, pain can be explained by trauma to the heel. This can be a bruise, a fracture or fracture of the calcaneus, a rupture or extension of the tendon. Trauma is most often associated with an unsuccessful landing after a jump, walking on nerve surfaces, practicing various sports. But if the pain does not pass after rest, and traumatic factors are excluded, it is not so easy to understand why the heel on the right or left leg hurts, and how to treat it. To do this, consult a specialist.
Consider the most common diseases that can hit the heel and cause pain:
- Plantar fasciitis ("heel spur") - inflammation of the fascia - a flat ligament that connects the calcaneus with the bases of the fingers. This is a common reason why the heels of the feet ache in the morning. The disease is caused by regular exorbitant sprains and loads that cause microdamage of the ligament.
- Tendonitis of the calcaneus tendon is a degenerative-inflammatory process affecting the ligament tissues, resulting from excessive loads or associated with a decrease in the elasticity of the connective tissue.
- Osteochondropathy of the heel of the calcaneus - necrosis of the calcaneus of the calcaneus. It is assumed that the pathology is associated with vascular and metabolic disorders.
- Achillobursitis is an acute inflammation of the periarticular bag and the adjacent area. The disease is provoked both by physical activity and by infections.
- Tarsal syndrome is a neuropathy in which the tibial nerve is compressed at the level of the ankle.
- Compression neuropathy of the plantar nerves is the compression of the nerves of the soles leading to the toes, often caused by wearing narrow shoes with high heels.
Also, heel pain can be associated with various systemic diseases that result in damage to the bones and joints of the feet:
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- osteomyelitis;
- Bechterew's disease ;
- gout;
- tuberculosis of bone, etc.
Treatment for pain in the heels of the feet
Not having found out, why the heels of legs hurt, it is not necessary to carry out treatment independently, including folk remedies. Incorrectly selected therapy can not only not give positive results, but also lead to the progression of the underlying disease, provoking pain. As a rule, for the treatment of most pathologies that cause this symptom, medical methods of treatment are applied that combine with physiotherapy, massage, therapeutic gymnastics, wearing orthopedic footwear.