What Causes Heel Pain?

Pain is the body's way of telling us that we may have suffered an injury or contracted an illness. Pain that occurs in our heels alerts us to seek medical attention. Because a variety of causes exist for heel pain, it is very important to have any type of heel pain properly diagnosed by a podiatrist.

The heel bone is the largest of the 26 bones found in the human foot. The foot also has 33 joints and a network of more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. The heel bone is subject to a variety of outside influences that can affect its ability to function properly. Symptoms of heel pain that should be treated by a podiatrist include pain on the bottom of the heel or the back of the heel, pain that worsens upon rising, and pain that increases in severity over a period of months. The most common causes of heel pain on the bottom of the foot are plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and tarsal tunnel syndrome. The most common causes of posterior heel pain or pain behind the heel are Achilles Tendonitis, heel bursitis, and heel bumps.