Your feet are the foundation of your entire body. Pain in your feet can cause changes in foot biomechanics and changes in gait. Gait changes can lead to problems elsewhere in the body, like pain in the lower back and hip. According to The American Podiatric Medical Association, faulty biomechanics and abnormal gait can place too much stress on your heel bone and the soft tissues that attach to it, which results in heel pain and possibly a heel spur.
Heel Spur
When bone and soft tissues are stressed repetitively, your body can begin to create bone spurs. Bone spurs are projections of extra bone that develop on the edges of bone. According to MayoClinic.com, bone spurs themselves aren't painful, but they can rub against nearby nerves and bones, causing pain. A heel spur is a bone spur that forms on the heel bone of the foot. The American Podiatric Medical Association states that bone spurs are visible by X-ray and can extend forward as much as half an inch.
Cause
The National Library of Medicine states the heel pain and problems like bone spurs are not usually the result of a single injury, but are caused by repetitive or excessive heel pounding. The American Podiatric Medical Association states that heel spurs result from strain on the muscles and ligaments of the foot and may result from biomechanical imbalance while running or jogging, improperly fitted or excessively worn shoes and obesity.
Considerations
A common condition that results from this repetitive stress is called plantar fasciitis, which is inflammation of the soft tissue on the bottom of the foot. The National Library of Medicine notes that bone spurs frequently accompany plantar fasciitis. They also state that bone spurs are generally not the source of the pain and they reason that if you treat the plantar fasciitis appropriately, the bone spur is likely to no longer bother you.
Exercise
There are some exercises that can decrease heel pain and promote better foot biomechanics. Generally speaking, you want to maintain and promote healthy arches in the foot. One way to do this is to take a tennis ball and while sitting in a chair, place your foot over the ball. Then, gently roll the ball forward and back on the sole of your foot. This provides stretching and massage to the muscles and ligaments. You can also use a small glass bottle that can be chilled in the freezer to provide an ice massage.
A second stretching exercise is a calf stretch that involves standing and facing a wall. First, place your hands on the wall and then place the painful heel back with your foot flat on the floor. Move the other leg forward and slowly lean toward the wall until you feel a stretch in the calf. Hold this stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and then repeat up to 10 times. This exercise can be performed several times per day depending on symptoms.
Prevention
According to The American Podiatric Medical Association, a variety of steps can be taken to both treat and avoid heel pain and the accompanying afflictions like heel spurs. They recommend wearing properly fitting shoes, changing shoes that have excessive wear patterns on heels or soles, stretching and warming up before athletic activity, losing weight if you are obese and resting the foot when symptoms are acting up.
