Many runners complain of nagging heel pain, but fewer runners can accurately diagnose the cause of the problem. Heel pain could indicate one of several different injuries. Heel pain left untreated can send sensations of pain shooting up the leg and down the foot, hampering performance, but these injuries can also typically be treated with rest and common home remedies.
Stone Bruises
A runner with heel pain should first examine himself for symptoms of the simplest heel injury, the stone bruise. A stone bruise is most often caused by striking the heel on a stone, rock, tree root or another sharp object, bruising the fat pad that protects the heel bone. However, a stone bruise can also be developed gradually due to excessive heel-striking in a runner's stride, or by running exclusively on hard surfaces. This impact is worsened when a runner wears worn out shoes with uneven soles and insufficient heel cushioning.
Plantar Fasciitis
The heel injury most common to runners, plantar fasciitis, is signaled by pain at the front of the heel that spreads throughout the heel. Plantar fasciitis is usually triggered by overtraining, especially when a runner trains on lots of hills or runs on her toes. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the tissue that connects the heel to the toes, forming the arches of the feet. Overuse causes the tissue to develop microscopic tears and become inflamed, robbing the arches of flexibility. The arches of the foot naturally flatten to absorb impact during each running stride, but as they lose flexibility, they avoid springing back and remain flat and stretched out. Pain from these stretched out arches strikes most severely when a runner first wakes up in the morning or has been sitting for long periods of time, allowing the muscles and tissues of the foot and calf to stiffen.
Heel Spurs
Heel spurs are easily confused with plantar fasciitis since the two injuries share many of the same symptoms, but heel spurs are a more severe injury typically requiring treatment from a podiatrist and occasionally even surgery. As with plantar fasciitis, heel spurs begin when repeated impact strains the plantar fascia which form the arch of the foot, ripping the fascia from the heel bone. As the fascia tear from the bone, tiny droplets of blood left behind on the heel bone calcify to form small, sharp spurs. Heel spurs send pain shooting from the connection between the heel and plantar fascia all the way through the back of the heel and usually require an X-ray examination for accurate diagnosis.
Home Remedies
As with any injury, an athlete should first seek to treat heel injuries by preventing them. Running on soft surfaces, replacing running shoes every 300 to 400 miles and allowing the body sufficient rest will all help reduce a runner's risk for heel injuries. When an injury occurs, a runner should ice the affected area for 10 to 15 minutes after running. Over-the-counter, anti-inflammatory drugs help reduce inflammation in the heel and stretching of the calves and hamstrings prior to running can help relieve pain. A runner may also wear a heel cup, designed to relieve pressure on the heel and redirect impact, inside his running shoe. Still, the most effective treatment for a heel injury is to rest or cross-train until the pain subsides.
References
- CoolRunning.com; Foot Pain; Josh Clark
- American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine; Plantar Fasciitis: Treatment Perils; Douglas Richie Jr.
- Sports Medicine South; Having Heel Pain; March 2011
- U.S. National Library of Medicine; Heel Pain; February 2011
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Heel Pain; March 2001
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