What to Do If Your Heel Hurts in the Morning or Every Time You Stand Up

You’re not the only one with heel pain, it’s often a symptom for many of us. A variety of factors can cause it like trauma, being overweight, uncomfortable shoes, and inflammation. It’s important to know that heel aches shouldn’t be endured for a long time, since the diseases that cause them may progress and become more dangerous.

In order to get rid of the discomfort and restore the health of your feet, you need to know what caused the heel pain. Bright Side discovered which disorders can cause heel pain and how to treat each of them.

1. Fracture of the heelbone

A fracture of the calcaneus or cracks in it may be caused by injuries. And sometimes they go unnoticed and don’t show up for a long time.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the type of fracture. For some fractures, non-surgical treatment may be used. For example, the immobilization of the foot in a cast boot so that the broken bone doesn`t move.

The RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate) method also can help. It includes resting, putting an ice pack on the foot, wearing a compression stocking, and keeping the foot above the level of the heart.

2. Reactive arthritis

Reactive arthritis affects the joints and develops as a result of past infections, like gonorrhea, salmonellosis, ureaplasmosis, dysentery, and other diseases that affect the urinary system or gastrointestinal tract. Distinctive symptoms of reactive arthritis, in addition to heel pain, are that it gets worse at night, unpleasant sensations in the genital area, and inflammation of the joints and eyes. Not the greatest feelings in the world.

Treatment

If the inflammation of the heel area is the result of diseases like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or other genital infections, they must be urgently cured. See your doctor as soon as possible.

3. Arthrosis

Arthrosis causes deformity and destruction of the joints and it may affect your heels too.

Treatment

The goal of arthrosis treatment is to relieve pain. It may include:

4. Bursitis

Bursitis is a disease that is characterized by inflammation of the articular sac.

Treatment

Bursitis can get better on its own. The doctor may prescribe an antibiotic if the inflammation is caused by an infection, or an injection to relieve the pain. In a critical case, the doctor might prescribe surgery to remove the bursa.

Conservative measures for pain relief:

5. Gout

Due to gout, urates (the salts of uric acid) are deposited into the joints, and this can cause severe heel pain.

Treatment

To reduce pain and swelling, apply ice to the affected area and lift your foot above heart level. Also take anti-inflammatory drugs.

Gout treatment is aimed at reducing the level of uric acid in the body:

6. Plantar fasciitis

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia that connects the calcaneus to other parts of the foot, in particular, to the toes. The main symptom is heel pain.

Treatment

There is no universal treatment for this disease. But there are several ways to alleviate the condition and prevent further development of the disease.

7. Heel spur

A heel spur is a calcium formation that is localized on the heel bone. This growth may appear due to injuries and concomitant diseases of the joints or bones. Heel spurs hurt, especially when walking and stepping on the foot.

Treatment