There are many causes of heel pain. Overuse, muscle/tendon weakness, obesity, trauma and inherent abnormality in bio-mechanics or how your foot functions. As a Pedorthist, we part of our main task is to conduct careful and thorough examination of your foot range of motion, muscle strength and bone structure alignment. All of this play a big role in determining the cause of the pain and how a treatment plan is formulated. Majority of the people with heel pain based on my observation are caused by over-pronation of the foot or outward motion relative to body's saggital plane. When that repetitive motion happens during stance phase of Gait cycle. Too much strain is introduce at the attachment site of the Plantar Fascia, creating inflammation and pain mostly at the heel or the entire bottom of the foot. This can be prevented by creating a device that prohibits over-pronation, an environment that allows the foot to heal on its own. An appropriate footwear and custom orthotic are part of the Pedorthic treatment plan which is by far one of the most effective way of treating heel pain.
