Heel pain due to weight gain

Image via Wikipedia

At a time of the year when spending time with family, doing for others and eating big meals, there are few of us who are surprised when we put on a few pounds.  Even though Mother Nature treats us a little better than other parts of the country it is definitely not as pleasant for walking and running outside as rest of the year.   It is an unfortunate fact, but those few extra pounds may be the source of heel pain.  On the same note, a survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association indicates that foot pain, of which heel pain is a large component, cause many Americans to gain weight due to lack of activity.

This can often become a compounding problem. The more weight you gain, the more heel pain your may have and more heel pain you have the less likely you are to exercise those pounds away.  While there are a variety of exercises, such as swimming and biking, that are not limited by heel pain, we must admit that for most of us these options are not as easy as walking or running.  Strapping on a good pair of running shoes and taking a lap or two through your neighborhood is about as easy as it gets.  Remembering to do proper stretching of your feet, especially the plantar fascia, as well as your legs can help to keep the loose. Heel pain can often be the result of tight ligaments and muscles.  Foot pain can quickly limit this and should not be ignored.

This can be a very demanding time of the year.  The last thing you need is heel pain limiting your activity.  An evaluation by Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists can identify the source of your heel pain and get you back to your activities pain free.  There are many different causes of heel pain beyond weight gain and tight tendons so a thorough evaluation is necessary to avoid more serious problems.   A variety of treatments are available through your Austin podiatrist.  Don’t delay in having your heels feeling good for the holidays!

Runner’s World Body Breakdowns – Heel pain big part of the list

This past months’ print issue of Runner’s World had an article on common injuries to besiege runners.  If you are not a subscriber, an online version of this article can be found here.  Unsurprising to us is that at least three of these injuries can show up as heel pain.  Whether it is a stress fracture, Achilles tendonitis, or the all too common plantar fasciitis, this article highlights some of the steps you can take to deal with them if they occur. Because it can be difficult to distinguish the bone damage that occurs from a stress fracture from tendon damage, we must recommend you recruit the help of a foot specialist.

Often ‘taking it easy’ or giving yourself a few days of rest can help many mild inflammations, aka ‘itis’.  Beyond this you need to address why the problem occurred in order to prevent it from happening again. In the case of stress fractures which may often require X-ray or CT imaging to verify, you may requires more than a few days of  resting and immobilization to allow for the bone to properly heal.   Resting an injury sound like an easy solution, but even if you slow down or stop your running routine for a few days you still have to continue your daily life.   Honestly, who amongst can afford to stay off our feet for any extended period of time?  Special boots can be used to transfer the pressure and strain on your foot bones and tendons higher up your leg, these specialized boots can effectively rest the injury while keeping you mobile and various modalities can be implemented to help you heal.

If your symptoms worsen or do not get better, it is important that you visit your Austin podiatrist.  A thorough review of your activities, home treatments, symptoms, and foot mechanics can help your doctor to identify and implement ways to correct the problem.  Proper foot wear, warm ups, stretching, and building up to greater distances can all go a long way in preventing heel pain and other running related injuries.  When good prevention fails, it is time to seek out podiatric care…..

Related articles

• Heel Pain - Avoiding Plantar Fasciitis (austinfootandankle.com)

Heel Pain - Getting the proper shock absorption

We talked last month about foot mechanics and how they relate to heel pain. A good orthotic is designed to provide control as your foot moves. Recent online articles, like the one sited below under related articles, try to say that doctors aren't sure why orthotics work. We're not sure what doctors they're talking about because your Austin Foot and Ankle Specialist have extensive training in implementing the right type of orthotic for their patients.  For the patient with plantar fasciitis, the orthotic can help decrease the strain on this ligament and is used in prevention as well as rehabilitation. This article only highlights one area of control that an orthosis offers.

The control custom inserts provide several point of control. A deep heel cup can also help w/ another type of heel pain.  Some heel pain is due to the forces paced on the fat pad beneath your heel. With years of pressure on your heel, this pad can become displaced from proper position.   A good heel cup helps to keep the plantar fat pad under your heel bone in the right place for shock absorption. If you are a heel strike runner, you are putting 4 to 5 times your body weight on you heel every time you strike the ground.  This can be a contributing factor in addition to a number of reasons, including age and foot structure, that cause your fat pad to lack the amount of shock absorption you need.

Many running shoes have quite a bit of cushioning is the heel, but may do so at the expense of flexibility in the sole. The addition of heel pads can be an inexpensive and easy way to add cushion to your favorite running shoe. A cushioning pad placed underneath your orthotic or insole can do wonders to provide the additional absorption you require.   Through our online store, you can purchase Dr. Jill’s Gel Heel pads.  These pads can dissipate the shock of your heel strike, making up for any deficiency in your plantar heel pad.  With proper cushioning you can keep your run free of heel pain!

Related articles

· Some answers about orthotics (eurekalert.org)

• Why do orthotics work? (humankinetics.wordpress.com)

Why do my heels hurt? Answers from the Heel Pain Center of Central Texas

One of the most common foot issues to afflict individuals is heel pain.  As highlighted in the most recent Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists Newsletter, Dr. Thomajan has devoted a part of his practice to it.  There are many different causes for heel pain.  Last month in this blog we discussed one of the causes seen often in children.  In adults, the reasons are often have multiple causes which we will discuss further.

For adults, the problem is often a product of foot mechanics.  A movement of the foot, known as pronation, is critical to normal walking.  It allows stresses to be distributed through the foot until the toes leave the ground for the next step.  When this motion becomes exaggerated or moves past the point that is necessary, it can lead to problems.  The bottom of the foot becomes spread out during over-pronation and causes the arch of your foot to drop down.  This stresses the muscles and ligament beneath your foot often leading to plantar fasciitis.  More information on this can be found in the free book ‘Heel Pain’. Early treatment of this problem involves stretching, icing, and anti-inflammatory medication to provide relief.  This may help your heels feel better but does not correct the mechanical problem that caused it in the first place.  Without proper treatment, it can come back or worsen to the point of a tear in the tissues.

The Heel Pain Center of Central Texas was created to properly treat the causes of heel pain.  A division of Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists there are a variety of treatments available.  X-rays may be used to verify that the problem is in the tendons and muscles and not the heel bone itself.  Specialized shoe inserts, or custom orthotics, can often a good solution if your foot mechanics are the source of the problem.  There are also other non-invasive treatments that can be implemented to help heal damage caused to the fascia.  In severe cases where other treatment modalities fail, surgical intervention may be an option you discuss with your Austin podiatrist.  If you find yourself with heel pain, be sure to make a call to the Heel Pain Center of Central Texas.

Vivo barefoot® – Another option for the barefoot runner

We hope you have taken the time to educate yourself about minimalist or barefoot running before you have tried it.  Barefoot running isn’t for everyone.  We have discussed it before in this heel pain blog.  There are many proponents touting the benefits of it, but there are just as many medical professionals pushing for you to remain cautious.  The biggest concern is injury and infection that can come from getting something stuck in your skin, a big risk when running without any protection.   This concern is decreased with the use of so called ‘minimalist shoes’.   These ‘shoes’ offer a layer of protection for your skin while lacking the support of traditional running shoes.

There are many options out there is you are shopping for these minimalist shoes. Today we want to highlight one of those options; the Vivo barefoot®.  These shoes claim to be the first of these minimalist shoes on the market.  They claim to offer protection against punctures but with a specialized sole that allows for proprioceptive feedback.  Proprioception, your body ability to recognize positioning and to adjust muscle strength accordingly, has been a key to physical and rehabilitative therapy for some time.  A key to recovering from ankle sprains and injuries is early therapy to allow for this sensation to help guide you body to heal properly.  The theory is that this same proprioception can help strengthen the muscles in your foot, making you a better runner.

We feel this shoe is best suited for the committed or competitive runner who would like another element added to their training regime.  By wearing these on your off days, or for your occasional short distance, you may help the muscles in your feet to work better.  These muscles have a great influence on the joints and structure of your foot.  We have to recommend that you have your foot assessed by an Austin podiatrist.  Everyone’s foot structure is different and you should make sure that yours will function well with minimal support.  Doing so can keep you from having heel pain and many of the other injuries that are starting to surface in barefoot runners.

Back to School Heel Pain – Severe’s Disease

While most of the blogs on the Austin Runners and Heel Pain site focus on the adult runner, we wanted to throw in a source of heel pain for the younger runner. Fall sports are in full swing with school back in session and we want to make sure your kids are avoiding injury.  It is important to have the proper footwear for activities to prevent injury.  Unfortunately, problems, like Severe’s disease, can result even with the proper footwear and often is a result of overuse.  This blog will cover a little more about what it is and things you can do to help resolve it.

Calcaneal apophysitis or severe’s disease is a condition that typically appears in children between the ages of 8 and 14.  Up until the mid to late teen years, bones are still growing.  Bones are created out of a cartilage scaffold and some of this cartilage remains as a growth plate to allow for lengthening and expansion until children reach their adult size.  The growth plate in the heel bone can become inflamed and painful if too much pressure or tension is placed on it from activities.  The Achilles tendon also inserts onto this growth plate can also aggravate the problem if it is tight.  Foot mechanics can often be a contributory factor but it difficult to discern which children will be affected from those that will not.  While the cause may not be clear, the treatments to alleviate it are.

Heel Pain Center of Central Texas a division of Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists is dedicated to keeping everyone, especially your children, pain free.  One of their monthly newsletters discussed some of the characteristics of this condition. While you should follow up with an Austin podiatrist if this happens, reducing your childs activity and icing the area should help to reduce discomfort.  Additionally, they should avoid going barefoot and wear supportive shoes to alleviate pressure on the area.  Heel pads and arch supports may be useful to cushion the tender heel as well as remove tension from the Achilles.  With early intervention and proper treatment, your child can get back to the activities they love and make this heel pain an unpleasant memory.

Marathon Running – Making sure your feet are ready

Running long distances, such as marathons, asks a lot of your body. If we believe the story from ancient Greece, the individual who ran the extended distance to report victory of the Battle of Marathon died shortly after arrival due to exhaustion. The mondern marathon may only be a tenth the distance of that feat, it is still a challenge for your body, especially your feet. The pressure of a single foot striking the ground with the full force of your body can have damaging effects over 26.2 miles . 


Fractures require immobilization while they heal and are the most limiting of any foot injury. Good nutrition and a balanced diet, including vitamins C & D, are crucial for good bone health. By training properly and slowly increasing the distance you run over weeks and months, you give your body the chance to build the bones up stronger allowing them to stand up against the new challenges. Cramping and tendonitis can also be avoided by building up to long runs and not doing too much, too quickly. If you have given yourself able time adapt to the new distance, the problem may arise from the structure of your foot. This just means your foot needs extra support in the right places. Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists have shoe recommendations for your foot structure or you may find that you benefit greatly from a simple over the counter arch support. Some feet may require customized orthosis to provide this support. 

Calluses and blisters occur when there is too much friction between your foot and the sock and shoe. Poor fitting shoes can result in these problems as well as blackened toenails. All three of these are a result of a repeated trauma to the area of the foot. To avoid them, wear good socks with proper padding and make sure your shoe is a good fit.

Even if you are a regular runner make sure you take every step to prepare your feet for a marathon. While prevention can be the best cure sometimes, don’t hesitate to contact your Austin podiatrist if foot or ankle pain is affecting your marathon training.