Help! My foot (my heel) is in serious pain. I srinted bare-foot and i believe I have sprained a tendon......

Question

Help! My foot (my heel) is in serious pain (the part right below my arch), and has been so since late Apirl. I srinted several track-races bare-foot and i believe I have sprained a tendon. Physical therapy hasn't helped. I roll it over a golf-ball (this hurts like crazy) but it hasn't gotten better; I walk with a heel-cup which cushions it, but it hasn't healed. I don't know what to do. Any ideas? The Doctor, Physical Therapist, Heel Cup, Colf Ball, and stretches haven't done much good. I hope the community can. Please help! (btw, I am flat-fotted (no arch)).

Answer 1

It sounds to me like you might have developed a case of plantar fasciitis (PF).  As a flatfoot, you're especially at risk for this.  Do you have no arch at all?  How about when you stand on tip toe, or bend your toes back, does that create a bit of an arch?  If yes, you've probably got the flexible flatfoot condition.  If your feet have no arch at all, even when your feet are propped up at rest, it could be that you've got a rigid flatfoot, which may be the cause of your pain.  Is the pain the same on both feet?

If you're got PF or a rigid flatfoot, rolling your sole over a golf ball will not only not help you, it could delay your recovery, because you're just prolonging the inflammation of PF, if that's what you've got.  I recommend stopping this for now--give it a rest for awhile, it's obviously not helping you, that much seems clear for now.

If you've got PF, you'll probably notice pain first thing in the morning when you wake up, even before you get out of bed.  Walking (or running) barefoot will aggravate PF, or when you're wearing flip flops or even when you're just standing in the shower--but if you wear something where your heel is elevated (like with your heel cup perhaps), this can alleviate the pain somewhat.

I'm surprised your doctor or physical therapist haven't suggested you go to a podiatrist, because podiatrists are foot experts, and they should be able to quickly diagnose your situation and set you on the road to recovery.  If you've got PF, your podiatrist may prescribe a night splint which you wear while you're sleeping, which keeps your plantar fascia stretched, and therefore more flexible and less painful, while you're awake too.

I'll try to check back to see If you have any additional information, please update your question if you do, or you can just email me directly.

Good luck!