What would cause pain in the heel and the ligament that attaches to the heel?

Question

I do alot of walking at where i work and most of the time i'm on my feet. I do have some arch in my feet but i'm more flat footed. Can someone tell me what my condition is and what i can do about it? Thanks.

Answer 1

Try jelling. I suffer with R.A. so I've used foot pads for years.

Answer 2

As far as I know, this is simply a "low" arch condition. There is a problem with a low arch that people with a high arch or a flat arch do NOT have. Here is what happens with an arch: the high arch is like a letter U upside down. As pressure is put on top of the arch, the arch transfers the downward pressure down the legs to the ground. Likewise, with a flat arch, the downward pressure in the middle goes straight to the ground. Consider what happens as you widen the legs of the upside down U. As you press down in the middle, what happens? The pressure is transformed to a movement of the legs of the arch outwards, a lateral movement which tends to stretch the length of the connecting tissues and ligaments in your foot. The lower the arch, the MORE lateral movement pushing your foot out of shape lengthwise, front to back. We are talking the simple physics of a lever, The longer the lever, the lower the arch, the more force applied. OF COURSE, you have pain! Every step you take is deforming your foot in an unnatural manner! Only a foot doctor, a podiatrist, can diagnose this problem for sure and prescribe correct treatment. Until then, AS A TEMPORARY MEASURE, until you see a podiatrist, get arch supports to relieve the lateral stress by converting your low arch into a flat arch so the downward pressure goes from the arch through the support to the ground instead of pushing your bones out of place. Only a podiatrist can prescribe the correct shape for you foot. The arch supports I recommend are simply temporary until you get the properly fitted ones from your podiatrist shaped exclusively and perfectly to your exact arch shape.