One of the most common types of ankle injuries is a sprain. What is an ankle sprain?

Athletes tend to experience more frequent ankle sprains. Since they tend to overtax their limits and thus result in the getting sprained ankle. Strenuous jumping and running takes a heavy toll on the ankle and the ligaments within. Not only athletes experience sprains. Sprains may not be the result of serious physical activity or regular exercise, they may also crop up among people who where just out walking the dog or even when you happen to step on a loose on the sidewalk.

Heel spurs are extra bone growths at the heel. They usually result from excessive pulling on the heel bone by tendons or the connected tissue attached to the bone.

Heel spurs are very common but typically do not cause pain. The spurs cause pain when inflammation develops in near by tissues. Heel spur pain is also called plantar heel pain syndrome. When a person arises and puts their foot down first thing in the morning and notices pain that is one of the first symptoms. This pain may also occur with the first few steps after sitting for a long time.

Heel spur pain can usually be diagnosed during a physical examination. If you press on the bottom of the heel where the arch begins it will usually cause pain. Pain with pressure to the center of the heel indicates that an inflamed bursa may also be present. X-rays sometimes are taken to confirm the diagnosis, but results may be normal at first.

A doctor’s treatment is usually aimed at relieving pain. Wrapping the arch with padding and tape or using orthotics, which help to stabilize the heel, can minimize extension of the fascia and minimize pain. Heel pads and supportive shoes with very soft soles may also help. Ice massages and calf stretching are also effective. A mixture of corticosteroids and a local anesthetic can be injected into the trouble area of the heel. The majority of painful heels spurs resolve without surgery.

Removal of the spur or the dense band of tissue that extends from the spur at the bottom of the heel bone to the base of the toes (plantar fascia) should be performed only when constant pain is not relieved by other treatment measures. Surgery should be used only as a extreme last resort because the results are rarely predictable. On many occasions, pain persists after surgery.

Explaining Heel Pain:
Your heel bones are designed to be the first bones to strike the ground. Your Achilles tendon connects into the back of the heel bone and a strong ligament along the base of the foot attaches to the bottom of the heel bone. A few small muscles also connect to the heel bone just above the insertion of the plantar fascia.
With all of the walking and running that the heel bone is put through and the tugging on all of these ligaments and muscles, then it’s no shock that heel pain is so common.

What causes your heel pain:

Many books have been written on heel pain and causes. The problem is that there is no one cause of heel pain. Some of the kinds of problems that can be seen in the heel include:
Heel Spurs – Small bony spurs that develop on the bottom of the heel. They do not create any physical problems. It is brought up because it is a common myth that they are a problem – nearly always the pain thought to be heel spurs is really plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is easily the most common cause of heel pain and is caused by a strain of the long ligament along the base of the foot. Pain when getting out of bed first in the morning is a common example.

Certain diseases can uncommonly cause heel pain, such as gout, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Stress fractures can bring problems also. This is an abnormal reaction of bone to stress can occur in those that are very active or have weaker bones.

Sometimes considered to be a cause of heel pain is a “Stone Bruise” – its is simply a bruise of the bone.

One additional cause of heel pain is problems with your calf muscles that refer pain to the heel or pain referred from the lower back via the nerves from the back to the heel.