Pain in the heel

Injuries, accidents, bruises or even walking on hard surfaces with the wrong shoes can cause pain in the heel. Another cause can also be a so-called heel spur. This is located at the tendon base as a bony spur.

It can be located at the Achilles tendon attachment (upper heel spur) as well as at the attachment for the so-called plantar tendon (lower heel spur).As symptoms the patient notices knife-like pain, which is worst especially in the morning. It is possible that the pain will subside under light stress, but it may then worsen again. In order to reduce the pain on the foot when walking, the rolling motion is shifted to the outer edge of the foot.

There are various causes that can lead to a heel spur. People who are overweight, particularly tall people or people who are very active in sports tend to develop this type of spur. To find out where the pain in the heel comes from, there are a number of possible examinations.

In addition to the physical examination by the treating physician, an ultrasound examination, an X-ray or an MRI can be groundbreaking for the diagnosis. A computer-assisted impression measurement of the foot can also be important in order to make a statement about possible foot malpositions and increased pressure areas. Therapeutically, the patient can be helped very well by means of certain physiotherapeutic measures, insoles or orthopedic shoes or by injecting a local anesthetic at the site of the greatest pain. Sometimes the application of cold proves to be helpful.

Pain in the big toe/rigidus

Pain in the toes is very common. Often the cause lies in too tight or bad shoes, but ingrown nails or pressure points can also be identified as a cause. Pain in the foot affecting the big toe is often caused by a hallux valgus (bunion).

This is mainly caused by incorrect footwear or by family stress. The big toe tilts off in the direction of the other toes and leads to a permanent malpositioning. The bunion is a gaze diagnosis, so that the trained and experienced physician does not need to use any further apparatus for diagnosis.

Therapeutically, the patient has many options available, ranging from toe splints and insoles, active foot and toe gymnastics to surgery to alleviate the pain and the malpositioning. Hallux rigidus represents an arthrosis of the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe, i.e. wear and tear of the cartilage. Causes of osteoarthritis can include injuries to the joint with cartilage involvement, the metabolic disease gout or incorrect loading and overloading.

Men are more frequently affected by this disease. There is pain and restricted movement in the joint, and the toe can often only be moved upwards with pain. In the beginning, the pain can be reduced by special insoles and through an operation as the next step, the mobility can be improved again.

If the disease is in an advanced stage, it is often no longer possible to preserve the joint, so that stiffening or a joint replacement is the last option. Gout disease can also cause pain in the foot. It particularly often affects the big toe.

The base joint of the big toe is reddened, swollen and hurts at the slightest touch. With gout, too much uric acid accumulates in the blood, so that the body then forms uric acid crystals, which accumulate and deposit in joints and internal organs. Gout is often an acute disease that subsides after a few days.

The disease is treated in two stages. In an acute attack of gout, drugs are given to relieve the attack by reducing pain and inflammation. High-dose anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for this purpose.

For long-term therapy, drugs are given to permanently lower the uric acid level in the blood. It is often necessary for patients to change their diet in order to reduce the intake of foods that cause the uric acid level in the blood to rise. In particular, meat and alcohol should be avoided.