for several months now I have had heel pain it hurts when I first put weight on it it feels like there is a nail driven into my heel any ideas or suggestions about how to make this go away. ronda

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), July 31, 2001

Answers

My wife had this problem. I cut a hole about 1 inch square in the center of the pad under the heel of her shoe, which gave her relief. , or you might find a pad in the foot powder section at the drug store.hope you can understand what I am trying to say.Good luck Big George

-- George Wilson (cwwhtw@aol.com), July 31, 2001.

sounds like a heel spur

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), July 31, 2001.

Yup it's a heel spur...Feels great don't it

-- grant (organicgrange@yahoo.com), July 31, 2001.

Ronda, it sounds like a heel spur, which is caused by damage to the bottom of your foot--on the inside bottom of your foot where the connective tissue holds it together. When I had one five years ago it came on in June, peaked in pain in early September, by the first week of December I noticed it was finally going away, and it was gone in early January. So they can take awhile to heal. A doctor might give you a cortisone shot for it, and they would tell you to wear a good pair of shoes ALL the time. My mother had one 20 years ago and that's what they did for it then. I never did anything for mine because I was in the middle of a family problem (caretaking dying father) and simply did not have the time to make appointments for myself. So it'll go away by itself, but medical care would probably speed things up. Hope yours is better soon.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@imcnet.net), August 01, 2001.

Ronda, you can also help this with well fitting shoes. Most overweight women with heel problems also have some fallen arches problems. If you are not wearing good shoes with arch support in them than get yourself a pair of orthotics to put into your shoes. This redistributes the weight to all of the foot, making you stop walking with so much pressure on your heel. Look at an old pair of your shoes, are you wearing out the back and inside heels? Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), August 01, 2001.

I could also be plantar faciaitis, this is an inflammation of the plantar ligament which runs the length of the bottom of the foot. When if becomes inflamed the ligament contracts when you are not standing on your foot. When you stand up the ligament stretches causing intense foot pain. A really good arch support gives great relief. Spenco makes a top notch arch support, costs about $20, but the relief for me was almost immediate. I have been using the arch supports for about six or seven years and don't have heel pain unless I get lax about using the arch supports in a good fitting walking shoe. Also a non-steriodial anti-inflammatory medication helps with the pain, like Advil.

Good luck, this hurts like hell, the arch support and anti-flammatory will help relieve the pain from heel spurs too.

Namaste, Judy

-- Judy Murray (nomifyle@yahoo.com), August 01, 2001.

Wow thanks everyone I have noticed less pain when I whear shoes rather than my wool clogs, also its better if I wear heavy tight wool socks but thats miserable this time of year. Your right the pain is incredible.

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), August 01, 2001.

A visit with a physical therapist could be a good thing. I started having some pretty extreme heel pain this past spring and finally went to my doctor about it last month. He sent me to a physical therapist. The therapist determined that I had soft tissue damage dating back 21 years to a car accident and that age and arthritis were causing new problems to crop up. I now wear lifts in my shoes and do exercises daily and keep a good stock of aspirin, and my life is back to normal. I guess all I'm saying is you need to have someone qualified investigate what the cause of your problem is so you can find a solution that's right for you.

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), August 04, 2001.

subject heel pain Yes it is very painful i had it about 8 years ago and it went away now it is back again.I think is because i have taken up walking/running again . I think exercises(stretches) are the best and there are sites on the net that show how. a simple exercise that i do (plus others)Is running your foot back and forth over a bottle or can of soup while you are watching tv or on the computer.I find that it is working.Most important wear proper footwear and dont get around in bare feet .I find this difficult as i live in the tropics. Hope it works for you Feel free to eamil me regards michael

-- Michael mason (michaeldon1@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.