Heel Pain
- Thread starter Micalzon
- Start date
Chas Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Search for posts on plantar fasciitis. There are also many other injuries that can cause heel pain.
First you need a firm diagnosis from a Dr. Stop stressing the injury.
Where is the pain?
Search using Google Images for heel pain or plantar fasciitis
http://www.google.com/imghp
First you need a firm diagnosis from a Dr. Stop stressing the injury.
Where is the pain?
Search using Google Images for heel pain or plantar fasciitis
http://www.google.com/imghp
@Chas - I did the search and it does look like it could be Plantar Fasciitis, based on the area of pain.
It does go away by the next day usually but if I play in the afternoon, it'll ache for the rest of the day.
I'll do a search on this forum for some steps to alleviate the pain but I'll welcome any helpful tips.
It does go away by the next day usually but if I play in the afternoon, it'll ache for the rest of the day.
I'll do a search on this forum for some steps to alleviate the pain but I'll welcome any helpful tips.
Chas Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Everybody needs a diagnosis as step one. As Ollinger says, don't assume your injury is anything based on the very limited experience, knowledge and medical education of forum posters like me.
Everyone wants to spend $30 for a fix and continue playing tennis. With this approach, as you encounter injuries your risk of having a new injury lead to a chronic injury is greatly increased. Don't assume PF. Don't assume some rosy experience of a poster - who may not even have had your injury - applies to your injury.
For PF, I had it in both feet and mine got steadily worse over the year. I finally had to stop tennis completely. I stopped for 3 months and believe that was not enough time as there was still a little pain when I started playing. Research healing times tendons, ligaments, 'planter fascia' (whatever that is?), etc.. These times are in months and not weeks.
The calf muscles connect at the heel and the heel connects to the plantar fascia under the foot. Understand that tight calves pull on the plantar fascia so these have to be addressed together after the injury is healed. Heel pads that simply alter the angle of the foot don't seems like a good idea because of the underlying problem of the short calves. This is complex and needs a specialist and physical therapy. Short, tight calf muscles also increase the chance of Achilles injuries and calf muscle tears.
Exercises and stretches to prevent injury to healthy tissues are a completely different thing - not intended for injured tissues. Exercise and stretches could make things worse.
There are also life style issues that contribute to tight and short calves. How many hours of the week are your toes pointed? Sleep, watching TV, sitting, etc? How many hours are the ankles dorsiflexed, walking, running, tennis, etc?. Don't stretch your injured tissues without a Dr's approval and physical therapy.
Are your calve muscles held shortened 90% of the hours of the week?
Everyone wants to spend $30 for a fix and continue playing tennis. With this approach, as you encounter injuries your risk of having a new injury lead to a chronic injury is greatly increased. Don't assume PF. Don't assume some rosy experience of a poster - who may not even have had your injury - applies to your injury.
For PF, I had it in both feet and mine got steadily worse over the year. I finally had to stop tennis completely. I stopped for 3 months and believe that was not enough time as there was still a little pain when I started playing. Research healing times tendons, ligaments, 'planter fascia' (whatever that is?), etc.. These times are in months and not weeks.
The calf muscles connect at the heel and the heel connects to the plantar fascia under the foot. Understand that tight calves pull on the plantar fascia so these have to be addressed together after the injury is healed. Heel pads that simply alter the angle of the foot don't seems like a good idea because of the underlying problem of the short calves. This is complex and needs a specialist and physical therapy. Short, tight calf muscles also increase the chance of Achilles injuries and calf muscle tears.
Exercises and stretches to prevent injury to healthy tissues are a completely different thing - not intended for injured tissues. Exercise and stretches could make things worse.
There are also life style issues that contribute to tight and short calves. How many hours of the week are your toes pointed? Sleep, watching TV, sitting, etc? How many hours are the ankles dorsiflexed, walking, running, tennis, etc?. Don't stretch your injured tissues without a Dr's approval and physical therapy.
Are your calve muscles held shortened 90% of the hours of the week?
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Conventional wisdom always points to plantar fasciitis. I disagree. I have seen the huge bone spurs on both my heels in xrays. I still think that they are the cause of heel pain in my own case. Mine gets especially bad if I use the "stomp" technique when I do my volley drills with my ball machine. No amount of stretching of that calf and achilles tendon has ever alleviated the pain. And walking on hard floors without shoes......OMG!
Say Chi Sin Lo
G.O.A.T.
Bottom or behind the heel? Insertional achilles tendinitis?
OP, is the discomfort at the bottom of the heel? Or to the back of the heel?
A little over a year ago, I had significant discomfort on the back of my heel after play. To the point where after I wouldn't want to walk once I got home. But I had no signs pain or discomfort WHILE I was playing, it was always after I shut it down.
I was actually able to play myself out of this little phase. **DISCLAIMER** I do not recommend anyone playing themselves out of ANY injury. I did so because I didn't see any deterioration of my speed, explosiveness, stamina, and etc. And post-play discomfort was something I could deal with.
This post-play discomfort stayed with me for ~a year until it just disappeared on its own. More recently I had a check-up and I mentioned that I played through some post-play discomfort to my sports medicine specialist. Because I wanted to find out what it was and whether it would flare up again.
She told me I probably had insertional achilles tendinitis, and that I have healed nicely from.
So, I suggest you look into insertional achilles tendinitis, with post-play pain on the back of my heel, and speak with your sports medicine specialist.
And again, I'm not recommending anyone to play through pain. I did so because I saw no deterioration in my on-court explosiveness and etc., and the post-play discomfort was mended by couple bags of ice.
OP, is the discomfort at the bottom of the heel? Or to the back of the heel?
A little over a year ago, I had significant discomfort on the back of my heel after play. To the point where after I wouldn't want to walk once I got home. But I had no signs pain or discomfort WHILE I was playing, it was always after I shut it down.
I was actually able to play myself out of this little phase. **DISCLAIMER** I do not recommend anyone playing themselves out of ANY injury. I did so because I didn't see any deterioration of my speed, explosiveness, stamina, and etc. And post-play discomfort was something I could deal with.
This post-play discomfort stayed with me for ~a year until it just disappeared on its own. More recently I had a check-up and I mentioned that I played through some post-play discomfort to my sports medicine specialist. Because I wanted to find out what it was and whether it would flare up again.
She told me I probably had insertional achilles tendinitis, and that I have healed nicely from.
So, I suggest you look into insertional achilles tendinitis, with post-play pain on the back of my heel, and speak with your sports medicine specialist.
And again, I'm not recommending anyone to play through pain. I did so because I saw no deterioration in my on-court explosiveness and etc., and the post-play discomfort was mended by couple bags of ice.
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Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
He only experienced pain at the bottom of the heel, but no pain at the achilles tendon insertion point?
I had thought insertional achilles tendonitis is always associated with pain at the insertion point.
