Heel pain is a relatively common complaint, affecting over one million people per year in the United States. The most common cause of heel pain is a condition called plantar fasciitis, which is a problem with a ligament on the bottom of the foot. A frequent symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain in the bottom of the heel after getting out of bed in the morning or after standing and walking for prolonged periods. About half of people with plantar fasciitis have a heel spur, but it’s important to know that the spur is not the cause of the pain.

There are many treatment options for heel pain, and the focus of Dr. Banks is not only trying to get his patients out of pain as quickly as possible but trying to keep the condition from recurring in the future. The problem is largely from abnormal function of the foot, so many times he recommends a combination of stretching exercises and shoe inserts to combat this portion of the issue. Many patients are also given an anti-inflammatory to reduce the pain associated, and this can be done by oral medications and sometimes by injection. Injections for plantar fasciitis are by no means a pleasant experience, but that 10 seconds of discomfort may be the thing to get someone out of pain immediately with long lasting improvement.