The Walking Clinic, PC  
719-635-7700 
 
 
Heel & Arch Pain
 
   
Heel and arch pain is one of the most common complaints evaluated and treated at The Walking Clinic.

The
Symptoms

 The textbook complaint is pain upon getting out of bed in the morning. Most patients state that they have to walk "off-the-heel" for several minutes until they can put the heel on the floor. As symptoms persist, these patients will state that they beign to feel the same soreness upon rising out of a chair later in the day. What these two complaints have in common is pain on the first few steps after being non-weight bearing.
After an extensive medical history, Dr. Sol will examine your feet, take x-rays of your feet, perform a diagnostic ultrasound examination and observe your gait.

The
Evaulation
 
 
Xrays are taken diagnostically.
 
 
Some patients will have a heel spur and some won't. Recent literature demonstrate that heel spurs are not an accurate diagnosis. They are only an xray sign that the mechanical problem has been occurring for long enough for the bone to respond. In fact, the latest surgical procedures leave the spur intact.
 
  This Static Stance image is made using the FScan® which is a computerized pressure sensing and analysis system. This image suggests that this patient puts significantly more weight on her left heel.
 
  Gait evaluation is the most often overlooked part of the examination. Most heel and arch pain is from poor function. Dr. Sol is a recognized expert in the analysis and correction of human gait.

The
Treatment

If you are like most patients, the primary problem is mechanical and the answer is mechanical...custom orthotics. Ancillary treatment options include oral anti-inflammatories, steroid infiltration, physical therapy, stretching, etc.

Until you correct the mechanics all the other treatments are symptomatic.

Dr. Sol is a recognized expert in gait biomechanics. He is the inventor of GAITLAB® computer-video gait & posture analysis and has lectured across the US and Europe. See his PAST LECTURES.
Call us at (719)635-7700 with you questions about
heel and arch pain.