You’ve spent the whole day (or night) sightseeing in a new city/town on your vacation and the next day you wake up with pain in your heel. You think, “I probably shouldn’t have been wearing those shoes I had on.” Well, you’re probably right.
Most likely you are suffering from a condition called plantar fasciitis, the most common foot diagnosis treated in an outpatient setting. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the tissue that forms your arch located at the insertion of the tissue on the bottom of your heel. The classic symptom is pain when you take your first couple of steps in the morning, which improves with walking around for a short interval; however, pain may return if there is prolonged walking, standing or running.
Many things can trigger plantar fasciitis such as poor shoe wear or prolonged standing or walking on hard surfaces. You may be more at risk if you are a female age 40-60, a runner, obese or have flat feet or tight calf muscles.
Treatment consists of rest, rest and more rest! Getting time off of your feet will help reduce inflammation and give time for the tissue to rest. You can further augment your care with icing your heel for 15-20 minutes per hour while at rest and taking over-the-counter NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) – like Motrin or Aleve. Be sure to wear comfortable, proper fitting shoes with arch supports. You may even need to insert special heel cups or orthotics. In a vast majority of cases, over time (as much as several months to a year) symptoms will resolve. Some may require casting or a special boot and still very few will require surgery.
If you develop symptoms while spending some quality time with your girlfriends on a girls getaway, be sure to take frequent breaks, use cabs, metros or other modes of transportation when available and use a wheelchair wherever accessible (at museums, malls, etc.). Remember: Take care of your feet and they will take care of you! Don’t ruin your entire trip by squeezing your feet into a cute pair of heels, you may regret it the next day and ruin your whole vacation.
For More Informaton:
Emedicine.com
American Academy of Family Physicians
WebMd
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
