Risk Factors and Causes

Risk Factors and Causes

Misalignments caused by abnormalities in the structure of the feet increase the risk for heel pain. Other risk factors include the following:

• Engaging in strenuous exercise (especially repetitive jumping and running)
• Obesity
• Standing for prolonged periods
• Wearing shoes that do not fit properly

Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Heel Pain
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To reduce the risk for heel pain, it is important to wear shoes or sneakers that fit correctly and to warm up properly before exercising.

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The most common cause for heel pain is inflammation of the fibrous connective tissue on the sole of the foot (plantar fasciitis). Other causes include the following:

• Achilles tendonitis
• Bone bruises
• Excessive pronation (tendency of the foot to roll inward)
• Haglund's deformity (bony growth at the back of the heel that usually occurs when shoes repeatedly aggravate tissue and underlying bone)
• Heel spurs (also called bone spurs)
• Inflammatory conditions (e.g., ankylosing spondylitis, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis)
• Sever's disease (relatively common condition in active growing children and adolescents)
• Soft-tissue sarcoma of the foot (rare)
• Stress fractures
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome (nerve entrapment that may cause pain on the sole of the foot)

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