Heel Spurs and Heel Pain

Heel Spurs & Morning Heel Pain

Some people experience sharp, stabbing foot pain immediately upon awakening and getting out of bed.  Heel pain first thing in the morning is a sign that you may have a heel spur.

 

The morning foot pain associated with a heel spur normally lasts about 10 minutes or less before it begins to calm down; however the pain pattern may become worse over time until it eventually becomes constant.

 

Each foot has 26 movable tarsal bones which are arranged into a network of arches.  However when you lose the healthy alignment of one or more of those bones you may begin to develop foot pain.

 

Two of the most common foot conditions that develop as a result of misalignments are plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.

Plantar fasciitis is a condition in which the soft tissues on the bottom of the foot (the plantar fascia) become overstretched, irritated and inflamed.  The classic symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis include pain on the bottom of the heel and sometimes into the arch of the foot.

 

Attaching from the heel to the five toes, the plantar fascia spans the entire plantar surface of the foot.  Due to misalignments of the tarsal bones and altered foot function, this tissue becomes overstretched and develops micro-tears near its attachment at the heel bone.

 

If the tarsal bones aren’t realigned in a timely fashion, the foot will begin to develop a bony heel spur near the attachment site of the plantar fascia.

 

It’s important to note that a heel spur does not cause pain by itself.  Rather it’s the irritation, micro-tearing and inflammation of the connecting plantar fascia that results in heel pain.

 

As plantar fasciitis remains untreated and is allowed to progress into a chronic condition, a heel spur may develop and continue to become larger and more prominent over time. Common symptoms associated with plantar fasciitis accompanied by a heel spur, includes morning heel pain first thing upon standing up.   

Specific chiropractic adjustments to the foot bones will correct the underlying mechanical problem, improve foot function and ease tissue stress.  Getting your feet adjusted is an effective, non-surgical solution for alleviating the pain associated with plantar fasciitis and heel spurs.

 

***Disclaimer: This content is solely for informational purposes and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. It is recommended that you seek professional advice by a licensed health care professional.

Scott Chiropractic and Wellness

Matthew Scott, DC 

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071
972-540-5445www.scott-chiropractic.com

Can Chiropractic Help Broken Bones?

People who have suffered an injury in which they fractured a bone, will often say something such as, “I broke my wrist so chiropractic can’t help me.”  However in actuality the exact opposite is often the case.

 

While it’s true that chiropractors don’t adjust fractures, it is vitally important to have the nearby joints checked for misalignments.  If a trauma was significant enough to break a bone, that means there was more than enough force to cause misalignments at its neighboring joints.

 

For example, let’s assume that you fell and used your hand to brace your fall, and as a result you broke your forearm.  In addition to the fractured forearm, you will also likely have suffered a misalignment at the wrist, elbow and possibly even the shoulder.

 

Of course the immediate treatment should be to stabilize the fracture and have it casted or braced appropriately by a medical expert; however, as soon as the healing process permits you should have the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints checked for misalignments.  It’s even possible that such a fall could cause injury or misalignments in spine as well.

 

It’s interesting that many patients will normally seek chiropractic care immediately following an injury that didn’t involve a broken bone, but wait several months before getting adjusted if the injury involved a fracture.

 

You should rest assured that it is completely safe to be checked and adjusted shortly after having suffered a fracture.  While we may not be able to adjust the actual bone that broke if that fracture hasn’t yet fused, but we would most likely be able to address the adjacent areas.

 

Every case is unique as to whether or not we would be able to adjust the area adjacent to the fractured bone.  In the unfortunate event of an injury that results in a fracture, we recommend that you schedule to have an examination here at this clinic to rule out potential misalignment problems, and to determine your options in having those misalignments corrected.

 

***Disclaimer: This content is solely for informational purposes and should not be substituted for medical or chiropractic advice. It is recommended that you seek professional advice by a licensed health care professional.

Scott Chiropractic and Wellness

Matthew Scott, DC 

5080 Virginia Pkwy Ste 550

McKinney, TX 75071
972-540-5445
www.scott-chiropractic.com