Heel pain can often be quite a massive inconvenience, especially if you happen to work on your feet or have to walk around a lot throughout the day. As a result, a podiatrist can often be one of the best resources that you can turn to, mostly because of the various ways in which they can assist you with identifying and eliminating your heel pain. Listed below are three ways that a podiatrist can assist with heal pain.
Can Provide A Prescription For Custom Orthotics
A major step that a podiatrist can take that can assist you with your heel pain is to provide a prescription for custom orthotics. While there is nothing wrong with using some of the high-end orthotics that you can buy at your local department store, they are typically going to be a bit generic and aren't going to be well suited for every type of foot issue or heel pain. However, a podiatrist can provide you with a prescription that can be sent to a service that will create an orthotic that is molded to both the shape and size of your foot and designed to deal with whatever is causing your particular type of heel pain, which makes them far more effective than any generic or premade orthotic that you can purchase.
Can Take A Look At The Way You Walk
A very common step that most podiatrists will take when trying to assist with heel pain is to take a look at the way you walk. In many cases, an individual that is walking unnaturally or awkwardly will often develop heel pain very quickly.
In addition, by looking at the way you walk a podiatrist will be able to determine exactly what kind of heel pain you have and if there are other foot problems that are in effect and are causing you to walk unnaturally or awkwardly. In some cases, the podiatrist may be able to help you alleviate or eliminate your foot and heel pain simply by helping you to correct the way you walk and stand.
Can Resort To Surgery When Necessary
A podiatrist can also consider assisting with your heel pain by resorting to surgery when necessary. In many cases, the plantar fascia ligament in your foot can often be responsible for a lot of the heel pain that you may be experiencing.
As a result, a podiatrist can either remove that ligament or simply cut it in order to allow for more room for the ligament to grow so that the heel pain is alleviated. However, you should keep in mind that this is typically a last resort because there are potential risks and side effects to getting the surgery performed.
Make an appointment with a podiatrist in your local area today in order to discuss your heel pain and to try to determine the cause of your heel pain. A podiatrist can assist with heel pain by providing a prescription for custom orthotics, taking a look at the way you walk, and resorting to surgery went absolutely necessary.
Contact a medical office like Cortez Foot & Ankle Specialists for more information and assistance.
