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Your doctor will examine your foot and ankle to assess if you are suffering from heel bursitis, then prescribe rest and ice to reduce pain and swelling.
Pain relievers such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may also help decrease inflammation. For severe conditions, injections with corticosteroids might also be recommended.
Treatment For Heel Bursitis
Treatment for heel bursitis varies based on its cause and symptom severity. Common options:
- Rest: Vital for foot healing; avoid pain-triggering activities.
- Ice: Apply ice 10-15 mins, twice daily, to lower inflammation.
- Pain Relief: Non-prescription NSAIDs like ibuprofen soothe pain and inflammation.
- Orthotics: Heel wedges or custom orthotics ease walking, heel irritation.
- Physical Therapy: Boost ankle flexibility, strength, Achilles tendon stretching to prevent recurrence.
- Ultrasound Therapy: Reduce inflammation via ultrasound during therapy.
- Shoe Change: Wear arch-supported, cushioned shoes to ease heel stress.
- Steroid Shots: If non-invasive methods fail, steroids may reduce inflammation and pain.
- Surgery (Rare): If pain persists for 6-12 months, and other treatments fail, bursectomy might be performed.
Consult healthcare provider for accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plan for heel bursitis.
Rest
Bursae are fluid-filled sacs found throughout your body that serve as cushions and lubricants to keep bones from rubbing against tendons or skin, acting like cushions and lubricants to stop this friction from occurring.
There is a retrocalcaneal bursa between your heel bone (calcaneus) and Achilles tendon that provides this cushion; heel bursitis occurs when this bursa becomes inflamed.
Symptoms may include pain in the back of your heel and swelling in that area. You may also experience discomfort when trying to stand or walk.
Rest is often the best remedy, meaning stopping any activities that exacerbate an injury, like running and walking. When returning to exercise, take it slowly – jumping back in too quickly could rekindle pain and swelling, potentially increasing recovery times further.
Ice
Heel bursitis occurs when the retrocalcaneal bursa (a fluid-filled sac) irritates the back of the heel bone and Achilles tendon during repetitive movement, and causes irritation to these two structures. Repetition leads to frictional contact between these structures – but thanks to fluid inside of the bursa reducing frictional forces between bones.
Treatment should aim at alleviating both pain and inflammation. Ice the area several times daily for around 20 minutes at a time in a towel to protect yourself from burns, wear shoes that fit comfortably without adding extra pressure on the heel, seek physical therapy in order to increase ankle strength and flexibility, or seek medical advice as steroid injections may also be recommended if these treatments prove ineffective.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Heel bursitis results from swelling in our joints’ fluid-filled sacs (bursae), which act as pads to decrease friction between tissue and bone. Over-training or tight shoes can aggravate it; alternatively it could also be an indicator of more serious conditions like psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.
RICE therapy (rest, ice, compression and elevation) may provide relief. You could also take pain relievers such as acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease inflammation and pain; physical therapy to stretch calf and Achilles tendon might help as well; should symptoms persist, your doctor might suggest steroid injections or surgery as alternatives.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapists can assist you with exercises designed to strengthen your ankle, which may reduce friction between Achilles tendon and heel bone. Furthermore, they may teach how to improve walking techniques.
If your pain and swelling worsen despite rest, ice, and anti-inflammatories, consult with your physician who may recommend getting a steroid injection.
Heel bursitis is an inflammation of one or more fluid-filled sacs (bursae) in your heels that cause discomfort when they rub against skin or tendons, and your doctor might diagnose this by performing an exam and asking about your symptoms, taking an aspiration sample from each bursa, or looking for signs of infection by taking a sample from each bursa (bursal aspiration).
Steroid Injections
Steroid injections may provide relief and facilitate healing. When your doctor recommends this option, they will clean and numb the site before injecting the medication directly into the bursa to decrease inflammation over time.
They will advise you on selecting shoes that don’t rub or put pressure on the heel, demonstrate calf stretches and strengthening exercises designed to increase range of motion in your ankle, as well as recommend gradual returns to activities that were causing problems – early returns to high risk activities can reactivate heel bursitis symptoms.
Surgery
Two liquid-filled sacs (bursae) are located behind the heel bone to reduce friction during repetitive movement and decrease wear-and-tear on both the Achilles tendon and heel bone.
One, known as the retrocalcaneal bursa, sits between these structures reducing friction; another one, known as subcutaneous calcaneal bursa is situated between skin of heel and heel bone reducing friction by providing extra cushioning between them.
If inflammation persists despite conservative treatment, surgery may be required to address it. A surgeon can drain the fluid from the bursa through a small incision while applying antibiotics as preventative measure against infection.
In rare cases, part of the bursa can even be removed in what’s known as a bursectomy procedure in order to decrease future inflammation and enable new, more effective bursae to form in their place.
What Are the Symptoms of Heel Bursitis
Heel bursitis, an inflammation of the bursa under the heel bone, shows varying severity symptoms. Common indicators include:
– Heel pain, worsened by walking, running, or touch.
– Increased pain while standing on tiptoes.
– Redness, warmth, swelling around the heel.
– Stiffness at the back of the heel.
– Foot or ankle swelling near the heel’s top.
– Fever suggests potential septic bursitis.
Seek medical guidance for precise diagnosis and suitable treatment if these symptoms arise.
What Causes Heel Bursitis
Heel bursitis, inflamed bursa under and around the heel bone, stems from various reasons. The primary cause is frequent overuse and heel injury. Common causes and risk factors include:
– Excessive ankle use or strain irritates and inflames the bursa.
– Tight or high-heeled shoes pressure and restrict the heel, causing inflammation.
– Uphill running flexes the foot more, causing mini-traumas and bursitis.
– Sudden stress, like activity changes or ill-fitting shoes, triggers bursitis.
– Inflammatory joint diseases, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lead to bursitis.
– Infections or Haglund deformity, a heel bone bump, can cause bursitis.
For accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, consult a healthcare provider if you experience heel bursitis symptoms.
How Long Does It Take To Recover From Heel Bursitis
Heel bursitis recovery varies based on severity and individual response. General guidelines include:
- Mild cases recover in days to weeks with home care and rest.
- Moderate cases heal in weeks to months via home treatment, therapy, and meds.
- Severe cases may need cortisone or surgery, taking months to recover.
Note, these are general timelines; recovery varies. Consult a healthcare provider for personalized guidance based on condition severity.
