The heel, or heel, is the convex part of the body on the back of the foot, consisting of bone, adipose tissue and skin. The calcaneus is considered the largest bone of all 26 of which the foot consists. The main function of the heel is depreciation during any movement of a person. She has good blood supply, a lot of nerve endings. The bone is surrounded by a fat pad, due to which depreciation is carried out - softening the force of the blow when walking and jumping. So why does the heel on the left foot hurt?
Today, a person has a very intense rhythm of life, which makes him spend a lot of time on his feet. The heel can withstand heavy loads, and with prolonged standing, the load increases. The interesting thing is that the left leg suffers more. The symmetry of the human body is not absolute. This is due to evolution, during which the right arm and leg, which are controlled by the dominant left hemisphere of the brain, have become dominant in humans. In humans, the legs are never absolutely symmetrical. Right-handed people have a more developed right limb. The muscles on it are more developed, often and the fullness of the legs is also larger. The tone on the weak leg decreases faster. This is usually the left limb. Loads create discomfort, and pain appears in the left heel. There is no causeless pain.
Physiological reasons
Why does the heel on the left foot hurt? For reference: discomfort and pain do not always indicate the presence of pathology. They can be physiological and are due to the following factors:
- uncomfortable or new shoes: high heel, cramped block, which causes strain or squeezing of muscles;
- when dieting or increased physical activity, the amount of subcutaneous fat under the sole of the foot may decrease, which will immediately affect depreciation;
- prolonged standing or long walking;
- rapid weight gain.
When the heel on the left foot hurts for a long time, the causes are most often more serious. Perhaps some pathological process begins. Pathological pain can be distinguished by the following signs:
- the pain is burning, stitching or aching in the foot or on the side of the heel;
- when walking, the pain intensifies;
- there are signs of inflammation in the form of redness, swelling and local hyperthermia;
- if a burning pain on one side of the heel worsens in the evening and in the morning, then perhaps this is the primary sign of arthritis or gout;
- throbbing pain on the side - a sign of injury.
Causes of Heel Pain
The heel is a bio-shock absorber, which made it possible to walk upright. In addition to fatty tissue, it is surrounded by muscles, ligaments and tendons. Why does the heel on the left foot hurt? Despite its colossal potential in terms of loads, the integrity of the bone can be compromised. Strong physical exertion, poor nutrition, injuries to the foot and surrounding tissues, and inflammation can contribute to this.
Important! Deformation of the heel does not pass without a trace, the spine and other joints begin to suffer. The heel itself, in the absence of treatment, begins to cause severe discomfort, limits motor activity.
Causes of pain in the side of the heel
Why does the heel on the left foot or right hurt? Symptom can be expressed, as with a load on one of the limbs, and both. The most common causes are:
- shoes are not in size;
- high heel;
- enhanced sports training or dancing;
- prolonged standing;
- trauma to the surrounding heel tissue;
- gout;
- osteoporosis;
- foot mycosis;
- foreign body under the skin of the heel;
- foot injury while walking barefoot on pebbles, sand;
- arthritis;
- calcaneus deformity;
- heel spur.
About pathologies in more detail:
- Foot injuries. Stretching or rupture of tendon tissues - occurs with a direct hit or a sharp contraction of the muscles of the foot. First, acute pain occurs, after - edema, inability to bend the foot.
- A bruise - may occur as a result of an unsuccessful landing after jumping from a great height precisely on the heel. At the site of injury, pain, swelling and redness occur. To step on the heel is painful, lameness joins. The pain is strong, dull and constant.
- Fracture. If the heel on the left foot hurts, it hurts to step on it, then perhaps you are dealing with a fracture. It is extremely rare - about 4% of the total number of injuries of this kind. Most often, a calcaneus fracture is the result of a fall from a height in a standing position. From severe pain, a person can not step on the heel, the bone is deformed, expands, swells, the sole is covered with bruises. The foot changes in shape, the heel, as it were, folds to the side.
Inflammatory diseases
Tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendon. Doctors have established the main causes of the disease: mechanical damage, metabolic disorders, age-related changes, skeletal structure pathology, inflammation in the tendons of joints, adverse reactions from the use of certain drugs, and excessive physical exertion, because it is not for nothing that tendenitis is called a professional ailment of athletes-runners.
The main symptoms are swelling, nodules under the skin, redness and pain. Through a stethoscope, the doctor can hear the friction of the tendon muscles during movement. Lack of treatment can lead to rupture of the tendon, as a result of which a person will not be able to move. Pain with local tendonitis, near the heel, it hurts to get up on toes and jump.
Bursitis is an inflammation of the synovial bag. He is often preceded by an injury. The heel turns red, swells, hurts, hot to the touch. Without treatment, edema grows and hardens.
Gaglund-Schinz disease - necrosis of the trabecular bone of the heel. The disease is manifested by gradually increasing pain in the calcaneal tuber. It becomes most intense during exertion and walking. Over time, a person due to constant pain can only walk, leaning on the forefoot. Conservative treatment, if started on time, the prognosis is favorable.
Fasciitis is the most common pathology. More characteristic of the elderly. The disease is popularly known as heel spur. When it occurs on the right or left foot, the heel hurts when walking. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the ligament between the heel and the middle bones of the foot. The fascia of the foot in the form of a strip supports the arch and the heel. It develops with increased weight, arthritis, osteochondrosis, flat feet, fascia microtrauma, most often it breaks at the attachment to the heel. With this pathology, it hurts under the heel of the left leg, a person can not step on, walk, the pain appears in the morning, subsides during the day and only at rest and during a night's sleep. Fascia per night is slightly regenerated and fused. The very first morning steps tear her apart again.
The name "heel spur" is given due to the similarity of a bone that has grown in the form of a wedge or beak under the heel or behind it. Pathology develops as a result of other diseases as a result. Provoking factors - overweight, rheumatism, arthritis, flat feet, increased stress on the legs. A person does not feel the growth of the wedge, pain occurs only when the inflammation passes to the bone - periostitis and bursitis.
If the heel of the left leg is very sore and there is a sensation of a nail in it, especially when walking, in the evening or in the morning, then this is probably a spur. Note that it can also develop as a result of tendonitis, in which there is a stimulation of the growth of new tissue cells, which gradually die and accumulate. More often, damage is observed on one side.
A heel tumor is a very rare disease, although there are quite a few types of oncological diseases affecting the foot. It is often possible to identify them only after an injury or close examination of a specialist. All tumors can be divided into two groups. The first - cancer of the skin - includes squamous neoplasm, malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma. The second group is cancer of the foot bone (osteosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, chondrosarcoma). The third type includes soft tissue tumors: fibrosarcomas, epithelioid and synovial sarcomas, malignant fibrotic histitis. It is difficult to recognize the development of a malignant process in this area. The main things worth paying attention to are seals of any kind, asymmetry, a tendency to form ulcers with torn edges, uneven staining of the tumor and progressive pain during palpation and walking, which does not stop even during rest.
Why does the heel on the left foot hurt inside
Inside the heel can be sick with infectious diseases. Among them, reactive arthritis is most common. The pain does not depend on the load, worse at night.
Osteomyelitis is a purulent necrotic process developing in the bone. First, the muscles hurt, then the temperature rises, but heel pain is present from the first day. This is the answer to the question of why the heel on the left foot hurts inside. Purulent destruction of the bone occurs, so the pain is localized inside the heel. It is aching, dull, constant, occurs after 3-4 days, lameness quickly joins. The heel is slightly swollen.
What makes the heel on the left leg hurt? The reason can be very serious. In particular, bone tuberculosis, in which the pain inside the heel is permanent. If untreated, a fistula with pus forms in the bone. Some areas of the skin are dead. Important! Treatment for a long time gives a remission of the disease.
One of the most common reasons a heel hurts is corns. It can be bone and plantar (tongue). Plantar corns result from intense and prolonged rubbing of the heel against shoes. It has the appearance of a yellowish seal. Pain joins only with infection or inflammation. Bone callus gives sharp and unbearable pain. Treatment is only surgical.
Systemic diseases
Another serious disease from which the heel on the left leg or right can hurt is rheumatoid arthritis. It can affect the joints of the foot. At first, pain and stiffness is felt only in the morning, but then the pain becomes constant, it is present even during sleep. Additionally, signs of intoxication appear - pallor, fever, decreased appetite, lethargy, etc.
Gout is a joint disease in which uric acid builds up in the joints. Painful sensations more often occur at night, in a dream. The color of the joint is brown-red, it is swollen and very sore, hot on palpation.
Arthritis is a disease, as a result of which the heel and surrounding tissues are most often inflamed. The pains are strong and persistent, unbearable in the morning.
Osteoporosis - voids in the bone due to its demineralization and decrease in calcium. Bone strength drops noticeably, and fractures often occur. Contribute to the pathology of physical inactivity, violation of diet, menopause, taking medications containing aluminum.
Disease of the North, or calcaneal pineal gland - a pathology that occurs in children. Symptoms - pain of the lateral surfaces of the heel after physical exertion, slight swelling, the surface of the heel is hot to the touch. Up to 8-16 years of age, two parts of the calcaneus are connected by cartilage. It happens that excessive physical exertion leads to its rupture, and then the heel on the right or left foot hurts both from the inside and from the outside (around the entire perimeter).
Why do heels hurt after walking
In some cases, pain appears after, and not during walking. A very common reason is the wrong shoes with a bad block, high heels. Forced standing posture throughout the day or most of it in representatives of certain professions (hairdressers, cooks, etc.) can also cause pain. In such cases, the legs should be given more rest at any, even minute, opportunity.
Training with jumping and running can also cause pain in the heel zone. Especially if there is a problem of excess weight. But dramatic weight loss can also have negative health effects on your heels. Itβs best to lose weight gradually.
Diagnostic measures
Mandatory is KLA, OAM, blood biochemistry. If we are talking about inflammation, there will be an increased ESR, an increase in white blood cells, a decrease in hemoglobin. Biochemistry will show the level of inflammatory proteins, the presence of uric acid, etc. If you suspect reactive arthritis, they can take a scraping from the urethra. Tuberculosis will be determined by lung x-ray and puncture biopsy.
With osteomyelitis, a biopsy is also performed. When bursitis I do a puncture of the synovial bag. Oncology will help identify tumor markers, ultrasound, MRI, and osteoporosis - densitometry. However, the most important and most common diagnostic method is still an ankle x-ray in two projections.
First aid for heel pain
When the heel of the left leg hurts, what to do at home? NSAIDs and analgesics, such as Ortofen, Diclofenac, and even Analgin, can often help. These funds in the form of ointments and gels can be used locally. Folk medicine recommends applying an onion and garlic compress with added oil in case of inflammation so that there is no burning sensation. After an hour the pain goes away.
In case of bruising, you need to apply cold: keep ice or a hypothermic cooling bag for 15 minutes hourly 3 times a day. Then rub the anti-inflammatory ointment. Well help foot baths with salt in a ratio of 1: 5 or a solution with vodka. They can be taken 10 days.
Treatment principles
Treatment can be medication and non-medication: herbal medicine, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, etc. If there is no effect, surgery is practiced.
So, if the heel of the left foot hurts, how to treat? Conservative therapy involves taking NSAIDs locally and orally, analgesics, cytostatics, gold preparations (for systemic diseases). If the disease is inflammatory in nature, antibiotic therapy is required. To improve microcirculation and tissue regeneration, angioprotectors - Actovegin, Tivortin - are used.
Do not forget about the periodic intake of vitamins and minerals. With constant pain, blockages are prescribed with Diprospan and Lidocaine, etc. For calluses, special plasters with acids (lactic, salicylic) are used.
With bursitis, the imposition of a special longy and rest is recommended, less often they make a joint puncture for washing the bag.
When gout is usually prescribed drugs that help reduce the amount of uric acid, such as "Thiopurinol."
In case of injury, the foot must be locked. When stretching the calcaneus tendon will need a tightening bandage. If a break occurs, the operation is shown.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapeutic methods include ultrasound treatment, laser therapy, UHF, mud applications, electrophoresis, phonophoresis, magnetotherapy and shock wave treatment. All this very effectively relieves the symptoms of the disease.
Non-drug treatment
Non-drug therapy includes:
- Therapeutic exercises for the foot - stretching exercises, rolling the ball with spikes. Useful and effective walking on toes or rib foot.
- Massage improves blood flow, relieves inflammation and swelling.
- LFK - development of ligaments and tendons. This is the flexion and extension of the joints of the foot and knee.
- The use of arch support and heel, orthopedic insoles. They soften the blows, weaken the load on the heels.
- The alternation of warming and ice massage several times during the day relieves pain and trains the vessels.
Proper shoes are the key to healthy legs. Heel height should be no more than 3-4 cm.
Surgical treatment
Surgical intervention is practiced in the treatment of heel spurs in the absence of the effect of drug therapy. The plantar fascia is excised, part of the bone, spur or sequestra is removed. The operation can be performed endoscopically or by an open method.
For fractures in the heel area, the application of gypsum for 1.5 months is required. Traveling only with crutches. The forefoot can only be loaded a month after removing the cast. The rehabilitation period includes exercise therapy, massage, physiotherapy.
If recovery is slow, the patient wears an orthosis in the form of a boot, which reduces the load on the bone, prevents muscle atrophy, and reduces swelling. The recovery period generally takes 3 months. Even if movements are difficult, doctors recommend that the leg be developed from the first days of rehabilitation.
Doctors advice
When diagnosing chronic inflammatory diseases, their exacerbations cannot be allowed. Such patients should avoid heavy physical exertion. They canβt walk for a long time. It should normalize the weight, choose comfortable shoes. It is necessary to strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the foot, regularly do foot massage, use orthopedic devices to reduce the load on the heel, strengthen the vessels of the legs with contrasting baths.