Heel Limbs: Reasons, Therapy and Surgery

ORTHOPEDICS/LEG, FOOT & ANKLE

All about Heel Limbs

Patients and even doctors frequently confuse the heel limb and the plantar fasciitis.

Heel limb and the plantar fasciitis are not the same, even if the diagnoses are linked.

At the time, the Plantar fasciitis refers to the swelling of the plantar fascia, (the tissue that constitutes the foot arch).  A heel limb is a bone that emerge on the heel bone (calcaneus) and is frequently related to plantar fasciitis. (A heel limb can be detected by an x-ray).

Heel Limbs/ Diagnosis and Pain

The heel limb itself is not known to be a pain cause unless swelling and irritation of the plantar fascia are shown.

Diagnosis of a heel limb is made when an x-ray shows a hook of bone.

While about 70% of patients with plantar fasciitis have a heel limb, x-rays similarly show that about 50% of patients with no signs of plantar fasciitis suffer of a heel limb as well.

Heel Spurs therapy

Therapy of a heel limbs is the same as of plantar fasciitis.

Therefore, because these difficulties are related, the therapy is the same.

Relaxation is the first step in the therapy of a heel limb, followed by an inflammation control by anti-inflammatory medicines..