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Question:

My sister, who doesn’t have net access, has been troubled by a heel spur for the last 6 months.  She got orthotics three months ago, which have helped, but it is still very painful. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this problem?  How long will it take?                thanks a bunch.                        Linda Wack

Response:

My sister, who doesn’t have net access, has been troubled by a heel spur for the last 6 months.  She got orthotics three months ago, which have helped, but it is still very painful. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this problem?  How long will it take?               thanks a bunch.                       Linda Wack

Is she, or rather her doctor _really_ sure it is a heel spur.  My doctor says that these mis-diagnosed many times when viewed simply on the basis of pain location.  Pain can be tranfered from one point to another in the foot structure – there are even books on it.  My experience BTW, not opinion.  Muscle spasms in the foot, arch and heel area in particular can be extrememly painful especially when they last weeks and months.  My doctor, BTW, is an ultrarunner as I am, and treats many runners/atheletes in his practice. milt scholl

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sister, who doesn’t have net access, has been troubled by a heel spur for the last 6 months.  She got orthotics three months ago, which have helped, but it is still very painful. Does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this problem?  How long will it take?               thanks a bunch.                       Linda Wack Is she, or rather her doctor _really_ sure it is a heel spur.  My doctor says that these mis-diagnosed many times when viewed simply on the basis of pain location.  Pain can be tranfered from one point to another in the foot structure – there are even books on it.  My experience BTW, not opinion.  Muscle spasms in the foot, arch and heel area in particular can be extrememly painful especially when they last weeks and months.  My doctor, BTW, is an ultrarunner as I am, and treats many runners/atheletes in his practice. milt scholl

But to answer her question no matter what the problem is:  A long time. Foot problems are very slow to heal and re-injure easily if not fully healed.  I’ve been nursing a heel spur (confirmed by X-ray) for over a year now.  I keep trying to run high miles (training for Western States) on it.  If you want the pain to go away, stop running for a while and treat your feet with tender loving care.  Do not wear shoes that cause any irritation.  I wear my running shoes with my orthotics all the time.  One of the sources of aggravation for my heel was a pair of loafers with inadequate arch support.  Anything that bothers your foot will cause the problem to linger on longer.  Unfortunately, there is very little a podiatrist can do to speed up the recovery of a damaged foot.  They can make sure you have the right kind of orthotics and that they fit your feet properly but that’s about it.  It’s up to the "user" to heal the problem.  By the way, ice helps a bit for relief of pain. — Suzanne Roat Chevron Research and Technology Company         Richmond, CA                    

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