Patient story · Heel pain

15 Years of Heel Pain, Blamed on “Growing Pains”

By Dr. Ibrahim Haro · Haro Podiatry Center, Clifton, NJ

At the end of a long day in the office, I wanted to share a patient story that stayed with me.

“It’s just growing pains”

A young woman came in with heel pain she’d had for more than 15 years, since she was a child. She had seen other doctors over the years. When she was younger, they told her it was growing pains and she would grow out of it.

She is an adult now and fully grown, and the pain never went away.

Pain that holds you back

This patient is young and active. She wants to exercise, and she wants to run marathons. Her heel pain has been holding her back from both.

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What we found

When we examined her, we found that she has foot pronation, which most people know as flat feet. I believe this is the cause of her heel pain.

When the arch flattens, the foot rolls inward with every step. That puts extra strain on the heel and the tissue along the bottom of the foot. Over years of walking, running and standing, that strain adds up.

A simple treatment

The treatment here is very simple. We’re fitting her for a custom foot orthotic, an insert molded to her foot that goes right into her sneaker. It supports her arch and corrects how her foot moves.

I’m confident she will do well and get back to running and exercising again.

You don’t have to live with heel pain

If you’ve had heel pain for a long time, even if someone told you it was nothing, have a podiatrist take a look. You don’t have to keep suffering, and sometimes the answer is as simple as a custom orthotic.