Question
Hi Dr. K - about one month ago I lost my balance and "fell off" my shoe.  This was a slide-on flat shoe with no back.  When my foot came out of the shoe, the bottom of my heel near the outer edge (but still on the bottom) hit the hard edge of the shoe.  I did ice the injury at first, then massage, etc.  In the interim, due to the heel pain I developed arch pain from trying to keep a lot of pressure off the heel.  The arch pain pretty much dissipated but the one spot on my heel is still uncomfortable.  I also used the gel inserts for the heel and arch but the heel pain is persistent. Is it now time to seek professional help?  Is there anything else I should be doing to speed the healing process?  Thank you.

Answer
Hi Jean,

It sounds like you injured the soft tissue of the heel which includes the nerves.  I would continue to ice the area, however if there is continued heel pain I would see a podiatrist.  I see many heel injuries which result in nerve damage.  I perform a procedure known as CryoMax to relieve this nerve pain.  So if you are unable to get heel relief I would consider cryosurgery.  See my site below.

Sincerely,

Marc Katz, DPM
Tampa, FL
Advanced Podiatry
www.thetampapodiatrist.com
www.tampacryosurgery.com
www.cryosurgerypodiatrist.com



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