One area that many athletes are prone to injury is in their heel. While this doesn’t get the media attention that something like a concussion or an ACL tear would, the truth is that an injury to a heel can sideline an individual for days or weeks. The good news is that there are certain things you can do to protect yourself and other precautions you can take in the wake of an injury so that you’re able to recover. A new report goes into detail on what those steps are.
First, an understanding of heel injuries must be reached. When we talk about the heel, we’re referring to something known as the calcaneus. This heel bone takes much of the weight of your body as you come down with your foot when you’re walking or landing. If you’re trying to identify this section of the foot, simply lift your foot up and press a finger into your heel.
What you should feel is a slight give, marked by a type of “squishy” feeling, followed by a solid surface that signals the start of the bone. The soft, bouncier portion of the foot is basically a large cushion of fat that allows some of the stress to be taken off of the heel itself. Otherwise, that bone would face severe vibrations every time it made an impact with the ground, and it wouldn’t be long before that accumulates to the point of a bruise and severe pain.
This is exactly what happens when something goes awry with the fat that protects the bone. Numerous situations could lead to the disruption of this portion of the body, and when it does, the bone gets exposed to possible injury. If you land awkwardly multiple times, the pad of fat can actually be skewed toward one side of the foot. If your heel faces numerous rough impacts, say if you bring your feet down too forcefully when you jog, the pad can flatten out and fail in its duty to protect your heel.
When you think you’ve suffered an injury, the best thing you can do is rest prior to the injury getting out of hand. Place ice on the affected area so that any swelling that occurs goes down, and stay off of that foot as much as possible for a couple of days. If the injury persists and you’re struggling to move past the pain, you might consider taping your foot up ahead of your next athletic event. Basically, you wrap the tape around your heel so that the pad of fat has some help protecting the bone.
Finally, your shoes might help you avoid an injury. Some are built with soles that further cushion the foot, or you can invest in pads that offer additional protection.
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