Celebrating Freedom: The 225th Anniversary of the U.S. Bill of Rights : Download the Special Report prepared by The Washington Times Advocacy Department available in the December 13, 2016, edition of The Washington Times.
Plantar fasciitis (say PLAN-ter fash-ee-EYE-tus) is the most common cause of heel pain. The plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.
(See Anatomy of the Foot and Ankle). Gait abnormalities can cause inflammation of the structures attached to the heel bone, resulting in heel pain. Inflammation of the plantar fascia, called plantar fasciitis, is the most common cause of heel pain.Plantar fasciitis often causes pain that is more severe following a period of rest (e.g., after sleeping).eel pain also is relatively common in active children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 13. Pediatric heel pain frequently occurs on the bottom rear of the heel or the sides. Heel pain occurs in both heels (bilaterally) in less than 30 percent of cases. The left heel is commonly the first to be affected.