Heel Pain In the Morning

The alarm clock goes off. You sleepily swing your legs out of your bed and place your feet on the ground. You stretch, and rise to get up out of bed... and you collapse on the floor. Your feet are in terrible pain and won't work right!

You hobble over to the alarm clock and turn it off and continue in to the bathroom. As your body warms up, so do your feet and throughout the rest of your day the pain in your heels dissipates. Maybe it was just a fluke. And then it happens the next morning. And the next. Maybe not a fluke.

If this is something that's happened to you, you have heel pain, but you also have post static dyskinesia, a general term which refers to pain after rest. Post static dyskinesia can happen any where in the body, but it is most commonly connected with heel pain. 

The injury itself actually occurs when you take that first step out of bed in the morning. You have been sleeping all night, and your foot relaxes and goes into the plantarflexed or downward position. This position releases the tension on the plantar fascia and over the night, the ligament shortens. So when you take that first step, the ligament has to lengthen and it snaps at your heel bone. This injury causes the pain and inflammation associated with plantar fasciitis. 

To prevent plantar fasciitis and post static dyskinesia from worsening, you should call a podiatrist immediately. They will prescribe anti-inflammatory medication and recommend icing to decrease the inflammation and pain. You will also be told stretches that will help ease the pain. 

If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Related articles

• Botox Found To Help Plantar Fasciitis
• Lateral Plantar Nerve Entrapment

Nuggets Guard Lawson Out Weeks With Heel Injury

If we've learned anything from this NBA season, it's that if you have a plantar fasciitis problem, don't try to

be a muscle man and power through the injury. It's not an injury that gets better with repeated exercise- it gets worse. 
Now, here's another plantar fascia tear casualty- Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson has a plantar fascia tear in his right heel and while it was expected he would be out several weeks, last Tuesday he practiced with the team.
Lawson suffered the injury on March 19th in a 114-104 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder and he missed the next four of five games.
There was no official timetable for Lawson's return, but the Nuggets seem to be optimistic about his prospects for the rest of the season. Coach George Karl told Nuggets.com, "I have a feeling that he had somewhat of a partial tear in his plantar fasciitis (sp), and that's untreatable. But popping it creates a situation where now once the soreness goes away, he probably should be able to be pain-free. It could come in a couple of weeks.
"His job and our job is to figure out how to get him feeling 100% and having some confidence playing the game of basketball. I think it's a situation where it's going to work out. I'm optimistic about how it's going to work out."
After practice last Tuesday, Karl told The Denver Post, "I don't think he took many chances, but he did run up and down the court. He doesn't seem like he was confident. Knowing Ty, he probably won't try overly aggressive game until he's in the game."
Lawson leads Denver in scoring at 16.7 points per game and 6.7 assists. The team has already clinched a playoff berth.
Lawson says his foot feels better than it did, but it's still not 100%. Does anyone else feel like Lawson is being rushed back? Yes, he is the team's best player, but has no one learned from the Pau Gasol debacle? An injury like a plantar fascia tear, whether it's partial or complete, does take time to heal. The few games he sat out are not nearly enough to keep further damage from occurring.
Reference: SB Nation
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Related articles

• Padres' Forsythe On the DL With Plantar Fasciitis
• Nets' Johnson Latest Plantar Fasciitis Casualty
• Lions' Kicker Hanson Retires Because of Heel Problems
• David Ortiz Still Frustrated By Heel Pain
• Albert Pujols Dealing With Plantar Fasciitis
• Padres' Forsythe Hopes Resting Will Help Plantar Fasciitis
• Spurs' Neal Suffering From Plantar Fasciitis

Lions' Kicker Hanson Retires Because of Heel Problems

There are times when you want to continue, but your body tells you it can no longer go on.

That's how Detroit Lions' kicker Jason Hanson felt after this last season. He pondered returning for one last season, but problems with his heels made it impossible for him to come back. He recently made the decision to retire after 21 years of playing in the NFL, all 21 seasons with the Lions. 
"It's time. I gave serious thought and consideration to playing in 2013. While the determination and willpower are still there, the wear and tear on my body, especially the issues I had and still have with my heel, have convinced me that it's time to retire," said Hanson.
Hanson was the first player in NFL history to play 300 games with one team, finishing with 327. He set a record last season when he played his 21st season with the same franchise. Hanson was a record-making player: he had 52 field goals from at least 50 yards, is third in career scoring list at 2,150 points and third in field goals with 495. He is also the only player with 2,000 points for one team.
"Jason Hanson is the gold standard," said Lions president Tom Lewand. "He had an exemplary, Hall of Fame-worthy career on the field, and for those of us fortunate to know him well, he is an even better person, teammate, friend, husband, and father."
Hanson joins Jerry Rice, George Blanda, Morten Anderson, Gary Anderson, and Vinny Testaverde with 21 pro seasons. He joined the Lions in 1992, the year after they reached the NFC Championship game. He played in six postseason games, which were all losses, and went through the team's terrible 0-16 season in 2008. He was rewarded in 2011 when the Lions made the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. 
Hanson was looking forward to the press conference, when he could "publicly thank so many people who have played such a big part in my career. You all helped me along this journey and I am forever grateful." 
And Lions fans everywhere are grateful for you, Jason Hanson. Wishing you the best in the future. 
Reference: ESPN
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Padres' Forsythe On the DL With Plantar Fasciitis

It was just three weeks ago I blogged about San Diego Padres' Logan Forsythe, and how he hoped resting for a few days would clear up his plantar fasciitis.
I guess none of these athletes read up about plantar fasciitis, because they would know this is something that does not go away after a *couple of days rest*. Try a couple of months, if you are diligent about icing, resting, stretching, and wearing orthotics.  
Forsythe went on the 15 day DL last week after playing just three innings last Tuesday in a loss against the San Francisco Giants after being out since March 7th. 
Padres manager Bud Black said he had no choice but to take Forsythe out, saying, "It was really painful at the start of the game and with the intensity of the soreness, we had to take him out. The pain got worse the more he was on it."
Forsythe was the leading candidate to start third base for the injured Chase Headley on Opening Day, but now it's looking like it's likely he'll be replaced by Gregorio Petit. 
Reference: Tracking Blog 
If you are experiencing heel pain, call our Rocky Hill or Middletown office to make an appointment.
Jeffrey S. Kahn, DPM
Connecticut Foot Care Centers
Heel Pain Doctor in CT
Podiatrist in Rocky Hill and Middletown, CT
Visit our website, follow my tweets on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook.

Related articles

• Padres' Forsythe Hopes Resting Will Help Plantar Fasciitis
• Joakim Noah To Return Tomorrow From Plantar Fasciitis
• Nets' Johnson Latest Plantar Fasciitis Casualty