Heel Pain

Heels Causing You Pain? 3 Ways to Get Relief At Your Desk

Sometimes being a slave to fashion can be a real pain…in the heels. When you're wearing high heels all day this actually causes your calf muscles to get short and tight. And the longer you wear those heels, the shorter your calf muscles get.

What's the problem with short, tight calf muscles?

Well, when you step on a flat surface it creates tension in the tendon on the bottom of your foot. The short, tight calf muscle starts to pull on the tendon. This pulling causes heel pain, or plantar fasciitis.

Yes, there are other ways you can get this heel pain

Such as having flat feet, bad running mechanics or muscle imbalances to name a few. So if you find yourself with heel pain, these tips will help you too.

How to get relief from your heel pain

The obvious answer is to stop wearing heels. We know that's not always possible. But you'll want to try to cut down the time you're in heels as much as you can. You can do this by bringing a change of shoes with you.

This way you can travel in sneakers and save the heels for the office.

Here's what to do when you're sitting at your desk

It's good idea to keep something like a golf ball under your desk. With the golf ball on the floor, slip off your heels and roll the ball along the tendon on the bottom of your foot. Find 3 to 4 painful spots between your heel to your toes.

Apply pressure in each of these spots for 20 to 30 seconds. You can even increase the intensity of this exercise by standing.

This exercise shouldn't cause any bruising or increase your pain level. If it does you're doing too much. So you'll want to ease off on the pressure you're putting on the golf ball.

You can also add some ice

Put a water bottle in the freezer. Once it's frozen you can run your foot along it just like the golf ball. This will help reduce the inflammation and reduce your pain.

So here are three ways to help relieve your heel pain:
  • Bring a change of shoes
  • Use a golf ball while sitting at your desk
  • Freeze a bottle of water to move under your foot

If you feel your pain is getting worse, it could be a sign of an deeper problem. Give us a call at the office to set up an appointment. We'll figure out what's wrong.

To your health,
Jon, Pete and Michelle

If you have any questions please give us a call at the office (212) 317-8303.