There are a variety of causes of heel pain. Heel pain can occur on the bottom of the heel or the back of the heel. The most common heel pain occurs in the bottom of the heel. Frequently this pain is worse first thing in the morning or after having been at rest. It seems to come out of nowhere or feel like a stone bruise after having been on your feet for long periods of time. Patients often describe the pain as being sharp like stepping on a "spur" or a thorn. The pain may radiate into the arch of the foot or up into the calf muscle. On occasion, leg or foot cramps accompany the condition. Often associated with a spur identified on x-rays, the condition may be referred to as "heel spurs." A common contributing factor is tightness of the calf muscles.
