Heel spur & Achilles tendon irritation

✔ Holistic Diagnosis
✔ Individual therapy program
✔ Orthodox medicine and alternative therapies

«I would be happy to present my diagnostic procedures and therapy approaches to you in order to relieve your foot pain and to help you regain a better quality of life. » – Specialist Dr. med. Martin Ihle

Pain in foot, heel and Achilles tendon

Some organs are only noticed when they hurt and cause problems. This is especially true for foot complaints. They can make life unbearable if they cause pain every step of the way and become a constant companion.

Highly complex anatomy of the feet

The foot is subject to various stresses and strains. The anatomical construction of the foot is so ingenious that it normally carries our entire body weight without us even noticing it. We owe this to the highly complex structure of specially shaped bones, many small joints and stabilising and elastic ligaments and tendons.

From foot pain to knee pain

However, if the structure is damaged or a functional disorder occurs, the finely tuned system becomes unbalanced. The feet often don’t hurt when doing sports or dancing, but when walking.

However, this does not often remain the case. A relieving posture or a muscular dysbalance from foot pain can also lead to pain complaints in the knee, hip or back.

Measures for foot malpositions

Shoes have a strong effect on the foot due to their narrow shape and heels. This can further exacerbate a genetic malposition such as a splayfoot or a hallux valgus. This can lead to discomfort in other joints such as the knee, hip and back. The hallux valgus in particular can become stronger in the course of time and worsen due to pressure points and joint wear in the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe. Without counteraction, this can require surgical correction.

In the case of malpositions that have not yet manifested themselves structurally, active foot muscle training with stretching of the sole of the foot and exercises to strengthen the arch-stabilizing muscles can help. This can stop the progression of symptoms in the long term. In addition, a foot pressure measurement should be carried out in order to manufacture individually adapted shoe insoles that support the arch and/or have a sensorimotor effect.

Pain syndrome of the Achilles tendon

Another problem is the pain syndrome of the Achilles tendon. This leads to pain in the attachment area of the tendon at the heel. This can be caused by a shortening of the calf muscles or a malposition in the pelvic area. A trigger is often an acute overuse of the structure.

In our orthopaedic practice, we therefore take a close look at the body’s statics in order to identify correlations and develop a complex therapy. On the one hand, this starts at the joints and the myofascial structures and, on the other hand, provides relief for the tendon. Essential elements in non-surgical therapy are:

• Manual Medicine / Osteopathy
• Acupuncture
• Shock wave therapy
• Infiltration therapy
• Eccentric stretching of the calf muscles

Pain in the soles of the feet

Another pain syndrome is foot sole pain, the so-called plantar fasciitis. It sometimes (but not always) occurs in connection with the heel spur. This leads to pain at the beginning of the tendon on the inside of the sole of the foot, which can extend over the entire sole of the foot. This is also often a functional pain syndrome that can be treated with a complex therapy approach. In addition to manual therapy, shock wave therapy, acupuncture and neural therapy are suitable.

Do you suffer from pain in the foot or Achilles tendon? In my practice at Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin-Mitte, I would be happy to discuss with you which treatment methods are available so that you have less pain and a better quality of life.