Orthopaedic surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are testing an investigational treatment for heel pain. The treatment uses a technique developed in the early 1980s to eliminate kidney stones.
Arthritic conditions can cause soft tissue inflammation.
Some patients may have trauma or a stress fracture of the heel. The plantar fascia is a broad ligament-like structure on the bottom of the foot that supports the arch of the foot. It runs from the toes all the way back to the heel. Patients with plantar fasciitis typically have pain and inflammation at the site where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone. It's fairly clear that the heel spur is not causing the pain, but rather, the pain is the result of inflammation at the site where this ligament attaches to the bone.