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What would cause pain in the heel and calf?


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For the past two days I have had pain in my calf and heel area. It came on suddenly. I haven't been exercising and I don't remember bumping it. It seems to be worse first thing in the morning and then again in the evening. I'm not sure but I don't think I have any swelling. It really hurts to walk.

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When I did an exercise program that involved running/jogging in a stationary position in between sets, I ended up with Anterior tibial tendonitis and achelies tendonitis. It hurt in my heel and up the back of my calf a bit. I didn't do anything extraordinary to cause it either...just exercise my heels weren't used to. I saw a podiatrist and he had me use myoflex cream for a few weeks and buy some New Balance shoes (in the 900's) and it got better pretty fast.

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Would that cause pain in the calf too?

 

Yes. Rule of thumb: something is more likely to be an unusual presentation of a common problem than the usual presentation of a rare problem.

 

We are assuming you don't have significant vascular disease, etc.

Edited by kalanamak
UNusual, UN, UN
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Ding, ding, ding! This is it. I had the same problem recently. To fix it, I bought special shoes at a running shoe store. I had tried on dozens of different pairs at different stores for months, and I kept running into the same problem with almost every pair I tried on: the heel cup of the shoe hit my foot in exactly the wrong spot and caused all kinds of pain. So I was stuck wearing my old shoes 'til they completely wore out. I thought it was some problem with the shoe manufacturers, doing some sort of trendy design gimmick, LOL.

 

The salesman at the running shoe store looked at the wear pattern on my old shoes. He said I roll my feet inward toward the center when I walk. My new shoes have reinforcements on the inside of the foot so the shoes won't twist as I walk. They took some getting used to, but the $100 were worth it. So much for buying whatever's on sale at the local sporting goods store.

 

I highly recommend that you find a shoe store in your area that is dedicated to running. They tend to have staff members who are runners, and they'll really know their stuff, unlike your standard sporting goods store employee. If you have trouble finding one, check the local running clubs or maybe fitness magazines, or even the local fitness centers.

 

HTH.

 

ETA: My doctor gave me a pamphlet with some exercises on it that I should do twice a day. I've got it in my purse... somewhere. I haven't actually done the exercises, LOL. But if you can't find any exercises by Googling, just ask your doctor.

Edited by FlockOfSillies
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FWIW, I had plantar fasciitis, lots of trouble with it last year. I lost 15 pounds last winter and have not been troubled by it since.

 

Knock wood...

 

Stretching feet and calves each morning before getting out of bed each morning seems to help.

 

You can buy a splint at CVS for appx $20, try sleeping in that if the problem persists. That keeps the muscle under your foot from relaxing into an position that will cause pain in the morning.

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I agree with the others that plantar fascitis is the likely culprit.

 

I tried fixing it myself with the exercises recommended on the internet and started wearing my shoes all the time, but after 6 weeks I was still having a lot of pain, especially first thing in the morning and late in the evening. I finally went to a podiatrist and went through 2 months of foot taping to get my foot back into shape where he could take molds of my fit for custom orthotics. I wear my orthotics all the time now.

 

I recommend that you try the stretches and night splint. If you don't have relief within a few weeks, I would go ahead and make an appointment with a podiatrist.

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The same thing happened to me last spring after I had walked barefoot on cement for an hour or two. My calf was so tight and couldn't bear weight on my heel. I have a large bone spur on my heel -- its also known as plantars fasciitus. It developed over time, but was agrivated by going barefoot on cement. I have wood floors and constantly went barefoot . I'm not a fan of shoes --especially in the house. Now I need to wear shoes in the house and wear good running shoes with support even if I'm just doing errands. I was told to take ibuprofen and ice my heel (frozen plastic water bottle helps -- you can roll it back and forth on the bottom of your foot) for a few days until the swelling goes down. And to do the exercises that were posted earlier. I keep slip on shoes by my bed for when I get up in the morning. I wear walk fit insoles in some of my shoes. Hope it gets better.

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