tearing feeling in the heel

[drusmom]

I have this pain in my heel that feels like I am tearing something every time I bend over without bending my knee first. I have had plantar faciitis and this feels totally different. I have read somewhere that you can rupture your pantar fascia, could this be what I have done? If so, what do I need to do to heal it as it is VERY painful if I step the wrong way. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[nbadger23]

I have had the same symptoms on both feet (pain when bending over at the waist and not the knees, pain worse
in the morning and lessens during the day, walking does not bother it, legs straight out are fine but if I flex
my foot backwards it causes the pain).  

The right foot was a problem for almost a year and a half and the left foot just started a few weeks ago.  The
right side problem was the accumulation of a lot of tightness on my right side over multiple years.  Started
with a bad neck issue that I never really addressed and continued down to my lower back and into my hamstringsand finally into my foot.  The pain in my foot is what drove me to get treatment because that one was the worst to live with/work around.  

I went through quite a bit of chiro and massage therapy to get those muscles loosened up to a point where it wasn't causing that pull on the bottom of my foot and did successfully fix it.The massage person couldn't believe how tight my hamstrings were and I've focused on keeping those as stretched out as best I can.

The problem with the left foot came about due to over doing it helping a friend clean up from storm damage. Two
straight days of bending, lifting, etc were the precursor.  I could feel the tightness in my hamstrings in the
next few days and sure enough, here comes the pain in the bottom of the foot again.  I've been to the chiro
twice and it's helping a bit but I have a feeling I'm going to need to add the massage therapy in again. If I'm
diligent about stretching every morning I can get it to almost nothing while I'm moving throughout the day but
as soon as I sit down for a while it comes back pretty quickly.  

The stretches that help me are to start with laying on my back and pulling that leg up with a rope/band to stretch
the hamstring.  After I've loosened it up that way I stand backwards on the top stair of a staircase, with half
of my foot over the step and gently dip down.  After that I simply try to bend over at the waist and touch the ground
and try to get back to a "normal" position before I injured things.

I'm not saying it's not a plantar issue because for some it could be but for me it's been directly tied to tightness
in the muscles "up river" of the foot, with the hamstrings being the key.

[LiveTo200]

Unfortunate that we’re all experiencing type of pain but is nice to know I’m not the only one.  I have a similar pain, left foot, bottom of my heel where the achilles connects to the heel bone.  I feel a tight pulling sensation that creates sharp pain.  Does not hurt while I’m walking or jogging but it hurts during calf stretches. I’ve had a multitude of injuries from my neck, back, and knee due to sports.  Definitely don’t spend enough time stretching so that will change.  Also trying to avoid high impact excercises and do more swimming to stay fit.  Going to try some of the suggestions here and see if the pain goes down or disappears.

[Elbows55]

I've had the same sharp  tearing feeling and in my case it's directly related to hard skin on my heels that is cracking and splitting. You feel it when you bend forward because you're putting pressure on the skin through movement and weight distribution. The hard skin is caused for me by wearing sandals and gets worse the longer I've been wearing sandals in  summer and is generally getting more pronounced with age and weight gain. This is why it can go away and recur.. Goes away in winter if you're wearing socks all the time. Try removing the hard skin and moisturising your heels.

[acyberbug]

After doing a little research it may be the result of taking Metformin - and the resultant loss of vitain B-12..??.. Just a suspicion...

[Joanebb]

I have been suffering from exactly this for the last 30 years! First time it happened I had bent over to pick something up and I honestly thought I had stepped on a tack or a piece of broken glass. The pain went away very quickly, but it happened again and again, and it also started to happen in my other foot. I ended up with little or no feeling in the bottom of my heels. I have no idea why, but the symptoms eased off, and I mostly forgot about it. It started up again about 10 years later, and most of the time since then the bottom of my heels (the balls) have been numb. I was diagnosed with flat feet a couple of years back and wear insoles to correct this, I had hoped it would solve the problem but, apart from relieving my aching feet it really did nothing. I have also had neurological examinations which show I have lost nerve activity in my feet - but they have no idea what the cause is and have ruled out the scary stuff so I was resigned to living with it!
Things started to get worse about a month ago, I tend to try and ignore it, work around it, but my husband noticed that I have started to 'curtsey' with my right knee bent when I have to stoop to pick something up.
Anyway, I will get to the point - I am seeing a fantastic physio at the moment for a problem in my shoulder and neck, so today I told him about my foot... What can I say, I have just bent down and touched my toes without any pain at all! He made me sit on a stool in front of him and he examined my foot - he grabbed the base of my big toe and wiggled it - I nearly hit the roof! Afterwards, he knelt down in front of me and grabbed my knee with both hands - digging his fingers in deep behind my knee. He pressed down hard with his elbow on the top of my knee then dragged the thumb and forefinger of his other hand right down the outside of my calf (digging in deep) to my ankle. It was painful, but it felt right. Then he started to ping the muscle and tissue (like twanging an elastic band) from my knee to ankle. Finally he rotated my foot a few times and pulled and rolled all my toe joints. I don't know whether he was working on a trapped nerve or a tight muscle, but it did the trick. He says we have to do this a few more times to sort it out but if you want to watch this space I will post an update next time. I will also ask him what he is fixing - and what you would call the manipulations he has done so that I can pass it on!

[sl_irl]

Please update us, sounds like I have same thing

[Joanebb]

Hi there! I saw my physio again yesterday and asked what he thought was the problem. No clear answer I'm afraid, he said that it was most probably a compressed nerve (at the level of my knee) but that in view of the time it took me to do something about it he thought that there was a lot of 'hard' tissue that needed massage. All I can say is that it continues to improve - he spent time massaging the top of my foot yesterday and I got a lot of twinges running from my ankle to the base of my big toe. I will see him again in two weeks and keep you posted. He specialises in 'Posturology' (which is based on the  body's 'plumb lines') as well as more traditional physio treatments - it may be why he homed in on where my problem was coming from - perhaps you could find one in your area?
Good luck.

[akshayv]

I Love my new slippers! They are so comfortable. They run a bit big, so I had to return the size 8 for a 7. Fairly easy return process and prompt service from the Orthofeet. Repeat purchasing will depend on the rest of my experience, receiving and product quality. Toe of shoes seem to scuff through black finish easily. Other than that I'm pleased. Hope it will reblacken okay. I need slip resistant shoes quickly. I usually don't recommend any type of product, so that is why I gave a lower rating there.

[copyofacopy]

i've had this issue amongst other foot pains that went along with it, but what was always present was numbess/pain/tingling/burning sensation (almost like it was falling asleep but a little painful) in the heel area when I would do a straight leg raise and point my toes towards my head (dorsiflex), or bend over at the hip (essentially the same movement).

I have scoured the internet for about a week, i've had the pain sensations for about three weeks. I was first under the impression of plantar fasciaitis or tarsal tunnel syndrome, but I'm considering it relating to sciatic nerve maybe pinched in the back or maybe somewhere along the way down to the foot.

I was running on the foot, and staying pretty active up until just one week ago because I did not want to cause any more harm and to see if rest would help. I was not seeing any improvement in this very short period, but what has been helping a lot, has been hot treatment. Taking very warm baths, or probably soaking the foot in hot water has relieved the pain temporarily. I've also been loosening up my calves and when I'm not feeling pain, after I take baths, ill stretch my hamstrings. I've also started using a foam roller to really loosen up tight muscles.

My (very unprofessional) prognosis for myself bc my pain sensations are more in the region to the exterior side of the heel when I straight leg raise or bend over at the waist, is a pinched or compression of the sciatic nerve. I'm not sure exactly where the pinch or compression is, but that it is causing pain sensations in the lateral calcenous branch nerve endings. You can look up those terms and learn for yourself, I'm not a doctor.

[Reecetowns]

I have the same pain in my ankle. Does anyone no any stretches or yoga positions that make it better.

[miz_crawfish]

I really wonder if anyone ever diagnosed you, or if the pain resolved on its own!  I've had this for over 2 months in my left heel, a sharp pain in the inner heel when I bend at the waist if my left leg is straight.  Also sometimes just straightening my legs in front of me while sitting.  I've seen a chiropractor, 2 physiatrists, and talked to a surgeon and signs are pointing toward a pinched L3 nerve (lumbar issue), but it doesn't present "classically."  Cortisone shots (in my back) didn't really help.  When I accidentally tweak the nerve by bending suddenly, I literally yell out loud and ball up.  It feels like a taught wire is about to snap.

[NikNik312]

I am experiencing this exact same thing!!! Literally I felt like I was reading something I typed. It started last week and I saw an orthopedic this week. He gave me a prescription for an anti inflammatory and told me he thought it was a pinched nerve in my back and fhat hopefully it would work itself out. I'm pretty careful when I bend over bc the pain is so bad but I did it abruptly yesterday and thought it was going to cry! This sharp tearing pain is no joke!! Did you ever get a solid answer as to what it was??

[Bzig]

It's plantar fasciitis. Very hard to get rid off, but you can. Trust me, it can get so much worse. Star rolling your arch on golf or squash balls. Press hard. Do this several times a day, Get massage to break up any developing 'crunchy' scar tissue. Stretch your calves. Get the massage therapist to really work over your calves. Before you get out of bed, flex your feet multiple times to stretch your.calves before you take a step. Never go barefoot indoors - every step should be in supportive shoes or sandals (orthaheels or birks, something with arch support).  Use   Voltaren or arnica to sooth the pain. Don't ignore, if can worsen quickly. Treat the other foot as well, it usually shows up in both feet eventually. It takes a long time, but you can beat this. Hit the early symptoms hard or you may spend 2 years like me fighting it. Hope this helps some of you...  Good luck!

[Magster56]

I agree that it is plantar fascitis. I was talked into plantar separation surgery.  Worst mistake I've ever made.  Five years and 50 lbs.later, I not only still have the problem, but the tendons have torn in that foot.  I lose my balance at the drop of a hat.

[Edgar_d]

Has anyone had a diagnosis on this? I have been experiencing the same thing in the left inner heel. It appeared at about the same time as a nagging pain in my left lower shoulder/chest region - nothing excruciating, more a dull ache - and I had connected the two.

[ringobob]

I had experienced this exact thing in the past, don't remember when, could be months or years, but never got that bad and went away on its own.

Just within the past week it started back up, and this time it's gotten bad enough that I've had to modify the way I walk and move to avoid it, and I've had a few episodes where the tearing feeling was very intense and the "heat" of it lingered for some time afterwards, like when you pinch a nerve.  After a few days of consciously avoiding it, when it happens now it's more of a cool sharpness that fades quickly - not nearly so bad, but it still feels like something very wrong is going on down there.

For me, it's mostly in the right heel, but I feel a little tightness, what you might call "pre-pain" in the same spot on the left heel.

My best guess is that it's some weakness in the attachment point of the Achilles to the heal, caused (in my case) by excessive stretching of my calf muscles to combat Restless Leg Syndrome.  Could also be nerve related, that was my initial guess before coming here and reading the rest of your experiences.

[Deannecricks]

I too have the same pain, and yes I have been taking alka seltzer chewies

[Bucci27]

Anyone taking Zoloft?

[Lia__]

Im having this exact pain in my heel when I bend over without bending my knees, sometimes even if I bend my knees. And I can't apply full pressure on my heel while walking.

Any one figure out what this is and what therapy works best to fix it? Without seeing an orthopedic.

Thanks.

[Al196022]

has anybody been taking zantac or any other heartburn medication

[angeleshealth]

Did you ever get a diagnose on you condition? Do you still have the pain? I have the same issue it came suddenly and the pain only comes when bending over with out bending the knees also in a sitting position on the floor and bending forward to grab my feet this is when it hurts the most. I can pretty much do anything I want I can run, walk with no pain so not sure what this could be. Please let me know if you ever did something to get better. Thank you.

[stokiedad]

I too have exact problem as you descibe and would like to know if you were able to find an acceptable diagnosis/cause for your pain.  Your response would be much appreciated.  My pain, though excruciating at first, has lessened by being very careful to remember to bend knees and not to lean forwards for a couple of weeks.  However, once I forget or think that I no longer have the problem I get caught out and pain is there still though not as bad.  Seems to be worst in morning then faiding later into the day, as if after long periods of not using foot it is ripe for a pain.  I hope you are better by now and perhaps can enlighten myself as to what exactly it was!

[Woodster79]

I have the exact same pain. It's on the inside of my right heel, near the bottom. It feels like something is suddenly tearing or ripping and goes away immediately when I change positions. It happens when I bend at the hip without bending my knee and if I sit flat on the floor with my leg straight out infront of me. I have had plantar faciitis, but no problems with that in years.
However recently I have been on my feet A LOT and every night went to bed with throbbing feet. I think I have injured myself through overexertion.
  I believe this has more to do with the achilles tendon than plantar. It's not a "soreness or bruising" type pain like plantar. It literally feels like something tearing and goes away immediately when tendon is relaxed.  

[kpritch]

This pain just started for me 2 weeks ago, and is not on back of heel, but inside bottom of heel, almost towards arch. Feels like a sharp "zing!" of a pain when I bend at waist without bending knees first. Chiropractor gave me calf stretches, though it was maybe early sign of plantars facitis, but calves do not seem particularly tight, and stretches have provided no relief.

I also feel the pain less sharply when I sit with my legs straight in front of me.

The pain does not last when I adjust position (though I feel some sensitivity now on bottom of heel towards arch) and is quite dormant while walking. Any help as to what this is (or how to get rid of it!) appreciated.

[dukeofhazard69]

Hi have this too... won't go away have tried stretches just hurts more, ice does nothing.. heat hides the pain for a while but then comes back! Does anyone know what this is? it's really annoying.

[shoppingbag]

I too have the same pain: bending over causes sharp stabbing pain on left side of right heel.  The pain started in Sept 2011.  No pain on bottom of heel.  Now the right heel hurts on the left side all the time and the left heel has started to hurt in the same area.  A visit to the podiatrist did not accomplish relief.  He said my feet were tight and gave me stretching exercises.  I do some stretching but feel minimal relief from the exercises.  

[happymom081]

It could be your achilles.  In your previous post, you said the pain was not on the bottom of your heel, but in the back of your heel.  It sounds like your pain is where your achilles attaches to your heel bone.  

By any chance, did you take any antibiotics in the past few months.  If you took any in the fluoroquinolone class (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, etc), then that could be the reason.  These antibiotics are known to cause all sorts of problems, like tendinitis, ruptured tendons, irreversible peripheral neuropathy, etc.  If you did, do not get a steroid injection, because you will have a much higher chance of tendon rupture.  These antibiotics have crippled many people.  These disabling side effects can last many years, or for life.

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

You should wear proper supportive footwear. Do not stretch or overly exert the affected foot. Take NSAIDs intermittently and apply ice packs regularly.

With rest and some lifestyle changes the inflammation should decrease or follow up with an orthopedician for a proper examination and diagnosis.

Take care!