15 September 2004

Shoes cause heel pain

A University of Dundee foot expert who recently uncovered evidence that cheap trainers are just as good as expensive ones has now confirmed that shoes and the materials used in soles are a major factor causing acute heel pain.

Previously doctors believed that "plantar fasciitis" - acute heel pain - was caused by three factors only: the mechanics of the foot, the foot getting older and more worn and conditions such as arthritis and gout. Dr Rami Abboud has now revealed that shoes, the way they are constructed and the quality of the material used in making soles is a major factor in causing foot pain.

Acute heel pain is a common problem affecting at least half a million British people every year. At the Institute of Motion Analysis and Research, Dr Abboud and his team have been studying heel pain and, in a number of patients, have excluded all of the three factors thought to cause plantar fasciitis. This led Dr Abboud to look at the shoes that the patients were wearing.

Dr Abboud explains one case: "On first examination the shoes appeared as a standard pair of lace-up men’s footwear. When we looked more closely an indentation was felt at the calcaneal area of the inner-sole so we peeled back the inner to reveal a rubber middle sole of columns and cavities designed to absorb shock. However some of the rubber column structures had worn away."

Dr Abboud believes that using rubber columns or similar structures for an inner-sole design can trigger the development of heel pain especially with the degeneration of the rubber mid-sole structure which can in turn lead to higher localised pressure, irritation and inflammation.

Treatment for plantar fasciitis is varied and can in the most extreme cases involved surgery. However, Dr Abboud now believes that one effective treatment for people suffering heel pain could be suggesting alternative shoes.

By Jenny Marra, Head of Press 01382 344910, out of hours: 07968298585, j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk