The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Injuries › Heel pain
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Hello Hot Doctor!
I am a budding Bikram yogi, with a fairly regular practice the last 2 years.
Recently in class I have noticed a pain in my right heel whenever I put pressure on it, this pain is only present in floor series, when the heels are on the floor and toes are pointing up. The pain is noticeable in the first sit up, but by the time I get to final head to knee stretching, it can be quite unbearable.
I have noticed that if I flex my foot and lift my heel off the floor in final head to knee stretching, its not so bad, but depending on how energetic I am and how my flexibility is on the day, sometimes this is not possible. Initially I thought it was my Achilles tendon, but like I mentioned its only painful when there is pressure on the heel rather than a stretch of the calf itself.
When I first started yoga my flexibility was very poor, so to get into head to knee stretching pose I would bend my knee, then interlock my hands behind the ball of my foot, then push my heel out to get the stretch. Whilst I no longer do this to get into the posture, I am wondering if over time it has injured my heel?
Any thoughts or advice is appreciated 🙂
Namaste
Jelena
Hi Jelena
Ouch! What comes to mind as a first port of call to investigate is something called heel spurs. This could be as a result of something called Plantar Fasciitis. OR it could be a condition (spur) unrelated to Plantar Fasciitis. So both would probably have to be investigated.
Heel pain can result from tight muscles on the back of the legs (calf muscles particularly). This seems already to have occurred to you.
There are very likely other causes. It could have something to do with the way you walk and how the support mechanism of your plantar fascia is able to support you.
Do you for example have trouble or pain with closed in shoes. It’s probably quite warm for you right now so you may not have had the opportunity to test that out.
Do let me know please what you discover. It’s time to see somebody methinks!
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hello Gabrielle,
Firstly thanks so much for your prompt response! Yes, methinks I need to see someone too 😉
In answer to your question, I dont have any particular trouble with closed in shoes, if I do its more at the toes.Or is that what you meant? 🙂
I agree I have particularly tight calves. I also suffer from fluid retention which accumulates predominately in my lower legs. In this regard I have great difficulty getting out of toe-stand, is there anything you can recommend to strengthen and stretch the calves?
Please tell me that plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are both treatable and can be managed effectively with no major intervention 😉
Thanks!
Gabrielle,
I have practiced yoga for almost 2 years, and am at the tail end of 30 hot yoga challenge. I have developed plantar fascittis on the left foot and wanted to ask what postures I should avoid until it heals? I am getting treatment for it, but no one can tell me what postures, if any, to sit out while my heel heals (he-he-he). Nothing hurts while I am actually practicing, so its hard to tell what not to do until my foot is all better!🙂
Hi Patricia
Can you confirm for me whether your foot feels the same before and after class? Or maybe there’s a difference: What happens as a result of class?
Knowing that we can move forward 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Gabrielle,
My foot add heel feel the same before and after class. It starts to hurt again if Ido alot of standing, or in the morning when I first wake up. I am doing stretches and got a brace/bandage thing to wear at night to keep it stretched. I teach regular yoga, so I do alot of moving around, but this plantar business only started flaring up 2/3 the way through the 30 days.
Thanks so much
How’s your foot now Patricia?
It’s been a few weeks your 30 day challenge is over and perhaps there have been some changes. It is very possible that the increased yoga commitment was overstretching the area and creating pain.
In the course of your treatment can you tell me if you have heel spurs? Sometimes it’s related.
Has the severity or even the presence of the heel issue changed with the possibly lessened amount of yoga following the end of the ‘challenge’?
There are several issues. Floors are normally hard at yoga studios, you’ve been attending class and running them as well. If you’re a more active teacher then perhaps this has exacerbated the issue.
One of my teachers had a related issue for a while and so she used to teach in a supportive shoe. That’s a temporary fix of course because ultimately you want to rely on your own musculature for support. But it could help you to have a pair of teaching shoes.
Another issue is about the degree of stretch and exercise to the area. Sometimes ICING and resting is the answer.
Apologies for not being as available. My computer died and it’s amazing how much one has to play catch up when the new one arrives.
If you’re still having issues then I can suggest some poses to pay attention to. Perhaps they were poses that felt worse than usual. I have my suspicions. Care to elucidate? 😉
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hello and thanks for your reply!
I do indeed have a heel spur verified by an x-ray. I have also re torn the meniscus in my knee. Both are being treated by laser therapy which is working great. I hope to avoid a steroid shot in my heel and surgery on my knee.
I loved my 30 day challenge. I feel great. However, I also teach regular yoga and over did myself with the 30 days as well as actively teaching 3-7 vinyasa classes a week. Ouch! I was not being mindful of my pre-existing issues! I learned a lesson here. I also found out that I for the heel spur I should go barefoot only during yoga, and wear shoes with good arch supports, even at home, which I am doing.
Thanks!Patricia W
Hi Patricia
It sounds as if it is all handled then! It is very good to lift up onto your toes as in Awkward part 2 (you can do that leaning into your ankles while sitting on a chair) and if you’ve ever seen those MBT shoes, they’re really good for your condition too. There are much cheaper ‘copies’ now. Take a look around
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂I have been practicing yoga for a few years now and get arch pain, especially during the balance series of class… I have been treated with Active Release Technique by my chiropractor and it has seemed to help more than any other stretching technique or treatment… check out this video, you may get some answers for things you can do…
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