Plantar Heel Pain Treatment in Liverpool
Heel pain can make the first few steps of the day uncomfortable and start interfering with walking, standing, running and training.
At My Massage Therapist in Liverpool, I provide assessment-led remedial and sports massage for plantar heel pain where muscular tightness, calf function or movement restrictions may be relevant.
I don't automatically assume that every painful heel is plantar fasciitis or that the painful spot simply needs to be massaged. Depending on your presentation, I may look at your ankle movement, calf, relevant strength and the activities that are aggravating your symptoms.
Treatment is then tailored around what I find and what you're trying to get back to doing.
Heel pain affecting your walking or training?
What Does Plantar Heel Pain Feel Like?
Plantar heel pain is usually felt underneath or around the heel and may become particularly noticeable when you're putting weight through the foot.
You might notice discomfort:
During your first steps after resting
When walking
After spending long periods on your feet
During or after running
When pushing off through the foot
During gym or sports training
After increasing your activity
When walking barefoot or in particular footwear
The exact pattern can vary.
You don't need to diagnose yourself with plantar fasciitis before booking. I'll first want to understand what you're experiencing and whether treatment within my scope is appropriate.
How Do I Assess Plantar Heel Pain?
I start by asking where you feel the symptoms, when they're most noticeable and what activities are being affected.
Depending on your presentation, I may assess relevant ankle movement, calf function, range of motion and strength.
For runners and active clients, training history can also provide useful context.
Have you recently increased your running? Is the heel comfortable at the start but irritated afterwards? Are you struggling with calf raises or pushing off through the foot? Has your overall activity changed?
If you spend most of your working day standing or walking, that's useful information too.
The aim is to understand your presentation before deciding what treatment should focus on.
Can Remedial Massage Help With Plantar Heel Pain?
Remedial massage may form part of treatment when relevant muscular tension, discomfort or movement restriction is present around the calf and lower leg.
Treatment isn't necessarily about applying increasingly hard pressure directly to the painful heel.
Depending on your assessment, hands-on treatment may instead address relevant muscular areas through the calf and lower leg.
Techniques can include remedial or sports massage, deep tissue techniques, trigger point therapy and stretching where appropriate.
IASTM may also be incorporated briefly as part of a broader treatment where appropriate.
Do You Massage Directly Under the Heel?
Not automatically.
A painful heel can be sensitive, and more pressure isn't necessarily more useful.
Where treatment is appropriate, I select areas and techniques based on your assessment rather than assuming the most painful spot needs the hardest treatment.
That may mean working on relevant muscular tension through the calf and surrounding lower leg rather than spending the entire appointment pressing into the heel.
Treatment pressure is adjusted to you and your presentation.
What If My Heel Hurts When Running?
Tell me when during or after the run you notice it.
For runners, I want to understand both the symptoms and what you're currently asking the area to tolerate.
Your recent running volume and other training demands may be worth considering depending on your presentation.
That doesn't automatically mean you'll be told to stop running.
Where appropriate, we can consider what activity you're currently tolerating and whether an aggravating training variable should be temporarily modified.
If your heel presentation needs further investigation, I'll recommend that rather than encouraging you to continue loading it regardless of your symptoms.
Will I Get Exercises for Plantar Heel Pain?
Where appropriate and appointment time permits, yes.
Your exercise aftercare may include relevant strengthening, mobility, stretching or movement recommendations.
For example, calf strength or mobility may be worth addressing in some presentations.
The exact plan depends on your assessment. I don't give every client with heel pain the same generic routine.
Exercises are normally demonstrated during the appointment and provided as a PDF afterwards so you have something practical to work on between appointments.
Can I Keep Walking or Training With Heel Pain?
It depends on your presentation and what you're currently tolerating.
I don't automatically tell every client to stop all activity.
Where appropriate, you may be able to continue tolerable walking or training while temporarily modifying something that consistently aggravates the heel.
The aim is to find a sensible level of activity for your current presentation and adjust it as your tolerance changes.
If your symptoms suggest that further investigation is appropriate, I'll recommend referral.
Why Choose My Massage Therapist for Plantar Heel Pain?
I'm a qualified Remedial Massage Therapist with more than 4 years of hands-on experience and over 3,000 treatment sessions.
I also hold Certificate III and IV in Fitness and a Certificate in Allied Health Assistance, which complement the movement and exercise side of my treatment approach.
I regularly work with runners, gym-goers, CrossFit athletes and other active people, as well as general remedial massage clients.
My approach isn't based on simply finding the sorest spot and pressing harder.
I assess what's relevant within my scope, provide targeted hands-on treatment and add practical exercise or movement aftercare where appropriate.
Plantar Heel Pain Treatment in Liverpool & South West Sydney
My Massage Therapist is located at 92 Flowerdale Road, Liverpool NSW 2170, providing remedial and sports massage to clients from Liverpool and across South West Sydney.
If heel pain is affecting walking, standing, running or training, you don't need to know exactly what's causing it before booking.
I'll assess your presentation within my scope and determine whether remedial or sports massage is appropriate.
If your heel requires investigation or care outside my scope, I'll recommend referral.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not necessarily.
Heel pain can have different presentations, so I don't automatically diagnose every painful heel as plantar fasciitis.
I can assess relevant movement, strength, range of motion and muscular findings within my scope, but I don't provide a guaranteed medical diagnosis.
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Massage may form part of treatment where relevant muscular tension or movement restriction is present.
Whether it's appropriate depends on your presentation, which is why assessment comes first.
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Yes, where they're relevant.
The calf and ankle may be considered during assessment rather than restricting the entire appointment to the exact location of your heel pain.
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Not automatically.
Your symptoms, current running demands and how the heel responds to activity need to be considered.
Where appropriate, training may be modified while you maintain activity you're tolerating. Other presentations may require further investigation.
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You don't need to decide before attending.
Sports Massage may be particularly relevant when heel pain is interfering with running, CrossFit, gym training or sport.
Remedial Massage may suit muscular discomfort and movement restriction more generally.
Both appointments use an assessment-led approach.
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There's no fixed number that applies to every person with heel pain.
How long you've had symptoms, your activity demands, assessment findings and response to treatment can all influence the plan.
I'll reassess your progress rather than promise that a predetermined number of appointments will resolve your heel pain.
Book Plantar Heel Pain Treatment in Liverpool
If heel pain is making walking, standing, running or training uncomfortable, book an appointment at My Massage Therapist in Liverpool.
We'll start by looking at your symptoms, relevant movement and what you're currently trying to do. Treatment and aftercare can then be tailored around your presentation.
My Massage Therapist
92 Flowerdale Road, Liverpool NSW 2170