Pain between heel and arch

by Diana
(Miromar Lakes, FL)

I fell forward on a flight of stone stairs in mid-January. I think my toes caught the upper step and my heel slammed back on the previous stair as I tumbled. The pain was horrific and I couldn't put weight on that area of my foot for weeks. The x-rays taken the day of my fall didn't show a break, but there is still a great deal of discomfort on the fatty pad that is just between the heel and arch (which seems like the area that took the direct hit). It throbs in the night & hurts most when I've been off of it, then stand upright. Once I begin walking, I can put weight on it and walk but a tolerable pain remains. Should I re-visit the doctor for another look?
Thank you.

Hi Diana,
If the heel still hurts you most certainly should re-visit the doctor. By your description it sounds like you damaged the plantar fascial ligament just where it attaches into the heel.
If you were in my office I would consider doing an MRI to assess the damage to the ligament with the possibility that you even tore part of it. The MRI would also tell me if the heel bone (calcaneus) was fractured, something that might not have shown up on the original x-ray.
My rule of thumb, is that a musculo-skeletal injure of two months or longer is probably now classified as a chronic problem and without medical attention there is little chance it will get better on its own.
Marc Mitnick DPM