Who should I see about my heel pain?

If self management of your heel pain leads to no or minimal improvement, there are a number of different clinicians you can see for your heel pain. Importantly, there is not one type of health professional (e.g. chiropractor, GP, myotherapist, osteopath, physician, physiotherapist, or podiatrist) that is better than another in terms of the assessment and treatment of heel pain. The choice of clinician will often depend on your beliefs and expectations of certain professions, cost of treatments, and recommendations from friends and family


 

What should I expect when I see my health professional?

In the development of this website, we asked people with plantar heel pain to describe what they expected of a health professional when seeking their advice about heel pain. Patients with plantar heel pain expect that the health professional should:


How do I know if my health professional understands my heel pain?

It is often difficult to know if the health professional you have chosen to see will understand your heel pain and have the knowledge and skills to help you treat it.

Often your choice of health professional is based on a recommendation from family or friends.  All health professionals, helping patients to treat their heel pain, should address all the factors listed above but we would recommend that you also ask your health professional:

  1. Can you help me understand my heel pain including why I hurt?
  2. Can you give me the skills to help me treat my pain and manage my recovery?