Stone Bruise on The Foot or Heel [Causes, Symptoms & Home Treatment]
A stone bruise is a bruise of the fat pad of the ball of the foot or the heel. 95% simple treatments can make your pain much better FAST! So FIX IT NOW!
Look:
- Heel pain can be improved with a few simple treatment changes.
- We are foot doctors & we see this problem get better almost every day.
- The goal is to solve this problem without medication or surgery if at all possible.
So, let’s GO!
Table of Contents
Stone Bruise on Foot or Heel Treatment Video:
Watch this video for some more information about stone bruises and discover our PROVEN home treatments to alleviate the pain and accelerate healing.
Stone bruise on the heel:
Heel Pain Causes: Picture & Photo Gallery
Look:
- One of the top causes of heel pain is plantar fasciitis. This is damage to a ligament that holds your heel to your toes.
- Another root cause of heel pain has flat feet.
- There are also photos of heel spurs that can occur to the bottom of your heel (plantar fascia insertion) and the back of your heel (Achilles tendon insertion).
- Baxter’s nerve entrapment can also happen at the bottom of the heel.
- An underlying cause is an overpronated flatfoot or an over a supinated high arched foot.
- A plantar fibroma is a thick nodule that can occur within your plantar fascia ligament and contribute to plantar fasciitis.
- This can lead to the formation of a heel stress fracture( AKA calcaneus stress fracture.)
Please click on the gallery for a guided tour through heel pain conditions!
What Is A Stone Bruise?
- A stone bruise is a deep contusion that forms mainly on the heel of the foot.
- This can extend into the fat pad of the heel.
- Although a stone bruise can happen on the ball of the foot, the main common site of injury is the heel.
Stone Bruise Symptoms:
- If you have a stone bruise, you will feel like you are walking on a pebble.
- As with any other tissue inflammation, pain is a common symptom.
- There can be numbness, burning, or tingling.
- There could also be a deep ache and soreness in the heel.
- So the pain that you may be feeling is due to inflammation and can be alleviated by anti-inflammatory medication.
Causes of a Stone Bruise:
- It can result from stepping on a hard object, and it can be excruciating.
- If you have a stone bruise, it may feel as if you are walking on a pebble. This pain is persistent, and it takes a few days to improve.
- The bruised tissue is damaged, some cells burst, and the inflammatory response is triggered.
Where can a stone bruise take place?
The most common sites first on Bruce to take place are:
A stone bruise on foot:
- The entire bottom of the foot is susceptible to bruising.
- The stone bruise is most common on the heel and the bottom of the foot.
- The ball of the foot is also a prevalent sight.
Stone bruise on the heel:
- As seen in the picture above, if you don’t have many heel fat pads, you’re very susceptible to stone bruises.
- The older you are, the less heel fat pad you are going to have.
- This means the longer it will take for you to get better.
- It might even be worth an x-ray to make sure you don’t have a fracture.
Stone bruise on the bottom of the foot:
- The bottom of the foot is where most stone bruises take place.
- This is especially common if you’re barefoot.
- You are more susceptible if you have little fat padding. This is most common in older patients who walk barefoot.
Stone bruise on the toe:
- The toe is probably the least common area to get a stone bruise, just because the toe can bend up.
- Although it is widespread to bump the toe.
- Ensure you get an x-ray with your podiatrist to make sure that you don’t have a toe fracture.
- The fifth toe is the most susceptible.
Stone bruise healing time & Recovery time:
- On average, a stone bruise will feel a lot better within 5 to 7 days.
- Things you can do to help the longer I sit and to wear protective shoes and inserts.
- In some cases, if you bruise the bone, it can take as long as 6 to 8 weeks to heal your stone bruise.
- Wearing good shoes and inserts will speed up the recovery time for the stone bruise.
Risk Factors of a Stone Bruise:
- You have a thin fat pad under your heel bone.
- If you are 50 years of age or older
- You are overweight
- You engage in physical activities that put pressure on the feel, such as running and skating.
- You do not wear shoes that support your feet.
Sometimes the stone bruise pain is not caused only by inflammation in the footpad. A Bruised Heel Bone can cause this pain. Visit this page for more information about the symptoms and the treatments of a Bruised Heel Bone.
What is the recovery time of a Stone Bruise?
- The stone bruise may take a couple to a few days to get better.
- The recovery time depends on the severity of the bruise.
Ball of the Foot Pain Pictures & Photo Gallery:
Look:
- Metatarsalgia: which means generalized foot pain without a specific cause.
- Second toe capsulitis: this is the inflammation of the second toe joint capsule.
- Capsulitis is related to hammertoe formation, and can lead to a plantar plate tear. There is some overlap between these three disorders. As they get worse tearing and ligament damage can occur.
- Morton’s neuroma: this is the damage and inflammation to the nerves between and underneath the metatarsal joints.
- Fat pad atrophy of the ball of the foot: this is the loss of cushioning in the ball the foot.
- Plantar Plate Tear: A plantar plate tear is ripping of the ligaments holding the toe together.
So, click on the photo gallery to see the specific causes of your ball of the foot pain!
Click on the photo gallery to see the specific causes of your ball of the foot pain!
Ball of the Foot Stone Bruise:
- The ball of the foot is the second most common location for a stone bruise.
- Although most of the body’s weight rests on the heels, the ball of the foot has much thinner padding than the hell.
- For this reason, it is more likely to bruise under the right circumstances.
- As you get older, your fat pad becomes thinner, and therefore, your foot is more likely to bruise.
Ball of the Foot Stone Bruise Home Treatment:
- After stepping on a stone, the pain that you feel can also be caused by another condition called metatarsalgia.
For more information, visit this page. Metatarsalgia.
Bottom of the Heel Stone Bruise:
- The heel is the most common location of a stone bruise because when a person runs or falls, the large majority of the body’s weight rests on the heels.
- Stone bruises occur more often in older people or in people who have a thin fat pad under the heel bone.
Heel Stone Bruise Home Treatment:
- The Stone Bruise causes a lot of pain.
- This is mainly because of the activated inflammatory response.
- To decrease the recovery time, it is important to try to reduce the inflammation in the area.
Home Remedy & Home Treatments:
- Treatment consists of rest, ice & elevation.
- There is no secret to a bone bruise. It will get better very quickly.
- It is also possible to take anti-inflammatories, but the pain will likely be better when they take effect.
- If the pain is consistent, consider fat pad atrophy.
- To treat fat pad atrophy, consider cushioned gel shoes & especially getting new shoes.
Best Heel Pain Products:
- There are usually two phases to treating plantar fasciitis pain.
- The two phases of treatment include controlling the acute inflammation, and correcting the biomechanics which led to the problem in the first place.
- If the tendons and ligaments are inflamed, they are almost frozen in place and cannot function properly.
- Once the inflammation is decreased, we need to correct the bio-mechanical causes to ensure that they can never become over worked and inflamed again!
- This doesn’t matter whether it’s plantar fasciitis, plantar fibroma, sore bottom of foot, or even Achilles tendon pain. Treatment is all roughly very similar.
Plantar Fasciitis or Achilles Tendonitis Inflammation:
Massage & Ice Products:
- Ice is the an excellent option that can be safe for almost everyone.
- There is some debate whether icing is worth doing, but for chronic pain this can help limit the need for medications and keep your options open.
- This works great for your arch, less for the ball of the foot.
- The more muscle and ligament tissue there is, the better ice will work there.
Menthol Based Gels:
- Biofreeze is one of our favorites.
- These gels have been studied to work 2x as long as ice.
- This works great for the ball of the foot.
- This can be very effective for bottom of the heel and Achilles tendon sore regions.
Massage Sticks:
- These can work great for loosening your muscles.
- This allows less tightness and pressure on the ball of your foot.
- This is very effective for the arch, the gastrocnemius or calf muscle and for the hamstring and thigh muscles.
- This also works very well for the gluteus muscles if you are having butt cheek or hip pain.
Remove the Plantar Fascia or Achilles Tendon Stress:
- The key is to prevent future pain.
- This means keeping you active while keeping stress off of your plantar fascia tendon. This will prevent future re-injury and development of plantar fasciitis.
- If you can get rid of the pain and swelling, this will let you start walking normally.
- If you can walk normally, the vast majority of your pain should gradually start to go away.
- The best way to ensure that your plantar fascia, foot and ankle ligaments are not overworked is to support them.
- The best way to support them is to use great orthotics and great shoes.
- Some people may also need to rely on supportive ankle braces and other supportive modalities.
The Best Heel Pain & Plantar Fasciitis Shoes:
- Getting a great supportive pair of shoes will make sure that there is pressure removed from the heel and plantar fascia region.
- This is especially important if you have plantar fasciitis, heel spur pain or Achilles tendonitis.
- Consider shoes combined with a good supportive orthotic for best pain relief!
- The following link will show you what our favorites are.
Best Heel Pain & Plantar Fasciitis Orthotics:
- These are our recommended orthotics for plantar fasciitis.
- Custom orthotics can work very well, but they should not be a first line of treatment.
- There are different types for different shoes.
- Women’s shoes usually need a less bulky orthotic, but allow for less correction.
- A full length orthotic requires a running shoe, boot or comfortable walking/dress shoe.
- We recommend doing everything you can to get a good supportive shoe that can fit a full length orthotic.
- This is the best way to maximize your orthotics for great results.
Best Full Length Orthotics:
- These will only work in wider shoes or a good supportive running shoe.
- This will not work in sandals, flats or most women’s dress shoes.
Best Dress Shoe Orthotics:
- These are a great choice for dress orthotics.
Best 3/4 Length Orthotics:
- These are great options for women’s dress shoes and thinner shoes.
- These are not the most supportive pair of orthotics.
Get A Great Dynamic Stretch:
- It is possible to stretch on your own, but these products can also really help!
- This will take pressure off of the ball of your foot.
- We personally prefer this method of stretching.
Get A Great Static Stretch:
- These devices are great for stretching while you are resting.
- This will also help take pressure off of the ball of your foot.
- This works great for plantar fasciitis.
- It can be used while watching TV or at night time.
Best Heel Compression Brace:
- A good compression brace can stabilize your foot from turning outward.
- This prevents your foot from pronated.
- Pronated foot will turn your foot outward in your foot will rub on the outside of the shoe.
- For many of her patients this has solved their pain and is very comfortable to wear inside your shoe.
- This solves both pain and outward pronation for a relatively low cost.
Best Heel Stability Brace:
- Stability brace goes little bit further than the compression brace to stop your foot from turning out.
- This takes pressure off of your heel and plantar fascia.
- At the same time this is a little bit bulkier and does not affect every shoe.
- We find people are little bit happier trying the compression brace before the stability brace.
Heel Injury:
- If you think you might have a broken heel, a calcaneal stress fracture or something of similar severity, these products might help!
- Always remember to see a foot and ankle specialist like a podiatrist if you are having plantar fasciitis or more severe pain!
Plantar Fascia Tear, Broken Heel Bone, Achilles Tendon Tear:
- If you have a traumatic injury such as a torn plantar fascia ligament, calcaneus stress fracture, heel fracture or insertional Achilles tendon injury: consider protecting your foot!
- The best way to do this is of course to see your podiatrist and get evaluated with an x-ray, ultrasound and potentially even an MRI or CT scan.
- If you are unable to do so it may benefit you to be in a cast, fractured boot, or even keep the weight off of it with a rolling knee scooter or other protective devices.
- We as podiatrists frequently take patients off work for very long period of time when they suffer a traumatic injury, unfortunately there is no other way around us in labor jobs.
- If you have a sit down job there are ways to get people back to work quicker, but this can be very difficult otherwise.
Heel Injury Boot Treatment:
- There are pros and cons to using a boot to treat your heel injury. If you are immobilized too long the cons are that you will gradually become stiff and overworked to your other leg. The Pros are that you injured heel will hopefully have a chance to gradually heal!
- Our favorite fracture boots and their supplies:
Offloading and Scooter treatment:
- These are favorite knee scooters and walking devices: