Heel Lifts

The use of heel lifts has been popular for many years. These are often recommended for plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendon pain, or the so-called short leg syndrome said to contribute to low back and other pains. Just because they may provide some symptomatic relief, however, does not mean they address the cause of the problem.

Heel lifts can make structural changes in the feet, ankle, legs, pelvis, and spine. Yet, studies show that the use of heel lifts can also result in increased impact and increased instability of the foot. The result can be higher weight-bearing stress on the joints in the foot and ankle, and possibly the knees, hips, and pelvis. Like other supports, even if you feel better with lifts, the cause of the problem is usually not addressed.

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Heel lifts may provide relief of symptoms in a variety of problems:

 

 

 
  • Heel lifts may temporarily improve symptoms of plantar pain. However, in the process other areas of the foot and ankle may become physically stressed.
  • Some people use heel lifts to attempt to improve low back pain. It’s clear that heel lifts can change the posture of the pelvis and low back. However, whether this change makes a real improvement of the problem, no change, or a worsening of the problem is left to chance.
  • For those with so-called short leg syndrome, heel lifts are sometimes recommended. However, if the “short leg” is functional, which is almost always the case, and due to muscle imbalance and not a true shortening of one leg compared to the other, heel lifts are not the best remedy since they do not address the problem. For those with a history of a broken bone in the leg or thigh or other causes of a true or anatomical short leg, a heel lift may be helpful since one leg is actually shorter. (Although even in these situations, muscles should compensate for a short leg, and using a heel lift may interfere with normal compensation.)
  • Heel lifts are sometimes used for those with Achilles tendon pain. This is due to the elevated heel reducing the activity of the gastrocnemius muscle, thereby reducing tension in the Achilles tendon. However, in some cases gastrocnemius muscle function is already diminished and one of the causes of the problem.
  • The temporary use of heel lifts may be important is certain surgical conditions, such as postoperative management of ruptured Achilles tendon.