Oh lucky me. Hurts like hell. Trying to get relief, maybe a healing with acupuncture (no scoffing–I believe) and PT. Anyone else ever deal with a painful yet numb heel that makes walking miserable? Did you have to have surgery? I don’t find a ton of information online. And even if I should, I’d love any personal experiences from you guys?
My partner has had intermittent issues with tarsal tunnel syndrome. His doctor advised against surgery, saying it has a poor success rate and can make the problem worse. He’s had some success with custom orthotics. He’s also doing better having replaced several pair of badly worn-out shoes with new, well-fitting, high-quality shoes.
I’ve struggled with tarsal tunnel syndrome for a number of years. It manifests in my left foot with extreme tenderness just below the inside ankle bone (where the tunnel is) and results in sharp pain in my heel. At first I thought it was just Plantar Fasciitis, but after spending gobs of money on special shoes I had no improvement. My Podiatrist diagnosed the problem right away. Now I only wear shoes that don’t rub on the tunnel region. That means sandals for just about everything, even going to the gym.
My case was resolved with rest, a cortisone injection, and properly molded (non-weight bearing casting) orthotic inserts.
My original podiatrist wanted to do surgery. My second opinion convinced me to try better orthotics and do the other stuff.