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Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Famous Blue Dot for Heel Pain

I remember struggling once with a patient and her heel pain. It was before I really understood that when you design orthotic devices for patients with heel pain you must make sure the weight is shifted to the arch and the heel is cushioned and protected. This memorable patient returned for a followup visit feeling much much better. I was pleased. When asked what seemed to make the difference, she told me that on a recent visit to her chiropractor, she complained of her heel pain, and the doc placed a blue dot on her heel to cushion and lift her forward off the heel. It has worked with many patients ever since. You see in an artful practice like I have you learn more from your patients than textbooks and lectures.

 These blue dots can be of any color actually, and many materials are used to achieve the same effect. Here I am using Neolon, a Spenco knockoff of neopreme (which is wet suit material). It is very soft, but very durable. It fills in the deepest part of the heel on an orthotic device. I prefer placing it on both sides even if it only one side that has the heel pain.
Here the blue dot shows that the edges are skived to ease the transition. I normally turn this over so the flat side will be against the foot.

A further demonstration of the skived edges. I hope this helps.

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Thank you very much for leaving a comment. Due to my time restraints, some comments may not be answered.I will answer questions that I feel will help the community as a whole.. I can only answer medical questions in a general form. No specific answers can be given. Please consult a podiatrist, therapist, orthopedist, or sports medicine physician in your area for specific questions.