Why Do My Heels Feel Like They're on Fire?

Your body tells you when things are overly hot to warn you. If you put your hand on a hot stove, for example, your nerve endings register that heat and quickly send a message to your brain, telling you to pull away. 

The problem, though, is that the burning sensation doesn’t always work like it should. In fact, you might experience it when there’s no heat source nearby at all. If you’ve been dealing with a burning pain in your heels, then you’re probably wondering what’s going on. 

At Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center, we’re here to help. William T. DeCarbo, DPM, FACFAS, and our team specialize in heel pain. We start by figuring out what’s causing that burning sensation. Then, here at our office in Wexford, Pennsylvania, we work with you to find a treatment to eliminate that sensation. 

Finding something successful starts with understanding what’s contributing to the burning in the first place, so let’s look at some potential causes. 

What causes burning heel pain

Sometimes, that burning feeling comes from a skin problem, like athlete’s foot. In a lot of instances, though, that burning sensation in your heels comes from something going on inside your foot near your heel. A lot of people with this symptom are dealing with:

Soft tissue inflammation

You might feel burning heel pain because of inflammation in certain soft tissue. 

Plantar fasciitis develops when the thick band of tissue along the bottom of your foot gets inflamed. It leads to symptoms like a burning or stabbing sensation in your heel. That pain is often at its worst when you first get out of bed in the morning or get up after an extended period of sitting.  

When the big tendon connecting your heel to your calf gets inflamed, you get Achilles tendinitis. This can cause burning pain in the upper part of your heel. 

Nerve problems

You might also experience a burning sensation in your heel because of a problem with the nerves in your feet. 

With tarsal tunnel syndrome, for example, you feel a burning because the large posterior tibial  nerve in the back of your foot gets pinched. 

Other times, the nerve problem gets caused by an overarching health issue, like hypothyroidism. 

You can also feel burning pain because of peripheral neuropathy, which develops when your nerves get damaged. Diabetes can cause peripheral neuropathy and, consequently, a burning heel pain, for example. 

Finding out what’s causing your burning pain

In a lot of cases, Dr. DeCarbo can determine what’s behind your heel issue by talking with you and feeling your heel. When you explain where you feel the pain and any other accompanying symptoms (e.g., pins-and-needles, a stabbing sensation), it gives him extra information he can use to diagnose the problem. 

In some cases, Dr. DeCarbo may also order diagnostic imaging like X-rays to further evaluate your heel.

Once he knows what’s causing the burning feeling, he develops a treatment plan to ease it. For inflammation-based problems, that might mean resting the area paired with medication to bring the inflammation down. 

For nerve problems, that often means a combination of lifestyle changes and physical therapy paired with accommodations like orthotics. 

To understand what’s causing your burning heel pain — and for treatment to alleviate it — call our office or book your appointment online today.