What should I do about my heel?

see a doctor.

You need an x-ray to rule out a broken foot. What you have may be a calcaneal fracture (the heel). For a less technical description, see wikipedia.

Here is a link that may be a little easier for you to understand. You should stay off this foot as much as possible until you have an xray to rule out a fracture. Elevate it and ice it also. I would advise you see either an orthopedic doctor or a podiatrist. Your family doctor may be able to do xrays in the office, but it is possible they may miss a slight fracture. It’s best to let someone with a trained eye take a look.

You may need an aircast or a walking boot to reduce pressure and protect from further injury while you heal.

Shi, this is not to insult family practioners. It’s just that we have seen patients many times with misdiagnosed injuries.

I would see an orthopedist. I agree with scamp; I have been misdiagnosed too many times by family practitioners. At the same time I’ve seen podiatrists do too many things that were not medically sound.

La_chica_gomela what type of things?

No insult taken. I’m no family doctor. I would demand that the x-ray be read by a radiologist, at minimum. I don’t agree that an orthopedist need to be involved right away, as long as a trained radiologist looks at the films.

True. An orthopedist is good if surgery is needed. I think the best bet is to see a podiatrist. if it’s not a fracture, and there is damage to a ligament or tendon, it would be pretty much out of scope for an ortho guy. Also a podiatrist would have any speed braces or air casts that may be needed in the office.

For example, my friend had an ingrown toenail. You know, a normal one, that happens to everyone at some time or another, and the podaitrist cut off his entire toenail. My mother, a nurse and wound specialist had to see him two or three times before his stupid toe healed. That guy has some bad luck, actually, because the same guy got into a car accident, and the trauma surgeons who treated him afterward accidentally left some pieces of glass in his face, which a my old boss, an occular plastic surgeon later removed. No one’s perfect.

That poor guy does have some bad luck! If an ingrown is left too long before going for treatment, and is badly infected, it is best to remove the entire nail.That is commonly done to help clear up the infection. People tend to wait a long time because they don’t want the injection that numbs them for the procedure. I’ve seen then wait up to a month or two and come in with some pretty nasty granulomas. I hope your friend’s luck improves.

It wasn’t infected though…

But thank you, I hope his luck improves as well!