- February 12, 2026
- 4:59 pm
- Israel
The first step in the morning — and it’s as if someone drove a thin nail into your heel. Then it “warmed up,” became bearable, and during the day you almost forgot. But in the evening it pulls again, aches, and you start placing your foot carefully, as if on ice. This is usually how the story, commonly known as a heel spur, unfolds.
I also initially thought: “well, if it’s a spur — it means a bone has grown, it needs to be ‘removed’ somehow.” But the most unpleasant truth is that the pain is often not related to a “bone spur,” but to the overloaded tissue of the foot, which receives microtraumas every day. And as long as you walk the same way as before, it doesn’t have time to recover.
Important right away: “quickly” in this topic is more often about how quickly to relieve pain and break the vicious cycle of inflammation. For some, relief comes in a few days, for others — in a couple of weeks. But there is a simple method that really moves the situation in the right direction.
What is usually called a “heel spur” and why it hurts in the morning
In medicine, two words are more often heard: plantar fasciitis. This is a condition where the dense “band” of tissue — the fascia, which supports the arch of the foot, becomes inflamed (or receives microdamage).
Why the pain is stronger in the morning:
at night the tissue rests but becomes less “elastic”
the first steps sharply stretch the fascia
the inflamed area responds with a strong pain signal
During the day, you kind of “warm up,” your gait becomes softer, so it seems like “it’s already gone.” But then the load accumulates — and by evening the heel reminds you of itself again.
My simple method: 3 steps that give a quick shift
I called it for myself the “method of three solutions.” It’s simple not because it’s “easy,” but because it’s understandable: remove what constantly injures, return the tissues to normal length, and support the foot while everything heals.
1) Unloading: remove what turns every step into a microtrauma
The most dangerous thing is walking barefoot on tiles or in thin slippers, especially at home. It is there that people “finish off” the fascia without even noticing.
What I changed:
stopped walking barefoot altogether (even “for a minute”)
at home — slippers/flip-flops with arch support and a soft heel
outside — shoes where the heel doesn’t “bang,” but cushions
for 10–14 days reduced unnecessary load: fewer stairs, fewer long walks “through pain”
Paradox: the more honestly you do the unloading in the first 1–2 weeks, the faster you start returning to normal walking.
2) Stretching: calves and fascia — because they are directly connected
Very often the heel hurts more in people whose calf muscles are “tight.” When the calf is short and tense, the foot absorbs shock worse, and the fascia is stretched more.
A simple scheme helped me — morning and evening, without sports and heroism.
Calf stretch at the wall (straight knee)
30–40 seconds × 3 times.
Calf stretch at the wall (slightly bent knee)
30–40 seconds × 3 times.
Fascia stretch with a towel in the morning, still in bed
Sitting, loop a towel over the toe and gently pull the toe towards you for 20–30 seconds × 3 times.
If you do this in the morning — the “first step” often becomes noticeably less painful in just a few days.
3) Arch support: insole/heel pad + gentle massage
The point is not in the brand or the “most expensive insole.” The point is to reduce the tension of the fascia and not let it “tear” again by a micron every day.
What I did:
insoles or heel pads (if there is a feeling of “arch collapse”)
light rolling of the foot on a ball for 2–3 minutes (without fanaticism)
after — a short stretch
If it gets worse after the ball — it means you’re pressing too hard or doing it for too long. Here the rule works: “better less, but regularly.”
What can speed up relief
This is not a “magic pill,” but as support — it often helps:
cold on the heel for 5–7 minutes through fabric (if there is a feeling of heat/inflammation)
pause from running/jumping for 2–3 weeks (even if “bearable”)
weight and load control: a sharp increase in steps or standing work almost always exacerbates the problem
Mistakes that cause the pain to return
“It got easier — so it’s all gone” and long walks again
“I’ll endure, it’ll go away” — and the fascia is injured again
Home tiles + barefoot = constant impact on the heel
Stretching “once every three days” (in this story, regularity matters more than intensity)
When it’s worth not delaying and checking the diagnosis
The heel can hurt for various reasons. It’s better to clarify with a specialist if:
the pain lasts more than 3–4 weeks and really limits walking
there is numbness, burning, “current” through the foot
sharp pain appeared after an injury
there is pronounced swelling, redness, increased skin temperature
pain not only in the morning but also at night, at rest, and increases
This is not about panic. It’s about not treating a “spur” when the cause is different.
If the story has become chronic: why people in Israel choose UVT
When the pain drags on for months, the tissue can enter a mode of chronic inflammation: it no longer “repairs” itself as quickly as before. Then people often look for methods that help start recovery without surgery.
Shockwave therapy UVT — non-surgical treatment of chronic pain.
The idea is that the procedure is applied precisely when standard steps (shoes, unloading, stretching, basic physiotherapy) give weak or temporary effects.
For detailed material specifically about heel pain, plantar fasciitis, and a practical treatment scheme, you can open:
https://uvt.nikk.co.il/bolit-pjatka/
Geo, schedule, and how the clinic works
Trial Free sessions from 12.02.2026, every Tuesday and Thursday from 13:00 to 19:00 at our branches in Haifa and Petah Tikva David Sendler Pain Treatment Clinic
Haifa, Kiryat, Acre, Nahariya, Afula, Yokneam, Petah Tikva, Netanya, Hadera, Kfar Saba. Israel.
Home demonstration visit to the patient — by agreement.
Clinic working hours:
Sunday-Thursday: 10.00-19.00.
Friday and pre-holiday days: 9.00-14.00.
Saturday: closed.
Contact via website: 24/7.
Main page and appointment:
https://uvt.nikk.co.il/
Why the article about the heel suddenly mentions the shoulder
Because the logic of chronic pain is often similar: overload, microtraumas, gradual “fixation” of inflammation, and the feeling that “pills helped for a week — and everything returned.”
If you want to understand how Israel generally approaches such conditions using the example of another area — for example, the shoulder — you can look at a separate analysis:
https://uvt.nikk.co.il/bolit-plecho/
This helps to see the big picture: what treats the “symptom,” and what — the cause and tissue recovery.
If you want to read further: where to find similar topics
On the website, there is a blog and a selection of materials from the author/editor of the clinic — there are articles not only about the heel but also about knees, Achilles, elbow, and other pains that often become chronic.
https://uvt.nikk.co.il/author/admins56ni9mns4/
Short conclusion
“Heel spur” almost never heals with just one ointment or one exercise. But a simple method really exists: unload the foot, stretch the calf muscles and fascia, support the arch, and don’t return to the load too early.
And if the pain has become chronic and doesn’t let go — it’s reasonable to consider clinical options used in Israel, including UVT, so as not to live for months in the mode of “every step — carefully.”
