What are Heel Fissures?
Heel fissures, are a simple problem that could lead to severe medical issues in future if left untreated. The fissures occur when the skin around the heel develops to become hard, dry and cannot stretch so therefore cracks instead. In some cases, the cracks are deep so can be painful and bleed.
The Causes
- Dry skin for any reason
- Dermatitis, psoriasis and other medical conditions
- Regularly walking barefoot
- Regularly wearing open backed shoes as they provide no support to hold the fat pad under the foot
- Dry climate
- Excessive weight
- Conditions such as diabetes which dry the skin
- Inactive sweat glands
Treatments
Treatments may include:
- Wearing shoes with strong shock absorption
- Not walking barefoot
- Oil based moisturising creams
- Ensuring hard skin is removed
Symptoms
Typical symptoms can include:
- Dry Skin
- Heel bleeding
- Pain on weight bearing
- Hard Skin
- Cracks, sometimes deep
- Calluses