Heel pain: spiritual meaning and emotional causes

What heel pain is

Heel pain is pain under or behind the heel bone, the calcaneus. The most common cause is plantar fasciitis, an irritation of the thick band of tissue that runs along the sole from the heel to the toes. It typically hurts most with the first steps in the morning or after sitting. A heel spur is a small bony growth on the underside of the calcaneus. It often shows on an X-ray in people with plantar fasciitis, and many spurs cause no pain at all. Pain at the back of the heel more often comes from the Achilles tendon. Other causes include a bruised fat pad, a stress fracture, bursitis, arthritis and a trapped nerve.

Most heel pain improves over weeks to months with rest, supportive shoes, calf and sole stretches, ice and pain relief. A podiatrist or physiotherapist can suggest insoles, strapping or exercises. A GP may refer for further treatment if the pain persists. Surgery is rarely needed.

The emotional meaning of heel pain

The heel is the base the whole body rests on. Spiritually, it stands for the past you lean on, your seat in life. Pain there is linked to anguish, to feeling misunderstood, and to feeling unsupported in what you have to do.

Uncertainty and the need for support

Because the heel is the body's point of support, pain there points to uncertainty about the future. You may feel hesitant and dissatisfied with yourself or your life, as if you were losing control of your own body. You feel the need for something solid to lean on before you can go on moving safely.

Someone on your heels

The question may be who is draining your energy. Someone may always be "on your heels", or you may feel hounded by a boss. In French, talonner, from the word for heel, means to dog someone's steps.

Holding on and holding back

You may be clinging to the past, or feel less than nothing. A life that does not satisfy you can leave you with "the stomach in the heels", the French way of saying you are starving: so much does not suit you that it is hard to digest. You may carry other people's weight on your shoulders, not knowing how to state your limits and cut off from your own inner power, so that you feel forced to keep braking.

When the heel bone is involved

When the calcaneus itself is affected, the questioning goes deeper: why am I here, and who am I? Are you living your own life, or trying to live someone else's? What situation are you stubbornly resisting, and want to run from or pull yourself out of?

Heel spur

A heel spur, called Lenoir's spine in French, is read as not knowing where you come from or where you are going. You do not feel anchored. There is no stable base inside, as if you were in a dark hole. Which direction should you take? What meaning should you give your life? Some periods may have been so hard that part of them has been forgotten.

The question is where to put down roots and find balance again, and what is limping in your life. It may be your relationship, your friendships or your work.

Left side or right side?

In this approach, the right side of the body is the masculine, active side and the left side the feminine, receptive side, for men and women alike. See left and right sides of the body.

• Right heel: a lack of support in action, work and decisions, or with the men in your life, such as a father, partner or boss.
• Left heel: a lack of support in your emotional life and in receiving care, or with the women in your life, often the mother.

A gentler way to hold it

• Trust yourself to move. Notice one step you can take safely, today, without waiting for perfect support.
• Take your place. Ask where you have stepped back, and where you could stand on your own ground.
• Say where your limit is. Put down one weight that belongs to someone else.
• Let the past go a little. Turn your attention towards what you want ahead.
• Listen to your inner authority. The small voice inside often knows what you need.
• Go back to your deeper wishes. If you feel rootless, give yourself new aims and keep your attention on the present.