Why Your Heel Pain Is Not Healing

If you have been struggling with stabbing heel pain for over six months, you have likely been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. You have probably tried everything: custom orthotics, night splints, physical therapy, and endless stretching routines.

But what if it was never a tendon issue to begin with?

For many patients traveling to our clinics in Edmond Norman Foot & Ankle, the true culprit is a complex and often overlooked condition known as Baxter’s nerve entrapment. Dr. Bil Buksh specializes in diagnosing and resolving these specific peripheral nerve issues that traditional treatments miss. 

Here is how to tell if your chronic heel pain is actually nerve damage, and how we can finally get you walking comfortably again.

Understanding Baxter’s Nerve

To understand why traditional treatments fail, consider the anatomy of the foot. 

• The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue running along the bottom of your foot.
• Just above that tissue is a small, highly sensitive branch of the lateral plantar nerve called Baxter’s nerve.
• When this nerve becomes compressed or pinched by surrounding muscles or inflamed tissue, it sends severe pain signals directly to your heel. 
• Because the pain is in the same spot as plantar fasciitis, it is frequently misdiagnosed by general practitioners who only examine the tendon!

Three Signs It Is Nerve Compression

While the symptoms overlap, there are distinct differences between typical plantar fasciitis and nerve entrapment. If you are experiencing any of these three signs, your pain might be neurological:

• Radiating Pain: While plantar fasciitis usually feels like a deep bruise or a sharp stab isolated to the center of the heel, nerve entrapment often causes pain that radiates outward into the bottom of the foot or up the inside of the ankle.
• Numbness and Tingling: Tendons do not tingle. If you feel a burning sensation, numbness, or a “pins and needles” feeling around your heel, a nerve is actively being compressed.
• Pain That Worsens Throughout the Day: Plantar fasciitis is notoriously painful during those first few steps out of bed in the morning, but it usually loosens up as you move. Baxter’s nerve pain often intensifies the longer you stand or walk, feeling worse at the end of the day.

Advanced Regenerative Solutions

If our testing reveals that you do suffer from severe, chronic plantar fasciitis rather than nerve entrapment, we focus on advanced tissue repair. 

• We use an advanced biologic tissue derived from donated human umbilical cords (obtained from healthy births and processed in specialized, highly regulated laboratories) to flood the damaged ligament with concentrated growth factors, accelerating your body’s natural healing cascade.

Specialized Nerve Decompression

If Baxter’s nerve entrapment is confirmed, treating the tendon will never stop the pain. Instead, Dr. Buksh uses advanced nerve decompression techniques.

• This minimally invasive surgical procedure releases tight ligaments compressing the nerve. 
• By freeing the trapped nerve, we provide permanent relief while preserving your full sensation and foot function.

Stop Living with Chronic Pain

You do not have to accept chronic heel pain as a permanent part of your life. If your current treatment plan has not worked after six months, it is time for a specialist’s approach!

Bill Buksh, DPM, works alongside his expert medical staff at Edmond Norman Foot & Ankle to offer superior podiatric care to anyone in need. Pairing thorough, comprehensive remedies for common podiatric conditions with unique specialty treatments for nerve pain, he and his team would be delighted to treat your feet. Contact us to schedule your appointment today.