when geting up in the morning is the bottom of the heel hurt or is it the back? either way plantar fasciitis or achilles tendon here is a list of things to try.
1.if you can tolerate antiinflammatories, take them as directed on the bottle regularly and get a good blood level going. my personal favorite is 2 aleve twice a day.
2.don't wear flat shoes,ie: deck shoes, keds. stick to running shoes, if need be put a 1/8 to 1/4 inch heel lift in dress shoes if need be. if you wear orthotics for running only wear them as much as possible, if you don't have any and have any faults,ie: overpronation, flat feet or high arched feet- look into getting some it will help resolve the problem.
3.stretch. do the typical runners stretch for the calf. back leg with the heel on thew ground, knee locked and ease foreward. just enough to feel a stretch not burn or pain. then after 1-1 1/2 minutes bend the knee and stretch for another 1-1 1/2 minutes.(this stretch gets both muscles that make the calf muscle the gastroc and the soleus) hamstring stretching is also very important.
4.get a night splint and wear it faithfully. a night splint is a brace that keeps the foot dorsiflexed 0-5 degrees while you sleep, instead of plantarflexing and allowing the plantar fascia or achilles tendon to contract(you may have to get this at either a physical therapy facility or podiatrist or orthopedic surgeons office) it may be uncomfortable to wear but get used to it, it will be worth it!
5.if doing these things doesn't get you on the right track, see a podiatrist or orthopedic md who has a good reputation with local runners. you may need to have some ultrasound treatments &/or iontophoresis treatment(steroid medication that is driven through the skin by electrical current (sounds worse than it is, it's painless)
Paul
"My friend Bruce is currently unable to run due to heel pain. His email to me describing his problem is below. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help? "
Deja vu all over again. I tried to ignore the exact same symptoms. The joker in this deck is that the pain subsides after a short run. Obsessed with preparing for a marathon, I refused to take the pain
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