heel pain with or without shoes on

i wear steel toe capped shoes for 12 hours a day and recently i have really bad pains in my heels, which last for days or even weeks, i cant wear any other shoes now wthout being in pain, it feels like sharp needles up inside my heels, its worse first thing in the morning and when i take my shoes off, i cant walk on any surface in the house i have to walk on my toes or the side of the heels as the pain is too bad to put my whole weight down on the foot, can any one give me advice of how to reduce pain when wearing such heavy uncomfortable shoes all day, is it best to see a chiropodist?

[FootDoc]

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In my many years of practice, I have heard patient's complain of or associate the cause of their foot problem with steel toed shoes. But other than for someone who has severely contracted toes which stick up very high and might be rubbed by the toe box of the shoe, I see no basis for their complaint. My best guess is that, as with many safety items which employer requirer for use by their employees, they complain because they have no choice. I am convinced that if employers required that they NOT wear such shoes, some employees would complain about that just as vociferously. Actually, the only function of shoes, other than as a statement of style, is protection of the foot, and certainly, though it will increase the weight of a shoe, steel toes provide more protection.

But that is neither here nor there regarding your symptoms, which sound like they might be consistent with plantar fasciitis . . one of the most common of foot ailment. There are ranges of treatment for this condition, and whichever one works for each patient is the best. One thing that one who suffers this condition should do is to always where a shoe with a heel when weight-bearing . . never sandals, slippers or flip-flops, and never go barefoot of stocking foot. But all of this is predicated on the basis that my diagnostic guess was correct, and that can only really be established by seeing an appropriate doctor. I assume that you are not from the States, as you used the term "chiropodist," and foot specialists in the U.S. have been known as podiatrists for upwards of half a century now. See whatever sort of doctor is a specialist in foot care in your area of residence.