My league resumed yesterday after a break all summer and I woke up this morning with a pain in my heel, particularly on the bottom of my heel, that made it difficult to walk for five or ten minutes. I encountered this problem before, during last season and I think it comes from jumping and pounding down on the court, particularly while jumping to reach a deeply hit shuttle or doing a jump smash. The problem occurs regardless of which of my two pairs of badminton shoes I am wearing (ASICS gel volleyball shoes or Head racquetball shoes), and I have been using the same Sorbothane full length insert in both pairs. On some occasions I have noticed that if I stretch well after playing, particularly doing an achilles stretch, the heel pain the following morning is less, but on other nights, stretching doesn't seem to matter. Clearly the problem is the result of the application of excess force to that area of my foot, and since F=M*A, I should probably work on reducing some of that M that I have picked up in my near-middle age. I'm thinking I will be buying a gel heel pad or insert and trying that. Does anyone use one and have a recommendation for the best brand? Anyone else have similar problems and/or other suggestions for dealing with this heel problem? Thanks.
heel pain I have the same problem. It usually occurs when i make a lunge for a drop shot. When i haveto really stretch for a return my lead leg (right) stretches out, but instead of landing on my whole foot, i land on the heel of my foot only. As for the pain, i just ignore it. I was curious if i my technique was wrong. Should i be landing on all of my foot and not just the heel of my foot when i lunge?
I think you will need to goto a orthapedic surgeon, he/she can reccomend something. I have the same problem. There are 3 bones on your heel and if they grow crooked (which is usually caused by walking crooked during your teen years) it can cause bad pain. I can tell you more if you are interested but you might need to get orthotics in your shoes which will straighten your stride and ease the pain. Thats if you ar still growing.
more info Brett, What type of floor are you playing on? Usually stone foors are the worst. In very early days, I used to get this problem quite badly. Partially solved by extra pair of socks. Permanently solved by the heel pad sorbothane. I tried full length sorbathane but didn't like the feel. Badminton shoes seem to have less heel padding becasue of the inherent nature of the game. They lose some of the cushioning effect after being worn in so heel pads seem to be worth the investment. cmd17uc, for a lunge, a player should land with the heel first. It helps with the balance and recovery. Landing with the whole foot will impart a lot of shock to your whole leg at one instant. Not recommended.
I have the same problem, only i saw an ortopedic surgeon 3 weeks ago and she told me that i was walking crooked and i would require an orthotic to fit in my shoe , I played with an orthotic in my shoe yesterday and this morning i had no pain what so ever. I would recomend this as it has helped me
Not being light on my feet, they have always taken a pounding from the lunges. When I was playing nearly every day, I bought shoes slightly larger than my size, and in each shoe, put in two full-length Dr. Scholl cushions, an arch support, and a HEAL PAD, in addition to wearing thick socks. For those of us with that problem, it may have to do with technique. We may come down too hard on the heel. (I have totally flat feet, which may be my problem.)
Yep, thats the procedure. If it wasnt due to the flooring etc its probibly this problem. How old are you Brett ?
Thanks guys Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I think I'll buy a sorbothane heel pad, try cutting some snacks out of my diet, and see if that doesn't help. If the problem continues, I'll probably go see a doctor about getting othotics. I had a pair about a dozen years ago when I had some knee and shin splint problems when I was running on a daily basis, but the graphite cracked on both inserts and I threw them away. BTW, I'm in my mid-30's, I play in gyms with hardwood floors, and since my shoes are mid-height volleyball and squash shoes, they are sturdier and better padded than the typical badminton shoe.
I play those floor and I have not had much problem because I stay on my toes and my heels are not on the floor often. Orthotics are really expensive btw, I think mine were $400 AUD. I need to get larger ones as my foot has grown since I got them 2 years or so back.
