If you’ve already seen a podiatrist, tried stretching, changed shoes, or even gone through treatment—and your heel pain still isn’t improving—it’s understandable to feel frustrated. Many patients reach this point wondering what they’re missing or assuming they’re doing something wrong. When pain lingers despite doing “all the right things,” it often means there’s more contributing to the problem than what’s happening in the foot alone.
Heel pain, including plantar fasciitis, doesn’t exist in isolation. The foot is where symptoms show up, but healing depends on what’s happening throughout the rest of the body. When progress stalls, it’s often a sign that something outside the foot is influencing recovery.
When Heel Pain Becomes a Bigger Picture Problem
Plantar fasciitis is commonly treated with stretching, footwear changes, orthotics, and local therapies—and those tools are important. But sometimes heel pain persists because the tissue isn’t responding the way we expect. That’s often when we need to zoom out.
Blood sugar control, for example, plays a major role in tissue repair and inflammation. Patients with undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes may struggle to heal, even when foot mechanics are addressed correctly. Similarly, hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause can affect connective tissue, increase inflammation, disrupt sleep, and slow recovery. The heel becomes painful not because treatment was wrong, but because the body is under additional strain.
These are not things you can stretch your way out of.
What a Primary Care Doctor Adds to the Equation
As a podiatrist, my focus is the foot and ankle. I evaluate biomechanics, tissue stress, nerve irritation, and gait patterns in detail. A primary care doctor looks at the broader landscape—metabolic health, hormones, medications, inflammation, and overall physiologic stress.
When those two perspectives work together, healing becomes more predictable. Labs are interpreted in context. Patterns that affect recovery don’t get missed. Treatment plans stop feeling piecemeal and start making sense.
This is especially important for patients who don’t currently have a primary care doctor. Without someone overseeing the bigger picture, lingering pain can feel confusing and discouraging.
Why Direct Care Makes Collaboration Actually Happen
One of the advantages of the direct-care model is time. Because both my practice and direct primary care physicians operate outside of insurance, we aren’t limited to rushed visits or fragmented communication.
That means we can actually talk. We can compare notes, discuss how systemic factors may be affecting foot pain, and coordinate care in a way that supports the patient rather than working in parallel silos. This kind of collaboration is rare in traditional healthcare, but it makes a meaningful difference—especially when healing has stalled.
When doctors have the time to communicate, patients benefit.
Why I Often Recommend Direct Primary Care
Many patients tell me they’ve struggled to find a primary care doctor who listens, explains, and follows through. That’s why I often recommend direct primary care. Visits are longer, access is better, and care is relationship-based.
That approach aligns closely with how I practice podiatry. My goal isn’t to replace primary care—it’s to make sure you have a team that can see the full picture and help your body heal more efficiently.
If you’re interested in finding a direct primary care physician, you can explore options here:
👉 https://nedpca.org/find-a-physician/#!directory/map
Heel Pain? Let’s Start the Conversation
If your heel pain isn’t improving—or keeps coming back despite treatment—it’s worth reassessing what might be contributing beneath the surface.
📞 Call Lighthouse Foot and Ankle Center at 207-774-0028 to schedule a visit.
We’ll evaluate what’s happening in your foot, talk through potential contributing factors, and help guide next steps—whether that means treatment here, coordination with a primary care doctor, or both.
Healing works best when care is connected.
