My wife is a keen walker, but has not been able to walk for months due to heel pain. Her doctor and podiatrist both suggested plantar fasciitis, but it does not hurt in the typical area, and she has not responded to treatment. She is 67.
Peter Goode, via email.
Heel pain, as your wife has found, can be a troublesome and disabling condition.
The most common causes are plantar fasciitis inflammation of the band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot, causing pain around the heel and arch and Achilles tendon pain, triggered by inflammation of the tendon at the back of the heel.
I constantly get red spots on my nose, which are very tender. No sooner do they calm down than they return in the same area. My doctor prescribed Rozex gel but it hardly makes any difference. I’m 75 and otherwise healthy.
Patricia Harris, via email.
This is most likely to be a form of rosacea, a disorder that commonly affects those aged 30 or over.
It is the result of changes in the immune response in the skin, which reacts to microorganisms that can live there, such as Bacillus olenorium and a microscopic mite called Demodex folliculorum. This triggers inflammation and spots.
DR MARTIN SCURR: We all have a strong biological drive to sleep, peaking in childhood and young adulthood. The sleep pattern tends to go off the rails later in life.
DR MARTIN SCURR: Hypnic headaches have a unique characteristic, they only occur during sleep, causing those affected to wake up (hence the name alarm clock ).