What is heel pain?

Heel pain is quite common in life. Although it is not a particularly serious problem, it often has a great impact on patients, especially causing difficulty in walking. There are many reasons for heel pain, mainly due to some accumulated pathological reasons, such as fascia fiber rupture, bone hyperplasia, and bone spur formation, which often cause arch pain. In addition, we must also be alert to bursitis and other reasons.

What causes heel pain?

1. What is heel pain? Plantar fasciitis

The most common cause of heel pain is lesions caused by long-term, chronic, and accumulated minor trauma, which manifests as the rupture of fascia fibers and their repair process. There may be bone hyperplasia near the inner fascia below the calcaneus, forming a bone ridge. It appears as a bone spur on a lateral x-ray.

The latter is often considered to be the cause of heel pain, but clinical studies have shown that it is difficult to confirm the causal relationship between it and heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is not necessarily accompanied by bone spurs, and people with heel spurs do not necessarily have heel pain. Heel pain caused by plantar fasciitis can be cured naturally. What causes heel pain?

If heel pain occurs, you can raise the heel to reduce the tension of the Achilles tendon on the calcaneus and relieve the pain. It can also be treated by drug injection.

2. What is heel pain? Heel pad pain

It often occurs in the elderly. The heel pad is an elastic cushion formed by fibrous tissue, fat tissue and elastic fibers under the heel bone. In young people, the heel pad has strong elasticity and can absorb vibrations. In old age, the elasticity of the heel pad decreases, and the calcaneus bears the body weight without padding. In severe cases, scars and calcium deposits may form, causing heel pain. Heel pain is different from plantar fasciitis in that there is tenderness over the entire underside of the heel. Treatment is with sponge heel pads or local medication injections.

3. What causes heel pain? Retrocalcaneal bursitis

The most common disease is the bursa between the Achilles tendon and the skin, which is caused by friction damage from inappropriate high-heeled leather shoes. The bursa wall may become thickened, the bursa is filled with synovial fluid, and there is local swelling and tenderness. Treatment should focus on improving shoe shape. If the bursa swelling does not subside, it can be punctured and aspirated, and hydrocortisone can be injected.

4. What causes heel pain? Calcaneal apophysitis

It often occurs in boys aged 8 to 12 years old. The lesion is similar to tibial tuberosity apophysiitis of the lower leg. It is a symptom caused by tendon traction on the unhealed epiphysis during development. The pain is below the attachment point of the Achilles tendon and can occur on both sides at the same time. Running and standing on tiptoes may make symptoms worse. The symptoms disappear naturally after the epiphysis heals. Generally, symptomatic treatment is given, which can help children reduce their activities and use heel pads to reduce the pull of the Achilles tendon on the calcaneus.

5. What causes heel pain? Subtalar arthritis

It often occurs after calcaneal fracture and is a type of traumatic arthritis. The pain in the anterior tarsal sinus on X-rays was aggravated by weight bearing. If conservative treatment fails, calcaneal arthrodesis should be performed.

Old calcaneal fractures or rare calcaneal tumors or tuberculosis are also causes of heel pain. Diseases other than the heel that cause heel pain include rheumatoid spondylitis, lumbar disc herniation that compresses the sacral nerve roots, and tibial nerve compression in the calf.

6. What causes heel pain? Bone spurs

Bone spur is the common name for bone hyperplasia, which is a common and frequently occurring disease among middle-aged and elderly people. There is no unified naming for this disease at home and abroad. This disease mostly occurs in middle-aged or elderly people over 45 years old, more often in men than in women. Heavy physical laborers and athletes who often use waist activities are prone to this disease. The "calcaneal spur" mentioned here is a common disease among middle-aged and elderly people. Most people suffer from pain due to aseptic inflammation of the bursa caused by bone spurs on the heels.