How is heel pain?

A variety of reasons can cause heel pain, such as Achilles tendinitis, calcaneal spur, calcaneal bursitis, plantar aponeurosis and heel fat pad injury.

(1) Achilles tendinitis: It is an aseptic inflammatory disease of Achilles tendon and its surrounding aponeurosis, with pain in the back and upper side. The achilles tendon and its surrounding aponeurosis are damaged during strenuous exercise such as walking, running and jumping, which are mainly manifested as heel pain, inability to land on the heel and aggravated ankle extension pain.

(2) Calcaneal spur: Calcaneal spur is a common and frequently-occurring disease in middle-aged and elderly people. Calcaneal spur is a osteophyte that extends forward at calcaneal tubercle. Generally asymptomatic, only in the inflammatory period will there be heel pain, tenderness, weight-bearing pain, limping and other symptoms.

(3) Calcaneal bursitis: Long-term friction with calcaneus will lead to local bursitis, which will lead to bursitis. The symptom is local swelling and tenderness of the heel, and the pain is obviously aggravated with a little effort.

(4) Plantar aponeurosis: Plantar aponeurosis is one of the most common causes of athlete's heel pain. Plantar aponeurosis is a chronic inflammation, which originates from the medial calcaneal tubercle of the forefoot. Athletes usually show increased pain after rest, especially in the first step in the morning. The pain gradually decreases with exercise, but recurs after rest.

(5) Damage of heel fat pad: Heel fat pad can absorb stress and buffer vibration. With the increase of age, the fat in the fat pad degenerates and its elasticity decreases, which makes the fat pad soft and thin, weakens its ability to absorb stress and produces pain.

Other possible causes of heel pain include ankle tunnel syndrome and calcaneal fracture caused by trauma.