$Unique_ID{BRK01983} $Pretitle{} $Title{Painful Heel Bump is Caused by Shoes} $Subject{pain Painful Heel heels Bump bumps cause causes Caused shoe Shoes high ice skate skates skating Haglund Disease pump pumps inflamed inflammation sac sacs bursae Achilles tendon tendons bursitis tendonitis calcaneus bone bones deform deformed deformity lift surgery surgeries surgical joint joints} $Volume{} $Log{ Achilles Tendinitis*0006203.scf Anatomy of the Ankle and Knee*0016901.scf} Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Painful Heel Bump is Caused by Shoes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTION: Can you please help me? I have developed a bump on the back of my heel that is very painful. I tried to soak it with both hot and cold soaks, but that didn't help. There are days I can't put on my regular shoes, because they hurt so much, and I can't work in my walking shoes. Is there any suggestions you might have to help me out of my fix? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ANSWER: I may be able to help, if the two assumptions I am about to make are correct. Though your letter didn't provide all the details I need, I will assume that you are a young woman, say 20 years of age or so, and your "regular shoes" are high heels. Then again, you might be a devotee of ice skating. That would permit me to consider a diagnosis of Haglund's Disease, more commonly known as "pump bump". This is a condition where the bump on your heal represents an inflammation of the sacs (bursae) that lie on either side of the big tendon that attaches to the heel (the Achilles tendon). This inflammation, bursitis or tendonitis, creates a swelling and cause the pain. There are two contributing causes to the inflammation. One is a deformity of the heel bone (calcaneus) which causes it to stick out more than normally (Haglund's deformity). You can't do much about that, but the second element in this condition is your shoes. The back, or counter of your high heels (or ice skates) presses against the bone, and squeezes the bursae and tendon each time you take a step. The more you walk or exercise, the greater the pain. Certain styles of shoes may cause you more problems than others, so the first step in ridding yourself of the problem is to evaluate your footwear and avoid the shoes that cause you the discomfort. Changing the shape and size of the counter on the offending shoes may help. You can also put a heel lift inside the shoe, to change the position of your foot, lifting the bump above the top of the shoe counter. If that doesn't help, you may have to find a new pair of shoes for work. In cases where these simple conservative measure don't provide relief, and when the condition is severe, surgical removal of the bony bump can provide the answer, but this would require about four weeks of immobilization in a cast before you can start a rehabilitation program to get the joints and tendons working normally again. ---------------- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.