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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Heel problems are common and can be painful. Often, they result from too much stress on your heel bone and the tissues that surround it. That stress can come from:

• Injuries
• Bruises that you get walking, running or jumping
• Wearing shoes that don't fit or aren't made well
• Being overweight

These can lead to tendinitis, bursitis, and fasciitis, which are all types of inflammation of the tissues that surround your heel. Over time the stress can cause bone spurs and deformities. Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout, can also lead to heel problems. Treatments for heel problems might include rest, medicines, exercises, taping, and special shoes. Surgery is rarely needed.

Start Here

• Heel Pain (American Podiatric Medical Association)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Foot Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Search the Foot and Ankle Conditions: Interactive Foot Diagram (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)

Treatments and Therapies

• Brisement (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
• Percutaneous Achilles Tendon Lengthening (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)
• Prescription Custom Orthotics and Shoe Inserts (American Podiatric Medical Association)

Living With

• Foot and Ankle Rehabilitation Exercises (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF

Related Issues

• Bone Healing (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Achilles Tendinitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Achilles Tendon Rupture (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Calcaneus (Heel Bone) Fractures (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Cracked Heels (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Haglund's Deformity (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Medial and Lateral Plantar Nerve Entrapment (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Plantar Fasciitis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Achilles Tendon Injuries (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Fasciitis, Plantar (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Heel Injuries (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Osteomyelitis of the Heel Due to Delayed Treatment of a Left...
• Article: Observation of the Clinical Efficacy of Self-Modified Skin-Stretching Device in the...
• Article: Comparison of instep and non-instep flap in the reconstruction of the...
• Heel Injuries and Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Glossary of Foot and Ankle Terms (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society)

Find an Expert

• American Podiatric Medical Association
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

• Don't Ignore Your Kid's Heel Pain (American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
• Sever's Disease (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Achilles tendinitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Achilles tendon repair (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Achilles tendon rupture - aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Bursitis of the heel (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heel pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heel pain and Achilles tendonitis -- aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Plantar fasciitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish