Heel Bursitis
(Part 1)

Heel bursitis is a type of bursitis that affects the bursae of your heels.

Bursitis is swelling and inflammation in your bursae, the cushioning sacs that surround and protect your bones.

Heel bursitis can cause pain that affects your ability to move your foot or ankle.

What Is Heel Bursitis?

Is a condition that occurs when a bursa in your heel becomes irritated and inflamed.

This inflammation can cause foot, ankle and heel pain.

A bursa is a small, slippery sac in your body that’s filled with fluid.

Bursae (plural form of bursa) act as a cushion and lubricant. They protect bones from rubbing or sliding against tendons, muscles or skin.

Bursitis can affect any of the bursae in your body.

There are bursae behind both of your ankles near your heel bone (calcaneus).

Fortunately, there are at- home and other nonsurgical options to treat the condition.

Types of heel bursitis

There are two main types of heel bursitis:

Retrocalcaneal bursitis. This is the more common type. It happens when the bursa between your heel bone and Achilles tendon becomes inflamed. It’s also known as Achilles tendon bursitis.

Subcutaneous calcaneal bursitis. This type of heel bursitis occurs when the bursa between your skin and Achilles tendon becomes inflamed.

Symptoms and Causes

Heel bursitis symptoms may include:
Pain and swelling in or behind your heel
Tenderness
Increased pain when standing on your toes
Warmth around your heel and the surrounding area
Change in skin color around your heel
Heel bursitis has many causes, including:
Standing, walking, running or jumping a lot
Quickly increasing the intensity of your activities or workouts
Not properly stretching
Tight-fitting shoes
Bacterial infection
Risk factors for heel bursitis

Heel bursitis most frequently affects people who overuse their ankles without proper conditioning. A sudden increase in walking, running or jumping can cause heel bursitis.

It’s important to wear proper footwear, especially when practicing a sport or exercising. Tight-fitting shoes can cause heel bursitis.

Heel bursitis can also affect those who have other disorders, including:

Haglund’s deformity
Rheumatoid arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
Psoriatic arthritis
Reactive arthritis (formerly known as Reiter’s syndrome)
Pseudogout
Gout