Posterior Heel Pain

When a Physiotherapist talks about posterior heel pain, he or she is referring to pain behind the heel, not below it. Posterior Heel pain is not actually a condition but rather a symptom of a condition. There are three main possible causes of such pain: Achilles Tendinopathy, Retrocalcaneal Bursitis and Haglund’s Deformity, all of which may coexist together as a triad of conditions. If you have pain underneath the heel, on the bottom of the foot please go to our Heel Pain section which explains the likely causes and treatment options.

Symptoms Of Posterior Heel Pain

Achilles tendinopathy is a condition of degeneration of the large tendon in the back of the ankle.

• Bursitis, there are several bursa behind the heel bone that protect this area of contact. Often these bursa can become irritated. For full details on this condition, click here

• Haglund’s Deformity (“Pump Bump”): a bony enlargement of the upper/back portion of the heel. This enlarged bone rubs on the Achilles Tendon, just above its attachment to the heel causing inflammation and pain. For full details on this condition, click here
  
  Also See: Heel Spur

Treatment of Posterior Heel Pain

Diagnosis of the cause of posterior heel pain can be difficult as it is not uncommon for these diagnoses to coexist. For example, a patient with a bony spur of the calcaneus may have bursitis in that area as well. Because of this, all of these diagnoses must be considered for effective treatment of posterior heel pain.

Our onsite Physiotherapists Podiatrist can assess your condition through gait analysis. Posterior Heel pain is not actually a condition but rather a symptom of one of the aforementioned conditions so for further information please go to those sections.

Often the cause of posterior heel pain is a biomechanical problem of the foot or exacerbated by mechanical faults at the knee, hip and back.

Our Expertise

Our Physiotherapists have a great deal of specific clinical experience in the management of posterior heel pain.

Initially, our chartered physiotherapists will carry out a thorough assessment to determine the causes or causes of your pain, helping them to select the most appropriate treatment to help you recover.

Our highly skilled Physiotherapists will provide expert treatment for your pain as well as prescribing specific exercises to treat your condition, giving you a long term solution to your problem.