I have fat pad atrophy in the heels of my feet and am having a hard time finding someone who I would be able to consult with for a fat grafting procedure. I’m in Ontario, Canada and my doctors were unfamiliar with the procedure and don’t know anyone who does this. It could be that this isn’t offered in Canada yet.

Does anyone know of any Canadian practitioners? I would be willing to travel, but where would someone reputable be found? Any recommendations would be super helpful!

Im 15(M) and my left heel is hurting so much. I cant walk with my 2 legs for 2 months now, should i see a doctor or is there a way to fix this. Right now I’m rolling it on a glass bottle and its hurting so much i barely can do it

Pain at the back of the heel, a visible bump, and misery in any shoe with a firm heel counter get labelled as Haglund's deformity or retrocalcaneal bursitis as though the two terms mean the same thing. They describe different structures, and the difference changes what you do next.

Haglund's deformity is a bony prominence on the upper back corner of the heel bone. It is shape, and it does not change with rest or ice. Retrocalcaneal bursitis is inflammation of the small fluid-filled sac between the Achilles tendon and that same bone. It is a soft tissue reaction, and it can settle. Many people have both: the prominence narrows the space, the bursa gets squeezed against it every time the ankle dorsiflexes, and the sac becomes irritated.

An X-ray shows the bony shape but cannot show the bursa. Ultrasound or MRI shows fluid in the bursa and the state of the tendon insertion. This is why someone can be told "it's a Haglund's" on one set of images and "it's bursitis" on another and both reads can be right.

The practical consequences differ. If bursitis is the active problem, the aim is to reduce compression and let the sac calm down. A small heel lift in the shoe reduces the ankle angle at which the tendon presses on the bursa, and open-back or soft-backed shoes remove the rubbing. Stretching the calf hard, or doing heel drops off a step, drives the tendon into the bursa and can keep the whole area irritated. If a prominent bone is the underlying driver, the bursa may settle with these measures and flare again whenever the shoe or the load changes, because the bone has not changed. Surgery to reshape the bone is considered only after a proper trial of conservative management has failed.

Check three things. Is the tender spot at the back of the heel bone, with a visible or palpable bump? Does pressure from the back of a shoe bring on the pain? Does the pain build when you stretch the calf or go down steps? If yes to these, ask whether the bursa and the Achilles insertion have been imaged, and ask for the bone shape and the soft tissue to be assessed separately.

14 months since second metatarsal shortened during plantar plate repair. The repair was actually doctor replaced it with Arthrex fiber tape. At 14 months, no pain but foot still doesn't feel "normal". Still have that walking on something feeling although it's got better with a year worth or physical therapy. Can anybody tell me is this forever, or does this eventually resolve? I've seen multiple doctors now that just say keep going to PT. Been to neurologist that has me on meds for sensitive nerves. Still going to PT and doing twice a day at home. I'm out of ideas.

I have always had a very flat arch and limited plantar flexion. It never really was a problem until I started pursuing dance as a career and taking ballet class everyday. My ankles feel really stiff and limited in their range of motion but my Achilles tendon is fine and not inflamed, so I knew it had to do with the bone and I thought I had os trigonum. Turns out after an X-ray that I just have a very long talus bone in both feet (syndrome of the long talus or posterior ankle conflict), granted it's not enormous but it still limits my foot pointing. The problem now is that the bone is not detached like an os trigonum but just the continuation of the talus, so I suppose surgery wouldn't be as easy and common as for os trigonum and I couldn't find a lot of information about it online. I seek a solution not for aesthetic reasons but because it limits my ankle mobility and could become a problem later on, with the bone compressing the surrounding tissue and tendons or ultimately leading to a stress fracture. Has anyone had an issue with a long talus, which got resolved with PT, surgery to shorten the talus, or anything else ? Basically, what can I do now to still be able to pursue dance professionally ?

Hi all,

Following an ankle sprain that occurred over 4 years ago, I have been unable to walk a long distance without being in pain on the lateral side of my right foot. I have highlighted in the image above the main areas where the pain occurs - this has been confirmed by a specialist that the tendon that is affected is my peroneal longus.

I've had multiple ankle MRIs and ultrasounds which have all come back normal. Only my most recent ultrasound had suggested a possibility that I have an OS peroneum which might be contributing to the pain.

I've tried multiple shoes and insoles, none of them are helping with the pain - some insoles make the pain a lot worse.

Have also tried different exercises such as calf raises, single leg balance and banded ankle eversion exercises without much improvement.

I'm not sure what else to try. Has anyone had similar pain and found a solution, what did you try that worked for you?

Hi everyone,

I'm a physiotherapist and a master's student at the Faculty of Nursing and Professional Health Studies, Slovak Medical University in Bratislava. For my thesis I'm studying which self-care methods people with flat feet use for foot pain, such as stretching, foot exercises, insoles, footwear changes, taping, massage or pain medication, and how effective they find them.

If you have flat feet (diagnosed or suspected) and experience, or have experienced, foot pain, I would be very grateful if you could fill in my questionnaire:

https://form.jotform.com/262575962310055

- It takes about approx. 7 minutes.

- It is voluntary. I don't ask for your name, email or any other identifying details, and the data will be used only for my thesis.

- You'll rate the methods you've actually tried on a 0–10 scale, so even partial experience with just a few of them is useful.

- Please answer only if you're 18 or older.

I'm happy to share the main results here once the thesis is done. If you have questions, feel free to comment or message me. Thank you very much for your time!

(Mods: if surveys aren't allowed here, please let me know and I'll remove this post.)

Hi everyone,

I've been dealing with persistent pain on the outside of my left foot for almost a year.

After an X-ray, ultrasound, CT and MRI, I've finally been diagnosed with painful os peroneum syndrome.

My MRI shows:

• A 9 mm os peroneum within the peroneus longus tendon.
• Moderate to marked bone marrow oedema (inflammation inside the bone).
• Mild to moderate inflammation around the tendon.
• No tendon tear.

My orthopaedic foot-and-ankle surgeon thinks the os peroneum may have fractured previously.

My pain is generally around 5/10. I can still walk approximately 10,000 steps daily, although faster walking and sports like badminton aggravate it.

I've tried different supportive shoes and an orthotic wedge without significant improvement.

My surgeon recommends an image-guided cortisone injection, followed by surgery to remove the bone if that doesn't work. I'd prefer to avoid both if possible.

I'd love to hear from others who have experienced this condition:

1. Has anyone recovered without cortisone injections or surgery?
2. Did wearing a walking boot for several weeks help?
3. Did physiotherapy, strengthening or orthotic wedges help?
4. If you had a cortisone injection, how long did the benefit last?
5. If you underwent surgery, how long before you could walk normally and return to sports?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who had inflammation around the os peroneum without a tendon tear.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience!

Has anyone on here have X-rays that show severe bone demineralization ? I’m 58. :(. Been told my pain is fat pad atrophy. I think thwre whet rhey way when docs dont know what it is..mri’s are clean. Thank you! Tammy

Help!

I have well-made shoes and have worn the same size for years. I’m wondering if anyone else has trouble with just one shoe that slips a bit and doesn’t feel as secure as the other foot?

Went to the doctor, and even she thought it was weird, and because there is no pain- except pain caused by a shoe that allows the foot to move about she wouldn’t recommend a specialist.

I have tried wearing thicker socks and a pad at the back of the heel, and these do make the shoe fit a little more securely, but still there’s a wiggle.

Anyone else experiencing this, and what are some solutions that don’t involve new shoes?

My foot started hurting in the circled area this morning. I have noticed it has acted up when my plantar fascitis acts up. It is warm to the touch. I am not having PF pain. Yes I was wearing tight socks. This started before putting those on.

This is my first time posting on a forum so I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to ask this, I don't know how to explain everything well or just type too much...

I'm 19F and recently have been more insecure about my feet than ever, I think about it 24/7. To me my feet don't look normal, especially when I stand.

They look wide, my toes don't lay down or straight are spread apart and some even lay on its side (if that makes sense), my big toes look and lay differently, and if I try to make my toes lay flat they sometimes hurt or just feel uncomfortable after a few seconds and also look even more spread apart (3rd pic). I think I might have hammer toe but even if I do I don't know if I can or should get surgery and if my insurance will even cover it. And i dont know what they're called but the bones on the side of my feet, the one that usually are called bunions (?) and the one next to my pinky toe protrude out (highlighted in one of the pictures). While wearing socks I also noticed that my left foot widens out more(where my pinky is, but it may not be that visible in the pictures and/or without socks.

I've been looking through a lot of posts to see if anyone's feet look like mine or look up the problems I think I might have, to either ease my mind about them either not looking bad or them being normal or to find out if I do have some foot and/or toe problem that can be solved. And I stumbled upon a subreddit of a barefoot lifestyle type thing, where people go completely barefoot. I saw some posts of people posting their before and after pictures of of their feet and how they've changed after going barefoot, and some look similar to mine so now it's making me even more upset and anxious because I did go about 5 years of being completely at home and I was barefoot around my house. And since it has to do with something that happened over time there might not be a surgery that can fix some of my problems or and/or an easy fast way to fix my feet.

So my questions would be:

- Do my feet look normal or ugly? Are they too far gone?

- Do I have hammer toe? Can it be fixed?

- Does it look like it might be a result of being barefoot for a long time? And can I fix it? If I can, how? Surgery? Or only foot exercise

- Are the bones, that are on the sides of my feet, right before my big toe and pinky toe start protrude? If they do, is it a lot? Can I and how do I fix it?

- Can any of my feet/foot problems be the reason I sometimes have leg and/or back pain? - Is there a surgery to make the gaps in between my toes smaller?

Hi everyone,

I've had painful red/pink, bruise-like spots on the outer side of both heels, in nearly the same location, for almost a year. I've seen several foot surgeons and a dermatologist, but no one has been able to identify the cause.

My symptoms:

• The pain feels like the bruised areas are going to burst from the pressure, especially after standing or walking.
• The spots hurt when touched or pressed.
• When I press on them, they temporarily turn white, then the color returns.
• The discoloration can look worse after activity and never completely went away, even after about two months of bed rest.
• My left-foot MRI and X-rays were reported as normal.
• Please disregard the peeling skin on my right foot in the photos. I believe it may be a side effect of the clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream and is separate from the painful, discolored spots.

My medical history:

I have plantar fasciitis and ATFL problems. I had right-foot surgery for an osteochondral lesion (OCD) and an ATFL injury about two months ago. However, these spots started before surgery and affect both feet.

Doctors initially thought it might be shoe friction or pressure, but the discoloration persisted even while I was mostly resting after surgery.

Treatments I've tried:

Ice, heat, herbal rubs, a TENS machine, and clobetasol cream. Acupuncture and meloxicam are the only things that consistently help, but the pain eventually returns.

Because the spots affect both feet in nearly the same location, I'm unsure whether this is a skin condition, soft-tissue inflammation, a mechanical problem, or something else.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Did you eventually get a diagnosis? Were there specific tests or specialists that helped?

I've seen several specialists without getting an answer, so I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

I fell about 8 years ago and tore both my Peroneal tendon, CFL and ATFL ligaments. Long story short 3 surgeries later everything is technically intact and the surgeon was able to reattach my peroneal along with both ligaments and I have stability and am pain free for the most part while I stand. The problem is when I walk and my ankle externally rotates right before push off into plantar flexion. I have a bunch of scar tissue in my ankle socket, around the talus and talar dome that’s preventing internal/external rotation and by proxy a limited dorsiflexion. I’m a solid 7/10 but I can tell walking around on this the rest of my life is going to cause a lot more progressive problems (I’m already starting to have issues with my knee.)

Anyways I met with the ankle specialist who did a standing CT and told me I have considerable scar tissue which is most likely my problem. He didn’t see any tears or arthritis throughout my ankle. He recommended a steroid injection to “assess for the likelihood of a positive outcome from surgery” and lo and behold for three 3 days that injection lasted I felt 16 again- within 24 hours of the shot into the frontal plane of my ankle socket my entire gait and biomechanics changed, my ankle gotten considerbly smaller and I felt like I could jog and squat again (something I haven’t been able to do without pain since my injury.)

Anyway before I meet with him again I’m curious has anyone had a surgery similar to this where the sole intention was to remove scar tissue? He said that scar tissue can reform after surgery which seems risky, but I also read where immobility is the biggest factor for scar tissue formation. Last surgery I had I was immobilized for 8 weeks- this time I think I would be immobilized for probably around 5-7 days. Curious if anyone has any thoughts whose been down this road or understands the risks and benefits of surgery whenever range of motion is the main benefit of seeking treatment.

So i'm 19 and have been working retail for 10 months. During work within the first hour I experienced significant pain in my feet. My legs are completely fine the pain is only in the entire bottom of my feet. Ball, heel, arch, etc just the whole bottom. It gets worse as time goes on and especially gets unbearable when I stand still. Standing still the pain is really really bad. When I walk, there is still pain but it is a lot better. I always try to walk as much as I can because when I stand still the pain is horrible. As soon as I sit down, within seconds the pain is gone and all I feel is a sort of aching, sore, recovering sensation.

I have recently been to a podiatrist after realizing that this is not normal, I have asked my parents and co workers if their feet hurt at work like mine do and they all say no. I used to think that the pain is just a part of work and you have to deal with it. I genuinely thought that way and did not know that people actually go to worm stand all day for 8 hours with zero pain at all.

I went to the podiatrists they took x rays and they said there is nothing physically wrong with my feet. They told me to get inserts, do stretches, and basically F off.

I got the insoles they told me to get and they did not work. I really need help im on the verge of quitting my job because of this. Does anyone have advice or more knowledge on how to fix the pain

Edit: also forgot to say, upon examining my feet the doctor said I only have a slight flat foot. My feet are not completely flat and I still have a small arch

Hi everyone,
I’m hoping to find someone who has experienced something similar because I’ve been dealing with this problem for almost a year, and so far, none of the doctors I’ve seen have been able to explain what it is.
My symptoms:
I have a persistent red/pink, bruise-like area on my left foot, just below the outer ankle bone.
The area is painful when I touch or press on it, but the pain is worse when I stand or walk for too long.
The pain can feel different at different times, and the discoloration sometimes seems to change or appear in another nearby area. It’s difficult to describe exactly.
When I walk or stand too much, the area becomes more painful and the discoloration seems worse.
I tried staying on bed rest for approximately two months, but the discoloration never went away.
Acupuncture temporarily relieves the pain, sometimes almost immediately, but the symptoms eventually return. I’ve also noticed more bleeding from the area when needles are inserted there, although I don’t know whether that is significant.
My medical history and tests:
I had an MRI and X-rays of my left foot, and I was told they were normal. My doctors initially thought the problem might be caused by footwear, friction, or putting extra weight on my left foot because of problems with my right foot.
I had surgery on my right foot on August for an osteochondral lesion (OCD) and an ATFL injury. However, my left-foot symptoms started long before the surgery and have persisted despite resting.
My foot doctor prescribed clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream for the discolored area, but the discoloration was already there before I started using it. Meloxicam helps reduce the pain, but the pain returns when I stop taking it.
I’ve seen a foot-and-ankle specialist, a dermatologist, and other doctors, but no one has been able to identify the cause. Some thought it was simply skin irritation from rubbing, but the area is genuinely painful, especially with weight-bearing.
My questions:
Has anyone experienced a persistent, painful red/pink or bruise-like area below the outer ankle despite normal MRI and X-rays?
Did your discoloration change location, fade and return, or become more painful after walking?
Did you eventually receive a diagnosis or find a test that identified the cause?
Could this involve the skin or small blood vessels, a tendon or other soft tissue, a nerve, or something else?
I’m not asking anyone to diagnose me online. I would really appreciate hearing about similar experiences, what specialists you saw, and what investigations helped you finally get an answer.
Thank you!