Haglund’s deformity is a bony enlargement on the back of the heel where the shoe counter hits. Fashion pumps made it famous; running shoes and hockey skates produce it just as well. The bone rubs, the bursa swells, and the Achilles insertion gets angry. Patients point at a red, prominent bump and say the shoe did it. The shoe found it.
A Haglund’s deformity is extra bone at the posterosuperior heel. Together with insertional Achilles tendinitis and retrocalcaneal bursitis it is sometimes called Haglund’s triad. It is not a heel spur on the bottom of the heel, and it is not plantar fasciitis.
A related posterior spur can sit lower, right at the Achilles attachment. We distinguish those on X-ray because the surgery, when needed, is different.
We look at the bump, the Achilles, and the shoes. X-rays show the prominence and any insertional spur. Ultrasound or MRI is for the tendon when we suspect partial tearing, not for every red heel.
Heel lifts, open-back shoes, stretching, and padding are not glamorous. They work for a surprising number of patients.
Anti-inflammatory care, load modification, and, in selected cases, regenerative injections. We do not put cortisone into an insertional Achilles casually.
If a cavus, inverted heel is driving the bone into the counter, the device changes that conversation.
When the bone is the problem and the shoe can no longer be negotiated, Dr. Shalot removes the prominence and addresses the insertional Achilles if it is diseased. This is real recovery, not a lunch-hour procedure.
Non-surgical care has no downtime beyond shoe changes. After bone removal, expect a period of protected walking while the Achilles insertion settles. We will give you the number of weeks that belongs to your tendon, not a national average.
Evaluation typically $150–$400. Orthotics and regenerative care are quoted after imaging. Surgical removal is a separate, procedure-specific fee. Insurance often applies when the bump is painful.
The bone will not. The redness and pain often will, if we can stop the rubbing.
Related family, different address. Bottom-of-heel spurs live on the heel spurs page.
Sometimes, with a softer counter, a lift, and a quiet tendon. We will try that before we take bone off.
