We suffer from certain illnesses whose names we do not necessarily know. Among the many diseases named after those who first described or studied them, Haglund’s disease figure prominently. It appears regularly in ailments that affect athletes or runners much more. It is an evil that manifests itself by posterior heel pain and is characterized by the difficulty of wearing shoes or making certain movements.
To better know and understand or discover Haglund’s disease, we will study in this file first its causes, symptoms and finally propose treatments to cure it.
1.Haglund’s disease, runner syndrome
Still called the runner syndrome, Haglund’s disease develops more frequently in the ranks of athletes. However, this does not mean that she cannot attack in the absence of athletic activity. It is a disease first described in 1928 at the beginning of the 20th century by the one whose name it now bears, Patrick Haglund. This Swedish doctor defined Haglund syndrome as the existence of heel pain in either foot.
In other words, it is an inflammation of the heel caused by hypertrophic development of part of the calcaneum. Health professionals also recognize it as retro calcaneal conflict which is characterized by pain felt in the heel. The hindfoot therefore feels pain because of the bump on the back part of the calcaneus, the largest bone in the heel.
Haglund’s disease is seen in players of football and other sports. Likewise, the young women between 20 and 30 years old are more exposed to this syndrome than young men of the same age group. The causes of this disease can be analyzed on different levels.
2.The causes of Haglund syndrome
Like any disease, this syndrome occurs because of certain risk factors and certain circumstances. First of all, athletes such as:
- The football players ;
- The runners ;
- Les runners ;
- The trail runners;
- Tennis players, etc.
A sporting practice requiring the wearing of shoes can traumatize the foot joint. In this case, the first recognized cause of Haglund syndrome remains the wearing of stiff heel shoes and safety shoes. Thus, the improper use of these shoes causes hypertrophy of the calcaneus. This is because the shoe pressing on the Achilles tendon can cause inflammation. The latter is more on the lookout for athletes because they train all the time with closed and tight shoes most of the time. Also, the playing time they spend on the fields during their competitions is the first risk factor for them.
Unsuitable shoes therefore cause a bump in the heel. It is the second leading cause of Haglund syndrome which results from the use of uncomfortable shoes. Hypertrophy of the heel muscle is noticed by the prominence of the bump. At the onset of inflammation, you don’t feel much pain. But as the hypertrophy develops, rubbing the shoe causes severe pain.
The third cause of Haglund’s disease is the too vertical position of the calcaneus. Indeed, studies have shown that people who have hollow feet can catch the disease faster than other people. So if your feet look hollow, the heel muscle feels too vertical. An abnormally protruding and enlarged posterior superior tuberosity, pointed and acute is observed. Simply put, this means that the calcaneus is experiencing extensive enlargement or inflammation due to its too vertical position in people with hollow feet. This will make the upper angle of the posterior tuberosity more prominent and the friction force with the shoe will increase. Pain follows and it can immobilize you for a long time.
In addition to all these traditional causes, we can add the overweight, rheumatic ground, a deviation of the axis of the feet or even repeated trauma.
3.Symptoms of Haglund’s disease
Without wearing a doctor’s gown, you may notice the symptoms of this syndrome due to the thickening of the bone in the heel of your foot. If the hypertrophy progresses, it can cause retrocalcaneal bursitis or heel bursitis. Athletes, especially runners who neglect this bursitis, may experience the birth of a worsening inflammation accompanied by pain in the heel. These pains are downright tremendous suffering that you have never felt before. Likewise, redness and swelling of the heel appear. This is also the most visible signs in case of Haglund disease. These are accompanied by a feeling of stiffness and sometimes skin lesions.
As a result, you find yourself unable to wear shoes. You limp very often and you cannot stand firmly on your feet or especially on the heels. If you run or play soccer, it becomes impossible due to the sharp pains you will feel after each pressure on the soles of your feet. The calcaneus feels every pain as soon as you put your feet on the ground if the hypertrophy seems to be at a fairly critical stage.
In women between the ages of 20 and 30, the habit of wearing heeled shoes appears as a cause. In their rank, the disease is observed by irritation or inflammation of the heel area. In summary, the clinical signs of Haglund syndrome consist of:
- Heel pain in the shoe and the posterior prominence of the heel,
- pain on palpation,
- retrocalcaneal bursitis,
- Insertion Achilles tendonitis,
- decrease in sports activity.
4.Treatments for Haglund’s disease
When you suffer from such inflammation, there are different anti-inflammatory treatments you can take.
Rest
First of all, mild inflammations do not always require treatment. In fact, some people benefit from spontaneous recovery. Small inflammations disappear spontaneously without recourse to treatment. These cases remain rare, however, especially in the case where the pain becomes more and more unbearable with difficulty in permanent footwear.
If you experience daily discomfort and you can no longer carry out your sports activities. In this case, you can choose rest as a treatment. It is also the first recommended remedy. It helps you eliminate sources of discomfort. It therefore consists of no longer wearing the shoes that caused the syndrome. A rest of at least Three weeks may be sufficient to correct the damage. Likewise, to speed up healing, you must reduce your movements to the bare minimum. A reasonable immobilization seems to be the first muscle revitalization solution.
Medical treatment
For medical treatment, several options are available to you. First of all, please now use comfortable shoes that protect your heel tendons. This alternative protects you from new hypertrophies or inflammations. Medical treatment relieves heel pain. It goes through a wide footwear adapted to your feet. Please choose a size that lets you loose slightly. You can also use anti-inflammatory products. You apply them topically to the parts affected by the disease.
The use of insoles or plantar orthotics can also relieve you by changing bone ratios in the shoe. These solutions allow people with hollow feet to give horizontal balance to the calcaneus. The soles in particular hold some importance in the cure of Haglund syndrome. They are used to fill the shoe and fill the hollows of the feet. In addition, rehabilitation has just as many advantages. You can re-educate the muscle through stretching or massages transverse deep to heal the Achilles tendon. It’s here physiotherapy and mesotherapy. This preserves the joint flexibility of the foot, strengthens the muscles and above all relieves inflammation.
Medical prescription also consists of the prescription of drugs such as analgesics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, infiltrations, etc.
Surgical treatment
You need to see a doctor to treat your inflammation. Depending on the severity of the cases, he will offer you the effective and appropriate remedy. If the medical treatment does not work, you should seek surgery. The latter consists in removing the zone of posterior conflict. The first possibility takes place by resection that is, the removal of the end of the posterior superior bone, the calcaneus. It is open or arthroscopic surgery. The second possibility comes down to a osteotomy of the calcaneus in people with associated posterior hollow foot.
The consequences of the operations constitute an immediate walk or a rehabilitation. If all goes well, you will be able to walk right after the operations. If an action has been carried out on the tendon, this may require rehabilitation for a few weeks.
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