Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Abnormalities in your gait or foot position—along with the types of shoes you wear—can contribute to the deformity.Treatments tend to be conservative but may involve surgery if the bump is affecting your mobility or causing undue pain.
This article explains the symptoms and causes of Haglund’s deformity, including how it is diagnosed and treated.
Also Known AsRetrocalcaneal exostosisMulholland deformity
Also Known As
Retrocalcaneal exostosisMulholland deformity
Haglund’s Deformity
What Are the Symptoms of Haglund’s Deformity?
Haglund’s deformity usually affects both feet rather than just one given that the shoes you wear contribute to the deformity.
The primary symptoms of Hagund’s deformity include:
Over time, progressive damage to the Achilles tendon can cause it to degenerate, leading totendinosis.
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What Causes Haglund’s Deformity?
Haglund’s deformity tends to affect people over 40 but can also affect younger people who wear footwear that doesn’t fit appropriately. Females are affected more than males (due in part to wearing high heels).
Risk factors for Haglund’s deformity include:
How Is Haglund’s Deformity Diagnosed?
If you have Haglund’s deformity, your primary healthcare provider may refer you to a foot specialist known as apodiatrist.
You may also be given agait analysisduring which the podiatrist will watch you walk to see if you have foot supination,foot overpronation(walking on the inside of your foot),high steppage gait(walking on the balls of your feet), or other walking abnormalities.
Imaging tests may also be used to look at the structure of your foot:
Differential Diagnosis
Haglund’s deformity is sometimes mistaken for other causes ofrear foot pain. Because of this, your healthcare provider may order other tests to rule out conditions with similar symptoms, such as:
Haglund’s Deformity vs. Heel SpurA Haglund’s deformity is a bony growth on the posterior aspect of the calcaneus where the Achilles tendon inserts. Technically, it is a retrocalcaneal spur or posterior heel spur.Aplantar heel spuris a bony growth that forms on the bottom of your heel where the heel bone connects a ligament called the plantar fascia.Ill-fitting shoes also give rise to the deformity, but, with heel spurs, poor arch support, flat feet, andplantar fasciitisare major contributing factors.
Haglund’s Deformity vs. Heel Spur
A Haglund’s deformity is a bony growth on the posterior aspect of the calcaneus where the Achilles tendon inserts. Technically, it is a retrocalcaneal spur or posterior heel spur.Aplantar heel spuris a bony growth that forms on the bottom of your heel where the heel bone connects a ligament called the plantar fascia.Ill-fitting shoes also give rise to the deformity, but, with heel spurs, poor arch support, flat feet, andplantar fasciitisare major contributing factors.
A Haglund’s deformity is a bony growth on the posterior aspect of the calcaneus where the Achilles tendon inserts. Technically, it is a retrocalcaneal spur or posterior heel spur.Aplantar heel spuris a bony growth that forms on the bottom of your heel where the heel bone connects a ligament called the plantar fascia.
Ill-fitting shoes also give rise to the deformity, but, with heel spurs, poor arch support, flat feet, andplantar fasciitisare major contributing factors.
Causes of Heel Pain
How Is Haglund’s Deformity Treated?
Conservative Treatments
Other first-line options for Haglund’s deformity include:
Surgery
If conservative treatments don’t provide adequate relief, surgery may be needed. Surgery for Haglund’s deformity is typically done as an outpatient procedure, meaning you will be able to go home on the same day.
One common option isendoscopic calcaneoplastyused to remove the bony bump. This minimally invasive surgery is performed underlocalorregional anesthesiawith two tiny incisions, a flexible fiber-optic scope, and specialized, tube-like surgical equipment.
Less commonly, calcaneoplasty is performed as anopen surgerywith a scalpel and a large incision.
Recovery from the operation takes eight to 12 weeks depending on the extent of the surgery. After two weeks, the walking boot is removed, and weight-bearing walking can gradually start. By four to six weeks, most people can walk without restriction but need to avoid injuring their heel and ankle.
Complications are uncommon but may include ankle tightness or weakness. Physical therapy can help remedy these concerns.
If adequate bone is removed during the calcaneoplasty, Haglund’s deformity rarely recurs.
How to Find the Best Podiatrist
Summary
The Most Common Reasons Your Feet Hurt
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Podiatric Medical Association.Haglund’s deformity.Madi S, Hillrichs B.Haglund’s deformity as a cause of acute Achilles tendon rupture: a case report.J Foot Ankle Surg.2022 Mar-Apr;61(2):410-413. doi:10.1053/j.jfas.2021.03.009Martin FJ, Valdazo DA, Pena G, Leroy JF, Herrero DH, Garcia FD.Haglund’s syndrome: two case reports.Reumatol Clin.2017 Jan-Feb;13(1):37-38. doi:10.1016/j.reuma.2015.12.006Mahmoud HF, Feisel W, Fahmy FS.Satisfactory functional outcome and significant correlation with the length of Haglund’s deformity after endoscopic calcaneoplasty: a minimum 4-year follow-up study.Adv Orthop.2022;2022:7889684. doi:10.1155/2022/7889684Yasui Y, Tonogai I, Rosenbaum AJ, Shimozono Y, Kawano H, Kennedy JG.The risk of Achilles tendon rupture in the patients with Achilles tendinopathy: healthcare database analysis in the United States.BioMed Research International. 2017;2017:1-4. doi:10.1155/2017/7021862Vaishya R, Agarwal AK, Azizi AT, Vijay V.Haglund’s syndrome: a commonly seen mysterious condition.Cureus. 2016;8(10):e820. doi:10.7759/cureus.820Kirkpatrick J, Yassaie O, Mirjalili SA.The plantar calcaneal spur: a review of anatomy, histology, etiology and key associations.J Anat. 2017;230(6):743-751. doi:10.1111/joa.12607Pi Y, Hu Y, Guo Q, et al.Open versus endoscopic osteotomy of posterosuperior calcaneal tuberosity for Haglund syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.Orthop J Sports Med.2021 Apr;9(4):23259671211001055. doi:10.1177/23259671211001055
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Podiatric Medical Association.Haglund’s deformity.Madi S, Hillrichs B.Haglund’s deformity as a cause of acute Achilles tendon rupture: a case report.J Foot Ankle Surg.2022 Mar-Apr;61(2):410-413. doi:10.1053/j.jfas.2021.03.009Martin FJ, Valdazo DA, Pena G, Leroy JF, Herrero DH, Garcia FD.Haglund’s syndrome: two case reports.Reumatol Clin.2017 Jan-Feb;13(1):37-38. doi:10.1016/j.reuma.2015.12.006Mahmoud HF, Feisel W, Fahmy FS.Satisfactory functional outcome and significant correlation with the length of Haglund’s deformity after endoscopic calcaneoplasty: a minimum 4-year follow-up study.Adv Orthop.2022;2022:7889684. doi:10.1155/2022/7889684Yasui Y, Tonogai I, Rosenbaum AJ, Shimozono Y, Kawano H, Kennedy JG.The risk of Achilles tendon rupture in the patients with Achilles tendinopathy: healthcare database analysis in the United States.BioMed Research International. 2017;2017:1-4. doi:10.1155/2017/7021862Vaishya R, Agarwal AK, Azizi AT, Vijay V.Haglund’s syndrome: a commonly seen mysterious condition.Cureus. 2016;8(10):e820. doi:10.7759/cureus.820Kirkpatrick J, Yassaie O, Mirjalili SA.The plantar calcaneal spur: a review of anatomy, histology, etiology and key associations.J Anat. 2017;230(6):743-751. doi:10.1111/joa.12607Pi Y, Hu Y, Guo Q, et al.Open versus endoscopic osteotomy of posterosuperior calcaneal tuberosity for Haglund syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.Orthop J Sports Med.2021 Apr;9(4):23259671211001055. doi:10.1177/23259671211001055
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Podiatric Medical Association.Haglund’s deformity.Madi S, Hillrichs B.Haglund’s deformity as a cause of acute Achilles tendon rupture: a case report.J Foot Ankle Surg.2022 Mar-Apr;61(2):410-413. doi:10.1053/j.jfas.2021.03.009Martin FJ, Valdazo DA, Pena G, Leroy JF, Herrero DH, Garcia FD.Haglund’s syndrome: two case reports.Reumatol Clin.2017 Jan-Feb;13(1):37-38. doi:10.1016/j.reuma.2015.12.006Mahmoud HF, Feisel W, Fahmy FS.Satisfactory functional outcome and significant correlation with the length of Haglund’s deformity after endoscopic calcaneoplasty: a minimum 4-year follow-up study.Adv Orthop.2022;2022:7889684. doi:10.1155/2022/7889684Yasui Y, Tonogai I, Rosenbaum AJ, Shimozono Y, Kawano H, Kennedy JG.The risk of Achilles tendon rupture in the patients with Achilles tendinopathy: healthcare database analysis in the United States.BioMed Research International. 2017;2017:1-4. doi:10.1155/2017/7021862Vaishya R, Agarwal AK, Azizi AT, Vijay V.Haglund’s syndrome: a commonly seen mysterious condition.Cureus. 2016;8(10):e820. doi:10.7759/cureus.820Kirkpatrick J, Yassaie O, Mirjalili SA.The plantar calcaneal spur: a review of anatomy, histology, etiology and key associations.J Anat. 2017;230(6):743-751. doi:10.1111/joa.12607Pi Y, Hu Y, Guo Q, et al.Open versus endoscopic osteotomy of posterosuperior calcaneal tuberosity for Haglund syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.Orthop J Sports Med.2021 Apr;9(4):23259671211001055. doi:10.1177/23259671211001055
American Podiatric Medical Association.Haglund’s deformity.
Madi S, Hillrichs B.Haglund’s deformity as a cause of acute Achilles tendon rupture: a case report.J Foot Ankle Surg.2022 Mar-Apr;61(2):410-413. doi:10.1053/j.jfas.2021.03.009
Martin FJ, Valdazo DA, Pena G, Leroy JF, Herrero DH, Garcia FD.Haglund’s syndrome: two case reports.Reumatol Clin.2017 Jan-Feb;13(1):37-38. doi:10.1016/j.reuma.2015.12.006
Mahmoud HF, Feisel W, Fahmy FS.Satisfactory functional outcome and significant correlation with the length of Haglund’s deformity after endoscopic calcaneoplasty: a minimum 4-year follow-up study.Adv Orthop.2022;2022:7889684. doi:10.1155/2022/7889684
Yasui Y, Tonogai I, Rosenbaum AJ, Shimozono Y, Kawano H, Kennedy JG.The risk of Achilles tendon rupture in the patients with Achilles tendinopathy: healthcare database analysis in the United States.BioMed Research International. 2017;2017:1-4. doi:10.1155/2017/7021862
Vaishya R, Agarwal AK, Azizi AT, Vijay V.Haglund’s syndrome: a commonly seen mysterious condition.Cureus. 2016;8(10):e820. doi:10.7759/cureus.820
Kirkpatrick J, Yassaie O, Mirjalili SA.The plantar calcaneal spur: a review of anatomy, histology, etiology and key associations.J Anat. 2017;230(6):743-751. doi:10.1111/joa.12607
Pi Y, Hu Y, Guo Q, et al.Open versus endoscopic osteotomy of posterosuperior calcaneal tuberosity for Haglund syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.Orthop J Sports Med.2021 Apr;9(4):23259671211001055. doi:10.1177/23259671211001055
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