Why Women Need to Be Aware of Haglund’s Deformity

You’ve probably never heard of “Haglund’s Deformity.” More commonly called “pump bump,” the foot deformity can really affect either gender, but it usually happens to women.

The name “pump bump” comes from the fact that the condition most commonly happens to women who wear pump-style shoes.

The deformity itself is an enlargement on the back of your heel bone. This happens because the rigid backs of certain types of footwear put pressure on your heel bone.

In addition to pump-style shoes, ice skates, roller skates, and women’s dress shoes also cause this condition.

However, men’s dress shoes, steel-toed work boots, and stiff winter boots are also leading culprits of the condition’s cause too.

To add insult to injury, Haglund’s Deformity will also cause bursitis. The bursa, a fluid-filled sac between the heel bone and nearby tendons, becomes inflamed because it also gets agitated by your enlarged heel bone.

If you’ve never experienced either condition, both cause quite a bit of pain!

Your Choice of Footwear Isn’t the Only Cause of Haglund’s Deformity

Haglund’s Deformity is also a somewhat mysterious condition not yet fully understood.

Heredity also plays a role in the cause of the condition too.

Having a foot with a high arch, a naturally tight achilles tendon, or a tendency to walk using the outside of your heels may also play roles in the creation of Haglund’s Deformity.

What Can You Do To Treat Haglund’s Deformity?

Fortunately, you can treat this condition and fully recover. It’s more a question of whether or not you’ll need to get surgery.

The non-surgical treatment regimen includes:

• Using NSAIDs to reduce pain and inflammation
• Applying ice to the affected area (Wrap the ice in a towel. Apply for no more than 20 minutes at a time. After a 40-minute break, apply the ice again.)
• Using a prescribed routine of exercises to relieve tension from your achilles heel.
• Inserting heel lifts in your shoes to decrease pressure on your heels (if you have high arches).
• Using heel pads in your shoes to reduce irritation as you walk.
• Wearing backless or soft-backed shoes that don’t agitate your heels.
• Physical intervention from medical devices (such as using ultrasound to reduce inflammation)
• Inserting custom orthotics to control the motion of your heel.
• Entirely immobilizing your heel in a cast.

If some combination of the above doesn’t relieve your heel pain, then you’ll probably have to get surgery.

And if you do, make sure you follow your post-surgical treatment and prevention routine.

Haglund’s Deformity can recur if you routinely run uphill or on hard’s surfaces or if you wear shoes that agitate your heels in any way.

Fortunately, you have an excellent prognosis for a full recovery from this painful condition.