Under the bottom of the rearfoot is a fat pad that naturally cushions us and guards the heel as we walk. When walking, we have a force equal to approximatly 2.5 times our weight on the heel during heel strike, so that it must be obvious why we need that fat pad. Without that fat pad there would likely be very poor shock reduction and this can lead to several disorders because of that poor cushioning. The commonest is simply soreness underneath the heel bone. The discomfort will typically be present on standing rather than so much on pressing on it. This isn't a frequent reason for heel pain, however it is a vital reason as it may regularly be wrongly identified as plantar fasciitis as well as other reasons. Typically it is not difficult to diagnose as there is certainly just no cushioning below the rearfoot and you can easily notice the calcaneus.
What causes fat pad atrophy aren't completely understood. The fat pad does atrophy with age normally and in many it just atrophies more quicker. A number of people just seem to develop this while others do not. It's not connected with bodyweight issues. It may occur in a number of rheumatological problems and runners because of the many years of beating on the heel could be at a greater risk for this. People with a higher arch foot (pes cavus) also get a displacement of the fat pad which may make a comparable problem to the atrophy.
The only method to treat fat pad atrophy will be to replace the fat or substitute for the fat. This could be inserted in surgically or a cushioning heel pad in the shoes used that features a comparable uniformity to the atrophied fat pad. Cushioned footwear may also be used with or without extra cushioning. Operatively this can be an injectable fillers or an autograft using your own fat cells.