A heel bone fracture is a common injury caused by falls or accidents. Treatment can range from immobilization to surgery depending on the severity of the fracture. The healing process can take up to six months. Surgery may involve closed or open reduction and the use of pins and metal plates. In severe cases, the joint may need to be fused.
A heel bone fracture is a broken heel bone. Causes of a heel fracture typically include falls from heights, such as those that climbers can sometimes experience, and accidents involving motor vehicles. The degree of severity of a heel bone fracture can vary widely, with minor cases requiring only immobilization, while a more severely broken bone may need to be treated surgically. A heel bone fracture is usually treated in an orthopedic department where doctors specialize in treating problems associated with bones and joints.
Although the calcaneus, or heel bone, is hard on the outside, the inside is relatively soft, with the result that the heel is the part of the foot that breaks most frequently. Swelling, pain, bruising, and deformity can be seen at the site of a fracture, and a person typically won’t be able to place any weight on the affected foot. If the bone breaks but the pieces stay in place, it means the injury is less serious. The associated pain may therefore be more of a dull ache and treatment may only involve the use of a cast to prevent movement of the heel and its joint with the leg. It can take up to six months for such a fracture to heal.
Where a heel injury is more severe and the different pieces of a heel bone fracture have moved relative to each other, the sections of bone will generally need to be re-fixed together. In some cases a procedure known as closed reduction can be done under general anesthesia. Here, the foot is manipulated from the outside to push the broken bone pieces back into place, eliminating the need to fully open the foot. Special surgical tools are inserted through small incisions in the foot and used to insert pins and fixation wires. A type of X-ray called a fluoroscope is used to show the surgeon what’s going on.
With a more complicated calcaneus fracture, what is called an open reduction will likely be used. This involves surgery to open up the foot and expose the broken bones, before fastening them together using pins and metal plates. Examples of these more complex fractures include those that affect the joint between the heel and lower leg and those in which the heel bone is shattered into small pieces. If you have a heel fracture that causes extremely severe damage to the heel joint, you may need to fuse the joint using glue or special screws.
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