Treatment Options for Fat Pad Atrophy in the Foot

Under the bottom of the heel is a fat pad that naturally cushions the body and helps to protect us as we walk as well as run. When walking, there is a stress comparable to about over 2 times body weight to the heel during heel strike, so it really should be no surprise that all of us need that fat pad. This is actually larger whenever running. Without having that fat pad there could be bad shock reduction and this can bring about quite a few disorders due to that substandard shock absorption. The most common is merely soreness beneath the rearfoot. This isn't a frequent reason for heel discomfort, but is a vital reason as it might often be mistaken for plantar fasciitis or other conditions. Often it is straightforward to diagnose because there is basically no cushioning under the heel and you can easily feel the bone.

Reasons for Fat Pad Atrophy:

The reasons aren't totally clear. The fat pad will waste away as we grow older naturally and in some it just atrophies more quicker. Many people simply apparently develop this and others don't. It is really not related to bodyweight problems. It could occur in a few arthritis type conditions and athletes a result of the years of pounding on the heel bone may be at a higher risk with this. Those with a higher mid-foot foot (pes cavus) also get a movement with the fat pad which will give a similar difficulty to the atrophy.

Treating Fat Pad Atrophy:

The only way to handle fat pad atrophy will be to replace the fat or substitute for the fat. Sometimes it is inserted in surgically or maybe a shock reducing heel pad inside the shoes used that has a equivalent nature to the atrophied fat pad. Padded footwear could also be used without or with additional padding. Surgically this will be an injectable fillers or an autograft utilizing your own fat cells from other body parts.