Nerve entrapment in painful heel syndrome.

Subcalcaneal heel pain is one of the most common foot ailments, yet the exact etiology is still controversial. Nerve entrapment has been suggested as one of the possible causes of this painful condition in recalcitrant cases. The purpose of this study is to determine the role of nerve entrapment in painful heels. Twenty patients with heel pain (25 heels) were compared with an age and body mass index-matched control population using electrodiagnostic methods. The results of the study revealed 22 heels (88%) with heel pain had lateral plantar nerve entrapment signs with or without medial plantar nerve findings on EMG. There were no abnormal values in the control group. Nerve entrapment syndrome has previously been considered only in cases with intractable heel pain, but this study suggests that it may play a role the early phases of painful heel syndrome.