Haglund's Deformity - DD has it, any suggestions on how to deal with it?

[skatingmama]

Haglund's deformity is a bony enlargement on the back of the heel that most often leads to painful bursitis, which is an inflammation of the bursa (a fluid-filled sac between the tendon and bone). In Haglund's deformity, the soft tissue near the Achilles tendon becomes irritated when the bony enlargement rubs against shoes and in our case, skates. DD is suffering quite badly right now and it's starting to affect her practices and lessons. I have rid our home of the dreadful flats that irritated it and started this whole mess but in the meantime, she is still skating twice a week, for four hours and is in incredible pain. I guess what I want to know is does anyone else suffer from it? And if so, how do you deal with it? We've had the heel of her skate punched out, she wears gel padded bandages and we are going to try adding bunion pads today.

[rsk8d]

How old is your daughter?  In physical therapy, we would include ultrasound as a treatment, but only if the patient is over age 16.  We would also use a machine called a phoresor for iontophoresis treatment, which consists of a pad on which you put anti-inflammatory medication, and a battery that is charged with the machine.  The charged circuit drives the medication directly into the area of inflammation.  This is not contra-indicated for younger ages, although must be specifically prescribed by a doctor.

I'm afraid rest is your option right now if skating is causing a lot of pain.  If she continues to put pressure on the bursa it will only get worse.  Also make sure to use ice, and gentle massage may also help.  The other things you are doing (besides skating ) are appropriate right now.

[skatingmama]

Thank you for this information. DD is 13. I am hoping she will get a rest from skating come the end of the month, for at least a few weeks but she does not want to stop or take time off. She is very committed. Unfortunately, the pain is starting to make her practices counterproductive...

[Sk8Dreams]

I didn't know it had a name.  It's fairly common among skaters, because ill fitting boots can cause it.  That's what happened to my daughter.  Her Riedells were too loose in the heels.  When she got custom Klingbeils, the bumps gradually resorbed.  Check her boots!

[kssk8fan]

My friend's daughter had the same thing.  Switched to custom Klingbeils and it gradually went away.

[skatingmama]

Hm, thanks to the last two posters but her boots are the same ones she's been skating in since last year so I don't think they are/were the problem. I beleive it was a pair of cheap flats with stiff backs that she wore new, all day at school then all the way home. She thought she'd got a blister from them but instead of a soft or raw blister, it was her bone sticking out. We are staying away from the shoes but the skates are really irritating the problem now. She's had to take this week off as she can't do anything without severe pain. Hopefully it will go away soon.

[sarahspins]

her boots are the same ones she's been skating in since last year so I don't think they are/were the problem. I beleive it was a pair of cheap flats with stiff backs that she wore new, all day at school then all the way home. She thought she'd got a blister from them but instead of a soft or raw blister, it was her bone sticking out.

That doesn't happen after one day... it just isn't physically possible for bone to develop in one day that wasn't there before.  Odds are good that it was already there and had been developing over time, she just didn't notice until she wore the shoes which also happened to irritate it.

Personally I'd schedule a skate fit just to double check that the skates aren't contributing (I'd suspect they are).... as someone who had to have ankle surgery to fix a problem created by ill-fitting skates, I recommend doing that sooner rather than later.. if I had, rather than "toughing it out" I would have been much better off.  Yes, it would have been expensive to buy boots again, but surgery costs WAY more.  If you haven't already consulted with a doctor I'd highly recommend doing that as well - these are your kid's feet, and if you have diagnosed her via google, it's probably wise to have a doctor check her feet out as well.  It's rather important that they stay in good shape her entire life.

[KE PRO]

I don't think the skate is the cause... it is caused by a high arch/tight achillies tendon friction which creates a bursa/ not sure if it is calcium or bone etc... either way ... therapy for the inflamation however if you catch it early realize it is caused by walking on the outside of the heel// and can be helped with orthodics ....

Prevent it before you have to treat it...

[skatingmama]

Well two doctors and an ultrasound later, we are told it's nothing - and was caused by friction so DD will have to learn to live with it. DD had a couple weeks off the ice between spring and summer ice and now it's smaller and doesn't hurt at the beginning but by the end of a week on ice, it's back to pretty sore again. She's icing it and we've got soft anti-slip heel inserts along with foamy donuts to surround it and prevent added pressure. I took her for a skate fitting with our pro-shop guy and he said her skates are still in good condition and are a perfect fit for her foot so I guess we'll just have to see how it goes.

[emilayy]

i have a pretty bad one on my right foot, but it isn't bothering me that much. they used to bother me a lot though, so i bought circular cosmetic pads and cut holes in the center of them and placed the hole over the affected area (and used hockey tape so it would stay) so that the raised part of the pad forms a barrier. that definitely helped, but the cause (for me anyway) was that my heel wasn't secure. i have narrow heels, so i use the extra hole by the ankle that some people ignore. it definitely helps my ankle from sliding all over the place!

hope something i said helped!

[skatingmama]

Thanks, we will try that! The heel hasn't been too bad. We bought large bunion pads so circular with the hole in the middle and double them to give extra padding and put on over the lump. So far, so good. She just landed her double salchow yesterday!

[jjane45]

Eek, just found out I'm a victim too, started to bother me on the right foot. Since it's my landing foot, wonder if jumps attributed to it the most? Got to double check the boot fit too, right foot never 100% comfortable with the boot.

So the padding options include bunion pads, anti-slip heel inserts, and cosmetic pads right? I have an ankle sleeve and plan to try that first. Also have a small piece of 1/4" akton gel pad on hand, would it be too thick?

[MadMac]

I use the 1/4" gel pads on my huge, ugly bunions. . . . big AAAHHHHHH!  They really do the trick.  I've tried them both with a hole cut in the center (I just folded it in half and used scissors to cut the hole) and as a solid pad. Doesn't seem to matter. Both versions work well.

[VAsk8r]

I likewise have one on my right foot. My physical therapist felt that it ultimately began when I tweaked my achilles landing a salchow, and she gave me some exercises to stretch my achilles and calf muscles. The swelling around the Haglund's that was causing pain when I skated went down with the stretching and electric stimulation.

Anyway, I try to be much more proactive about stretching now, and the Haglund's hasn't bothered me in over a year. 

[slcbelle]

Bumping this heel bump thread because I just noticed that I'm developing this problem.     It's more pronounced on my right heel.  I'm in Jackson Premiere's for the past 6 months and they haven't been great.  The coach that fitted them for me put me in a 6C  (I wear a 7.5 to 8 shoe) because I have slight bunions on either side and needed the width.  But my heels are narrow.  I've had them punched twice to try to relive the pressure on my Tailor's Bunions (the ones on the outside) and had to put in new orthotics to take up some of the extra volume in the boot.  So, I guess that didn't work and my heel is being rubbed.  No way am I going to skate for much longer in something that could cause me a lifetime of agony.

I suppose I'm in the market for another pair of skates after just 6 months.  GRRRRRRRR.

[sarahspins]

I suppose I'm in the market for another pair of skates after just 6 months.  GRRRRRRRR.

You might not.. first I would try having them heated and just squeezing in the heel area.  Jackson puts their molding material in the heel counter area too so you may be able to snug them up quite a bit that way.  If you have a convection oven you can do it at home - but using a hair dryer on them is NOT going to heat up the material enough to make it do anything.

Failing that, Jackson will do split widths on the Premiere's so if those were otherwise working for you, you don't have to move up to a stiffer boot or anything.  The heel in a C width boot is already a "B" so if that is too wide you need to consider an A or AA, or possibly even AAA.. I would contact them directly to ask what their advice is for how to measure for heel width if your coach is the one who is measuring you.

[slcbelle]

You might not.. first I would try having them heated and just squeezing in the heel area.  Jackson puts their molding material in the heel counter area too so you may be able to snug them up quite a bit that way.  If you have a convection oven you can do it at home - but using a hair dryer on them is NOT going to heat up the material enough to make it do anything.

Failing that, Jackson will do split widths on the Premiere's so if those were otherwise working for you, you don't have to move up to a stiffer boot or anything.  The heel in a C width boot is already a "B" so if that is too wide you need to consider an A or AA, or possibly even AAA.. I would contact them directly to ask what their advice is for how to measure for heel width if your coach is the one who is measuring you.

I wouldn't say they are working for me very well.  As I mentioned, I've had them punched twice (with some relief in the toe box but it's not great) and there's too much volume in the boot itself so I have to fill it up with a thicker insert to keep my foot from moving too much.  One insert made my arches hurt, the new one is OK.  Now there is the issue of the heel.  AND, my coach has said from the beginning of our skating together that she thinks they are too stiff and heavy for me.  Even too big.  I was fit for skates by another coach when I first began skating 6 months ago.  My coach didn't sell me the skates.

Can't say I'd go with Jackson again.  My coach is going to call me today to discuss.

[twokidsskatemom]

I wouldn't say they are working for me very well.  As I mentioned, I've had them punched twice (with some relief in the toe box but it's not great) and there's too much volume in the boot itself so I have to fill it up with a thicker insert to keep my foot from moving too much.  One insert made my arches hurt, the new one is OK.  Now there is the issue of the heel.  AND, my coach has said from the beginning of our skating together that she thinks they are too stiff and heavy for me.  Even too big.  I was fit for skates by another coach when I first began skating 6 months ago.  My coach didn't sell me the skates.

Can't say I'd go with Jackson again.  My coach is going to call me today to discuss.

She has strong feelings about boots.. good luck!

[slcbelle]

She has strong feelings about boots.. good luck!

Brought my skates to the rink to meet with L (my coach).  She had me put them on and shove my toes in as far to the front as possible.  When I did, there was a ton of room in my heel.  My skates are too big.     When I first started skating with her, she commented that she thought they might be too big and she's right.  You can even see how the leather is buckling at the toe that I'm really trying to crank them down to hold my foot in place.  Along with the inserts that I'm using to take up volume, and the pain in my Tailor's bunion area that we've punched out twice, it's like I'm struggling to make them work.  Usually, I end up retying them once or twice every session because I tie them so tight (to prevent slippage) that I kill my arches, make my toes go numb, or cause pain in the top of my foot.  Not to mention the little scars I'm getting on my shins where the tongue digs in a little from all the pressure. 

So, the Jackson Premiere's in a 7C are way too big and the Ultima Legacy blade at 9 3/4" is too long for me.  L said that's probably a contributing factor in why I'm struggling to find the sweet spot in spins and their stiffness and design (and my lacing the heck out of them) prevents me from being able to really bend my ankle.

I tried on a pair of EDEA's in a 205 and they were much more snug and felt so much better.  Even without heat molding.  I would need a new blade since they will require a shorter blade than the 9 3/4" but I can imagine that it will be far easier to skate on a slightly shorter blade.  Ugh. 

Just like my very first pair of ski boots, my first pair of skates are too big and sloppy.  Live and learn.

Looks like we're going with the EDEA Chorus.  Blade TBD.

[jjane45]

I had the right boot punched out today at the heel. Took off the pressure on the ankle but now the boot feels loose... Will have to lace way tighter I guess? :/

The fitter at pro shop did not seem to have seen a lot of Haglund's. I told him people around me said "every skater has it", and he obviously did not think it's the case. So, how common is Haglund's among figure skaters?

[slcbelle]

I had the right boot punched out today at the heel. Took off the pressure on the ankle but now the boot feels loose... Will have to lace way tighter I guess? :/

For me, it's the looseness of  my boot (it's too long for my foot), that is causing friction and the bump.  It's worse now than it was last week and I'm thinking I might not skate until my new boots come in.  That may be another 2 weeks but, perhaps if I take some time off, I can get the bumps to go down and avoid a permanent deformity? 

As I said, my boots are too loose and I CRANK them down as best I can.  What ends up happening is that I have major calluses on 3 fingers of each hand from tying the laces and I often experience foot pain (arches, top of my foot).  I hope new boots fix the issues.  Good luck with yours! 

[jjane45]

I haven't skated intensively yet since the right heel punch-out. So far so good, it takes weeks of backspins and jumping for me to notice problems with the right ankle.

My right boot was always a little funny from day one, while the left is an excellent fit. Will see how the additional room works out. I definitely started to lace more tightly.

[slcbelle]

Here's photo of my right heel.  I just noticed it last week and now it's bigger!

[fortune8]

Looking at this, I randomly decided to check my girls' feet just to reassure myself ... and found my keenest skater (so far lol) has a sore spot on one heel exactly where the picture shows the lump. She is only just 5 and has no lump. Yet at least.

Her Jackson Classiques are pretty big on her (they were inherited from big sister who was nearly 6 when we bought them). And she's been happily using these skates for several months already.

Do you think we need smaller skates? Or would it help just to pad her feet more?

Any advice gratefully received!!

[FigureSpins]

One of the skate makers (I think Harlick or SP-Teri) offers a "growth insole."  It's basically a double-thickness insole.

You can get the same effect by buying a pair of foam insoles at the supermarket or drug store.  Use the current insole as a template and cut the foam insole to match.  Then, put both back into the skate with the original on top of the second insole.

It lifts the foot up inside the skate and shift the foot forward a little.  It won't help if the skates are a full size larger, but for a little extra snugness, it makes the skate feel smaller and might put the ball of the foot in the right place over the blade rocker.  No promises, but it's a cheap fix if it works.  If she grows into the skates, you can always remove an insole to gain a little extra room.

I wonder if that's not a good way to buy skates for fast-growing kids in the first place?  Bring an extra insole when you try on the skates?  Things that make me go hmmmm....

My kids never got more than 8-10 months out of a pair of skates.  They either outgrew them or they broke them down from jumping.