Beneath the bottom of the heel is a fat pad that naturally cushions us and guards the heel as we walk. When walking, there exists a stress equal to around 2.5 times our weight on the heel during heel strike, so it ought to be no surprise that we require that fat pad. Without that fat pad there would most likely be poor impact moderation and this can lead to several issues resulting from that inadequate padding. The commonest is simply pain underneath the heel. The pain will mainly be there on standing instead of as much on touching it. This isn't a frequent reason for heel pain, but it is an important cause as it may regularly be mistaken for plantar fasciitis along with other causes. Often it is not hard to identify as there is certainly just zero cushioning below the heel and you can easily palpate the bone.
Reasons for fat pad atrophy are not completely understood. The fat pad does waste away as we grow older naturally and in many it just wastes away more at a quicker rate. Many people simply seem to get this while others tend not to. It's not necessarily linked to bodyweight issues. It may appear in numerous rheumatological problems and runners due to the many years of beating on the heel could very well be at a higher risk this condition. Those with a higher arched foot (pes cavus) will also get a shifting of this fat pad which may give a similar problem to the atrophy.
The only method to manage fat pad atrophy would be to replace the fat or substitute for the fat. This may be inserted in surgically or a cushioning heel pad in the shoes used that features a similar uniformity to the atrophied fat pad. Padded shoes may also be used with or without extra cushioning. Operatively this can be an injectable fillers or an autograft utilizing your own fat tissue.