Heel Pain and Calcaneal Enthesophytes: A Radiological Evaluation

Introduction: The calcaneal spur is the leading cause of heel pain. While prior anatomical studies have often utilized cadaveric specimens, there is a dearth of data correlating heel pain with the presence of a calcaneal spur across different age groups and gender. Aim: To evaluate the association of heel pain with plantar, dorsal, or both calcaneal spur and their correlation with age and gender in the North Indian population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at King George’s Medical University UP, Lucknow, from January 2023 to March 2023. Informed consent from the patients and ethical approval from the institutional research committee was obtained for this research. Lateral radiographs of ankle joints of 213 patients attending orthopedics OPD with complaints of heel pain were reviewed independently by two observers. The age and sex of the patients were also noted. Data were statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v23. Results: In 186 (87.32%) patients with heel pain, Calcaneal spur was present. A maximum number of subjects with heel pain were noticed in the age group 51-60 years for both males and females. Plantar and dorsal spurs were highly prevalent in males than females. Plantar spurs were found to be more common than dorsal spurs. Conclusion: Most heel pains were associated with a spur, and the prevalence of spur differed between men and women due to differences in their daily activities and occupation. This study provides vital information for orthopedic surgeons treating heel pain patients daily. KEY WORDS: plantar spur, dorsal spur, heel, pain, calcaneum.