Case 016: The Cushion Job — Heel Fat Pad Syndrome

This case is easy to misread. The runner reports a deep, bruised ache right in the centre of the heel — as if they are landing on a stone that never moves. They’ve often already been told it is plantar fasciitis. They’ve stretched, rolled, loaded, maybe even worn a night splint. And still the pain stays exactly where it started. Because this is not a fascia problem. It is a cushioning problem.

In this episode of The Foot Detective, we open the file on Heel Fat Pad Syndrome — the quiet failure of one of the foot’s most overlooked shock absorbers. We follow the clues through central heel pain, years of impact loading, thinning fat pad tissue, hard running surfaces, minimal footwear, and the common mistake of treating the wrong structure  ...