Foot

What It Is

Fractures of the heel bone are usually the result of a high-energy injury, such as a fall from a height (for example, from a ladder) and landing on the heel, or a car crash (AAOS, n.d.; Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 2023). A heel fracture can be a painful and disabling injury, and many heel fractures are severe, with long-term problems such as pain, swelling, stiffness and arthritis being common (AAOS, n.d.).

Heel fractures are uncommon. Fractures of the tarsal bones (the group of bones in the back and middle of the foot) make up only about 2% of all adult fractures, and about half of tarsal fractures are heel fractures (AAOS, n.d.). In a high-energy injury, other parts of the body can be injured as well, including fractures of the spine, hip or the other heel (AAOS, n.d.).

Not every heel fracture follows a fall or obvious injury. The heel bone can also develop a stress fracture – a small crack from repeated stress – which is sometimes seen in athletes such as long-distance runners (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, 2023). Heel pain that comes on without an injury can also be caused by other problems, such as plantar fasciitis or bone bruising, so it is important to have it checked.

Heel Fracture Anatomy

The feet are full of flexible structures, consisting of bones, muscles, joints and soft tissues, that allow you to stand upright and perform activities such as running, walking and jumping.

Three sections make up the feet

The forefoot contains five longer bones and five toes.
The midfoot is a collection of bones forming the arches of the feet. These include three cuneiform bones, the navicular bone and the cuboid bone.
The hindfoot is made up of the ankle and the heel. The talus bone, which supports the leg bones, forms part of the ankle. The heel bone is the largest of the tarsal bones (AAOS, n.d.).

Tendons, muscles and ligaments run along the surface of the feet, allowing all of the complex movements needed for balance and motion. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the heel, which is essential for jumping, running and being able to stand on your toes.

The medical name for the heel bone is the calcaneus, pronounced cal-cane-ee-us.

Not a diagnosis — for more information, contact me or another trusted healthcare provider.

Treatment

Self-Care & Treatment

How Heel Fractures are Treated

Your doctor will usually take X-rays, and often a CT scan, to see exactly how the bone has broken and to plan your treatment (AAOS, n.d.).

1. Nonsurgical Treatment

If the pieces of the broken heel bone have not been moved out of place (displaced) by the injury, you might not need surgery. A cast, splint or brace will hold the bones in position while they heal, and you will not be able to put weight on the foot for some time (AAOS, n.d.). Follow your medical team's instructions about when you can start to put weight on your foot, as putting weight on it too soon can cause the bone pieces to move (AAOS, n.d.).

2. Rehabilitation

I can support the rehabilitation plan your medical team sets, with hands-on work and exercises to improve the movement and strength of your foot and ankle. See the My Approach tab for how I work.

Whether or not you have surgery, you will need rehabilitation. Exercises help to improve the movement of your foot and ankle and strengthen the supporting muscles; they can be painful at first but are needed to get back to normal activities (AAOS, n.d.). Your medical team will tell you when to start and how to progress, and I'll work within their plan.

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor, nurse practitioner or medical team

Options outside my scope

Surgery: if the bone pieces have moved out of place, surgery may be recommended to restore the shape of the heel bone, using screws, plates or wires to hold the pieces together (AAOS, n.d.).
Early surgery for an avulsion fracture: in this uncommon fracture, a piece of the heel bone is pulled off where the Achilles tendon attaches, and early surgery can reduce the risk of damage to the skin around the tendon (AAOS, n.d.).

How I can help (see the My Approach tab)

Easing the areas that work overtime while your foot is protected
Help with swelling, stiffness and scar tissue, within your team's limits
Exercises to rebuild movement, strength and walking once your team allows

Tips

Smoking affects both skin and bone healing, so make sure your doctor knows if you smoke (AAOS, n.d.).
Whether or not you have surgery, the bone may take longer to heal if you smoke (AAOS, n.d.).
If the injury is minor, you might be able to return to normal activities within three to four months of surgery (AAOS, n.d.).
In severe fractures, it can take one to two years for recovery to be complete (AAOS, n.d.).
People whose jobs or hobbies involve a lot of walking or climbing may have to make major changes after a severe heel fracture (AAOS, n.d.).

Treatment

My Approach

A broken heel bone needs protecting while it heals, but a foot kept still for weeks gets stiff, swollen and weak. Your medical team decides how long you're in a cast, splint or brace and when you can put weight through the foot. I work inside those limits, and if your fracture was treated with surgery or stops your normal daily activities, I need your team's okay before any hands-on treatment.

Please bring any X-ray or scan reports and notes from your medical team to your first visit. They're an important part of planning safe treatment for you.

While It's Protected

Easing the other leg, hips and back, and your shoulders if you're on crutches
Gentle lymphatic drainage above the cast or brace to help with swelling
Keeping the hip, knee and toes moving, as far as your team allows
Help setting up crutches or a walker

Once Your Team Allows More

Warm applications and hands-on work for the calf, ankle and foot, with no heat over metal implants
Scar work once any wound has fully healed
Pain-free ankle and foot exercises, and gentle joint mobilisation once your team confirms the bone has healed
Gait training, balance work and calf and foot strength, building to stairs, uneven ground and later gym work or sport

If pain or swelling suddenly gets worse, your toes go numb, pale or cold, or your cast feels too tight, call 911 or go to the emergency room.

What to Expect

Typical Course

Typical course: While your foot is protected, visits are usually short and about weekly; once you can put weight on it, most people come once or twice a week, then weekly, then less often as they manage more on their own. Recovery follows your medical team's plan: after a less severe fracture, many people are back to normal activities in about three to four months, but after a severe fracture, full recovery can take one to two years.

What I Focus On

Working Within Your Team's Limits

Compensation Relief

Swelling Control

Ankle & Foot Mobility

Return to Walking

Please read

When to See a Doctor First

When to Get Help

If you think you might have broken your heel bone, do not try to treat it yourself (NHS, 2025). Call 911 or go to the emergency room at your nearest hospital if a bone is poking through the skin or there is a wound over the injury, or if your foot or ankle has changed shape or is at an odd angle (AAOS, n.d.; NHS, 2025). Get urgent medical advice if you have severe heel pain after an injury, feel faint, dizzy or sick from the pain, heard a snap, grinding or popping noise at the time of injury, cannot walk, or have swelling and bruising in your calf and ankle (NHS, 2025).

Sources

References

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (n.d.) Calcaneus (heel bone) fractures. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://www.orthoinfo.org/en/diseases--conditions/calcaneus-heel-bone-fractures/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2023) Calcaneal fracture. Available at: https://cuh.nhs.uk/patient-information/calcaneal-fracture/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
NHS (2025) Heel pain. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heel-pain/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).

Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooHeel Fracture

What It Is

Heel Fracture Anatomy

Self-Care & Treatment

How Heel Fractures are Treated

1. Nonsurgical Treatment

2. Rehabilitation

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor, nurse practitioner or medical team

Tips

My Approach

While It's Protected

Once Your Team Allows More

Typical Course

When to See a Doctor First

When to Get Help

References

Related Conditions

Book a session

Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooHeel Fracture

What It Is

Heel Fracture Anatomy

Self-Care & Treatment

How Heel Fractures are Treated

1. Nonsurgical Treatment

2. Rehabilitation

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor, nurse practitioner or medical team

Tips

My Approach

While It's Protected

Once Your Team Allows More

Typical Course

When to See a Doctor First

When to Get Help

References

Related Conditions

Club Foot

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Diabetic (Charcot) Foot

Extensor Tendon Rupture (Foot)

Book a session