Chronic calcaneal pain in athletes: entrapment of the calcaneal nerve?

In 11 heels in 10 athletes with chronic heel pain unrelieved by conservative therapy, the symptoms and physical findings caused a suspicion of entrapment of the calcaneal branches of the tibial nerve. The nerves were, therefore, surgically decompressed. No macroscopic signs of compression of the nerves were noted, but an entrapment of the anterior calcaneal branch could occur where the nerve passes between the tight and rigid edge of the deep fascia of the abductor hallucis and the medial edge of the os calcis. Followup of 58 months after surgery revealed that 10 of the 11 heels were asymptomatic and the patients had resumed athlete participation after an average of 5 weeks.