Pump Bump Treatment Options

Are you the kind of person who likes rocking a pair of fashionable pumps day after day? You might love the way they make you look and feel, but after a while you may notice an unfortunate development—Haglund’s deformity, or “pump bump.” This is an enlargement of bone at the back of your heel which can form a prominent, potentially painful bump, and it’s particularly common among those who frequently wear rigid-backed shoes, such as pumps, skates, or dress shoes.

Treatment for this condition falls into two basic camps: conservative and surgical. There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, and while we offer both options, you should also know that we’ll recommend a conservative approach first before considering the knife.

Conservative treatment for pump bump won’t reduce or eliminate the enlargement, unfortunately; instead it’s geared toward relieving pain and restoring function. Most obviously, the first step should be avoiding hard-backed shoes as much as possible, wearing them only sparingly. Other simple strategies include going barefoot indoors (provided you don’t have diabetes and it is safe and healthy for you to do), wearing open-backed shoes, or using temporary icing or anti-inflammatory medications to relieve temporary swelling and pain.

Our office can also provide heel pads or full custom orthotics to both relieve excess pressure on the heel and correct or accommodate any structural flaws in your feet that contributed to forming the pump bump in the first place. If soft tissue inflammation is particularly intense, we may also recommend temporarily placing the foot in a soft cast or walking boot, protecting and immobilizing it long enough for the swelling to heal.

If these less invasive techniques are not able to provide the relief you need, we may then consider surgery to remove the bony prominence and reshape the bone as needed. We are extremely well trained to perform this procedure and most people are very satisfied with the results. A typical timeline for full recovery is anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months, depending on the surgical method and your ability to follow aftercare instructions (among other factors).

Ensuring the long-term health of your feet and allowing you a lifetime of pain-free living and moving is our top priority. If a painful pump at the back of your heel is getting in your way, give the Kansas Foot Center a call today at 866.222.5177 for an evaluation and treatment options.