REPORT: Eric Berry has a Haglund’s deformity on his heel
New information on Berry’s sore heel injury emerged on Saturday.
By Pete Sweeney Sep 29, 2018, 1:15pm CDT
Eric Berry has not practiced or played for the Kansas City Chiefs since August 11 in St. Joseph, Missouri, because of what the team has described as a “sore heel.”
The last we heard from the Chiefs athletic training staff was in early September, when head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder described the injury as “literally day to day.”
More information on Berry’s injury emerged Saturday morning, via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo:
Mike Garafolo: “My understanding, and I’ve spoken to people familiar with his injury situation. He’s got what’s called a Haglund’s deformity in that Achilles. That’s a bone spur that basically digs into the Achilles. Shaun O’ Hara, our colleague at NFL Network, he had it. I spoke to him this week. He said it is extremely painful. He actually used a more colorful word that I won’t use here. It’s just something that continues to irritate the area. Some guys have been able to play with it—you get a shoe here or there, you can adjust … but that’s what’s going on. It’s going to be a pain management thing. It’s not like this thing will tear the Achilles necessarily. A lot of these cases don’t result in a tear, but that’s why with Berry right now, he has not played, and they’ve been doing OK. That’s going to allow them a little bit more patience with Berry, but it is extremely painful.”
This provides a little more clarity than Berry’s injury simply being a “sore heel,” which is good, but what’s bad is there still seems to be no timetable. Remember, Berry missed nearly the entirety of the 2017 season due to a ruptured Achilles on the other leg.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was mum on the injury when asked about it Saturday afternoon after the Chiefs’ final practice of the week.
Berry is officially ruled doubtful heading into the Monday night game against the Denver Broncos.
----
Here are the notes from our in-house medical expert, Aaron Borgmann:
A lot of talk today regarding something known as a Haglund’s deformity. It was reported by a media source that the player in question suffers from this condition. This discussion is not to confirm or deny that possibility, as I can only explain the available information that we have been given. To be clear, the team has not confirmed this diagnosis and I have no advance knowledge of the player’s current condition.
The simple explanation here that it is indeed a bone spur on the backside of someone’s heel. This is frequently known as a “pump bump” from the occurrence that it is often seen in women’s fashion from the shoes that they wear. However, incidence in football players is also common, sometimes referred to as “retrocalcaneal bursitis” as well.
The bone spur irritates the bursa (fluid-filled sac) that sits between the bone and the tendon or even the tendon itself directly. This can cause a great deal of inflammation and discomfort with any sort of dynamic ankle/foot movement, worse with pressure on the spot itself.
Having one in and of itself it not uncommon, but the degree to which it bothers someone is the issue. Depending upon demands of movement, these can range from debilitating to just a nuisance. Obviously, in football players, the degree of inflammation is what dictates the level of function.
These are diagnosed both visually and radiographically and it is a situation where if you see it and player complains of certain symptoms (pain with movement in that exact spot, swelling, redness) then you can be pretty sure that is what it is.
Treatment focuses on reduction of inflammation obviously directly over the spot. This can be done both topically and through systemic medication. Soft tissue lengthening in both the calf and bottom of the foot is also done to alleviate the issue from both sides – this is due to the fact that both the calf and plantar fascia connect to the calcaneus (heel bone) on either side.
Not to be forgotten is footwear modification and adjustment. Very rigid shoes can cause this irritation, and in some athletes, I would even cut the shoe in the heel to allow room for the bump. Other options include specialized padding and friction reduction methods. Heel lifts have been shown to be helpful in some.
For this condition, non-surgical intervention is preferred to reduce the inflammation as opposed to surgical due to the immobilization period.
If the inflammation can be reduced and the function level high, many players learned to adapt their daily routines to accommodate. They may have to put in a bit more time in order to get ready due to the condition’s demands but can nonetheless get by and still perform at a high level. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
Clark Hunt said Eric is really close to returning. Eric is like family to Clark. I’d almost be willing to bet $ he’s back after the bye week.
Of course he's like family. Dorsey was going to do the right thing and not give in to Berry's outrageous contract demands and Clark stepped in and gave Berry the money anyways. [Reply]
Ah, so we should just let him play out the rest of his contract while he contributes next to nothing? That pain isn't going away until that bone spur is gone, and if the plan is to just wait until the offseason to do surgery then the Chiefs have really one upped their stupidly mismanage an injured player game. [Reply]
Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy:
OKChiefs is just a whiny bitch...
Spoken like a dude who has never had a serious injury his whole life much less beaten cancer like Eric Berry has.
Stick to talking about your cozy desk job and not football keyboard warrior.. You obviously have no idea how bad pain can be due to an injury from a sport.
I don't doubt it hurts really fucking badly, but that doesn't change the fact that he's useless now. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Ah, so we should just let him play out the rest of his contract while he contributes next to nothing? That pain isn't going away until that bone spur is gone, and if the plan is to just wait until the offseason to do surgery then the Chiefs have really one upped their stupidly mismanage an injured player game.
You have no ide of the actual details of his condition, his bodies ability to recuperate and heal, the severity of the deformity or the severity of its proximity to his Achilles...and yet talk as if all the details are OT there.
I bet if you were informed, your outlook at the situation would be completely different...but you aren’t. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
Eric Berry lifted weights and strength trained THROUGH CHEMO and ignorant fools on here clown him for pain management.
Some of you are just hopelessly foolish.
Are you saying this situation isn't very weird? Has anyone ever been day to day for 3 months? Has any team acted like its up to the player to decide when it's time and then a month later the player still isn't playing? [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
You have no ide of the actual details of his condition, his bodies ability to recuperate and heal, the severity of the deformity or the severity of its proximity to his Achilles...and yet talk as if all the details are OT there.
I bet if you were informed, your outlook at the situation would be completely different...but you aren’t.
So you don't believe he actually has a Haglunds deformity, then? [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
You have no ide of the actual details of his condition, his bodies ability to recuperate and heal, the severity of the deformity or the severity of its proximity to his Achilles...and yet talk as if all the details are OT there.
I bet if you were informed, your outlook at the situation would be completely different...but you aren’t.
You could be right and you could be very very wrong [Reply]
Originally Posted by Superturtle:
Ah, so we should just let him play out the rest of his contract while he contributes next to nothing? That pain isn't going away until that bone spur is gone, and if the plan is to just wait until the offseason to do surgery then the Chiefs have really one upped their stupidly mismanage an injured player game.
Originally Posted by BossChief:
You have no ide of the actual details of his condition, his bodies ability to recuperate and heal, the severity of the deformity or the severity of its proximity to his Achilles...and yet talk as if all the details are OT there.
I bet if you were informed, your outlook at the situation would be completely different...but you aren’t.
If this was as simple as a routine surgery to remove the bone spur, it would have been done years ago. Literally years ago. Especially if the recovery time is only 8 weeks.
The best sports medicine specialists in the world have decided what’s the best way to deal with this.
Originally Posted by BossChief:
Eric Berry lifted weights and strength trained THROUGH CHEMO and ignorant fools on here clown him for pain management.
Some of you are just hopelessly foolish.
People tend to get annoyed when the team looks like a legit contender and the highest paid player sits on the sideline with what has been described as pain management.
Like it or not after a guy has been paid and that happens that creates hard feelings. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
If this was as simple as a routine surgery to remove the bone spur, it would have been done years ago. Literally years ago. Especially if the recovery time is only 8 weeks.
The best sports medicine specialists in the world have decided what’s the best way to deal with this.
Be patient.
So you're just guessing too...
And the recovery time i'm seeing is 8 weeks to a YEAR. [Reply]
Originally Posted by SAUTO:
Are you saying this situation isn't very weird? Has anyone ever been day to day for 3 months? Has any team acted like its up to the player to decide when it's time and then a month later the player still isn't playing?
His situation is unique in that his body got done fighting off cancer through chemo not long ago and that does a number on a persons immune system and ability to heal.
I think he’s had this deformity for 4 years (or more) and that the doctors are giving their best guess as how to treat it. [Reply]