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.
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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]
I'm not convinced he actually has a Haglund's Deformity.
False reports happen all the time.
Supposedly Josh Gordon was in trouble and wouldn't play the 1st qtr. That was bullshit.
Just a few days ago a report came out that Bosa was nowhere near ready. Then Bosa comes out and says he feels great and should hit the field in the next few weeks.
We need to keep in mind that this "Haglund's Deformity" report is speculation. We're treating it like it's fact. It's not. It's speculation. Remember that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
You realize you contradict yourself constantly right?
You realize there's absolutely NOTHING in that post that implies he's a pussy, right?
"It hurts too much to play" is a statement devoid of any emotion or inference at all. I didn't say he had a "boo boo" or a low pain threshold or anything of the sort.
Once again, you're reading something into it on your own. That's YOUR problem, not mine. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
I'm not convinced he actually has a Haglund's Deformity.
False reports happen all the time.
Supposedly Josh Gordon was in trouble and wouldn't play the 1st qtr. That was bullshit.
Just a few days ago a report came out that Bosa was nowhere near ready. Then Bosa comes out and says he feels great and should hit the field in the next few weeks.
We need to keep in mind that this "Haglund's Deformity" report is speculation. We're treating it like it's fact. It's not. It's speculation. Remember that.
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
You realize there's absolutely NOTHING in that post that implies he's a pussy, right?
"It hurts too much to play" is a statement devoid of any emotion or inference at all. I didn't say he had a "boo boo" or a low pain threshold or anything of the sort.
Once again, you're reading something into it on your own. That's YOUR problem, not mine.
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
Then he is too hurt to play correct?
He hasn't done any football activity in almost 3 months despite not having an actual acute injury. If he's in fact injured, why has no word of the actual injury come out and why was he never put on IR? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Marcellus:
Then he is too hurt to play correct?
IF the report of him having a Haglund's Deformity is true (see, I can be agreeable), then he's not injured. He has a pain issue.
So my statement stands.
He's not too hurt to play, meaning there's no physiological reason he can't play. He's not exacerbating an existing injury or risking further injury. Structurally he's healthy.
His heal just hurts too bad to play through it. He can't handle that level of pain apparently. That doesn't mean he's pussy, it simply means that it freaking must hurt really bad.
As much as I wish he was out there playing and not eating up a huge chunk of the salary cap, I will freely admit that's me being a selfish fan. This team is this --><-- close to a Super Bowl and guy like a healthy Eric Berry would absolutely put this team over the top. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Detoxing:
I'm not convinced he actually has a Haglund's Deformity.
False reports happen all the time.
Supposedly Josh Gordon was in trouble and wouldn't play the 1st qtr. That was bullshit.
Just a few days ago a report came out that Bosa was nowhere near ready. Then Bosa comes out and says he feels great and should hit the field in the next few weeks.
We need to keep in mind that this "Haglund's Deformity" report is speculation. We're treating it like it's fact. It's not. It's speculation. Remember that.
