OBJECTIVETo treat heel pain with small needle-knife according to its classification,so as to improve the therapeutic effects.

METHODSFrom August 2005 to December 2008, 200 patients with 266 heel pain were treated according to the author's classification standards. There were 83 males and 117 females, ranging in age from 26 to 72 years, with a mean age of 46 years; the course of the disease ranged from 3 to 36 months, averaged 6.8 months. According to the classification:67 heels with plantar fasciitis type, 61 heels with calcaneal bursitis type, 36 heels with plantar fat pad inflammation-based type, 6 heels with calcaneus high pressure-type, 21 heels with nerve compression type, 75 heels with mixed type. All the patients were treated with small needle-knife by using different methods according to its classification.

RESULTSAfter 1 month treatment, among the patients with plantar fasciitis-type, 31 heels got an excellent result,36 good;among the patients with calcaneal bursitis type, 32 heels got an excellent result, 29 good; among the patients with plantar fat pad inflammation-based type, 9 heels got an excellent result, 20 good, 4 poor and 3 bad; among the patients with calcaneus high pressure-type, 1 patient got an excellent result, 3 good and 2 poor; among the patients with nerve compression type, 11 heels got an excellent result, 8 good, 1 poor and 1 bad; among the patients with mixed type, 16 heels got an excellent result, 46 good, 5 poor and 8 bad. At the 6th month after treatment, among the patients with plantar fasciitis-type, 21 heels got an excellent result, 40 good,5 poor and 1 bad; among the patients with calcaneal bursitis type, 30 heels got an excellent result, 28 good and 3 poor; among the patients with plantar fat pad inflammation-based type, 15 heels got an excellent result, 18 good, 2 poor and 1 bad; among the patients with calcaneus high pressure-type, 0 patient got an excellent result, 3 good and 3 poor;among the patients with nerve compression type,7 heels got an excellent result, 11 good, 1 poor and 2 bad; among the patients with mixed type, 10 heels got an excellent result, 45 good, 11 poor and 9 bad.

CONCLUSIONThe causes of heel pain can't be explained by using single pathogenesy,and also can't be treated with one method. The patients with calcaneal pain should be treated with different methods according to classification of heel pain, and thus the therapeutic effects can be improved.