Ultrasonographic Detection of Age-Related Structural Degeneration in the Heel Fat Pad
Luis Herrera, Luis A. Arráez-Aybar, Laura Flores, Ricardo García-Mata, Maria Juliana Perez-Miguelsanz · 2026
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Description
Luis Herrera and colleagues report a 2026 ultrasound study of how the heel fat pad changes with age. The fat pad cushions the heel bone during walking, and earlier work tracked mainly its thickness. The team instead examined 140 symptom-free volunteers aged 18 to 89, grouped into three age bands, and scored tissue brightness, internal structure, fibrous band integrity, and blood flow alongside thickness.
The structural measures shifted clearly with age, showing progressive breakdown and loss of the pad's chambered organization, especially in its deep layer and fibrous partitions. Thickness, by contrast, changed less and less consistently, and no meaningful internal blood flow signal appeared. The authors argue that qualitative ultrasound scoring catches age-related wear in this tissue more reliably than thickness alone, which could sharpen assessment of aging feet even before symptoms appear.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Luis Herrera, Luis A. Arráez-Aybar, Laura Flores, Ricardo García-Mata, Maria Juliana Perez-Miguelsanz |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 29 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |