Shoes first: take the pressure off the bumpEmerging evidence
NHS hospital leaflets advise shoes whose backs don't rub or press on the heel, well-fitted shoes that cushion the heel, a gel heel cup or pad from a pharmacy, and soft cushioning at the back of the shoe. AAOS adds that shoes that are soft or open at the back reduce irritation, and that heel lifts reduce the strain.
Stiff, prominent counters, especially with high heels, press on the bump and the tissue over it. In an experimental model, raising the shoe heel tilted the heel bone and moved the bump away from the counter, which matches the observation that heel lifts ease symptoms. This is consistent advice with a clear reason behind it, but no trial has tested shoe changes.
Sources 18, 2, 20, 1, 8, 4
Calf strengthening on flat ground, as for insertional Achilles painEmerging evidence
In a pilot study of 27 people (34 tendons) with pain where the tendon meets the heel bone, painful heavy lowering done only to floor level (3 sets of 15, twice a day, every day for 12 weeks) left 67% satisfied and back to their activity at about 4 months. In those who were satisfied, pain fell from 70 to 21 on a 100-point scale. The study had no comparison group; its authors note that earlier work found the standard heel drop below a step gave good results in only 32% of people with this kind of pain.
A 2017 review recommends lowering only through a limited range, without dropping the heel. NHS hospital leaflets agree: holds, then two-leg and one-leg raises on flat ground, avoiding exercises that lower the heel below a step unless a physiotherapist advises them. AAOS keeps heel drops for pain higher up the tendon. This matches our Achilles guide.
Sources 17, 5, 7, 18, 20, 1
Heel lifts: may ease pain, on small evidenceMixed evidence
In laboratory work, heel lifts reduce both stretching and squeezing where the tendon attaches. In 20 people with this kind of pain, 20 mm heel lifts eased walking pain straight away (from 2.2 to 0.7 out of 10) and improved a symptom score from 52 to 60 over 2 weeks, but there was no comparison group. A small trial against sham (dummy) lifts in 26 people showed that a full trial is possible, but didn't test whether they work.
For pain higher up the tendon, heel lifts did a little better than heel-drop exercise at 12 weeks in 100 people (by 9.6 points on a 100-point score, just short of the 10 thought to matter), and in a blinded trial of 108 people the benefit over sham lifts was small (0.9 points on a 0 to 10 scale) and may not matter. An NHS leaflet says some people find heel lifts or insoles help, the evidence is weak, and they should be used alongside exercise. Use them in both shoes so you don't create a difference in leg length, as an NHS pathway advises.
Sources 5, 21, 22, 23, 24, 7, 25
Shockwave: the newer, better trials say it adds littleMixed evidence
For: in 50 people with long-standing pain where the tendon meets the bone, low-energy shockwave beat the heel drop below a step at 4 months (64% against 28% recovered or much improved), and a 2021 review of 23 mostly low-quality studies favoured it. Neither compared it with a sham treatment.
Against: in a double-blind trial of 119 people, adding shockwave to exercise made no difference at 24 weeks. In 76 people, shockwave did no better than a sham for pain straight afterwards. A 2026 meta-analysis of 9 trials (557 people) found no meaningful benefit over sham for this kind of pain, with low to moderate certainty, and recorded 2 Achilles ruptures after focused shockwave. A network meta-analysis of 9 trials had very low confidence in every non-surgical option. In a retrospective study of 67 people, shockwave helped less when a Haglund's bump was present. NHS services may still offer it when first-line care hasn't worked.
Sources 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 2
Injections: a specialist decisionMixed evidence
Steroid injections into the Achilles tendon are not recommended because they can weaken it and lead to a rupture. For bursitis on its own, a review says an injection into the fluid sac, avoiding the tendon, may be considered.
In 218 image-guided injections into the sac, 63% of the 62 people followed up in the short term had a good or excellent fall in pain; 14% later had Achilles surgery, and 4 people (1.8%) had an Achilles rupture 15 to 59 days later, each just after a sudden injury. The NHS bursitis page notes that a steroid injection may be offered for bursitis, but not if it's infected.
Sources 1, 5, 33, 34
Surgery in briefEmerging evidence
Surgery is considered when symptoms persist after 3 to 6 months of good non-surgical care (AAOS suggests 6 months). It may remove the bump and the inflamed sac, either through an open cut or through small cuts with a camera (endoscopic calcaneoplasty); clean out and reattach the damaged tendon, sometimes with a tendon transfer; or cut a wedge from the heel bone to change its angle (a Zadek osteotomy).
A 2012 review of 15 studies (547 operations) found better satisfaction and fewer complications with endoscopic than open surgery, and a later review gives complication rates of 5.3% against 12.3%. These are low-level studies, and no trial has compared surgery with non-surgical care. After endoscopic surgery, satisfaction averaged 8.5 out of 10 at about 8 years, though only 28 of 55 people replied. A review of the Zadek osteotomy (10 studies, 232 people) found less pain and better function, with mostly minor complications.
In one endoscopic series, recovery took about 8 weeks and the return to sport about 11; reattaching the tendon takes longer. One study found the bump's size wasn't linked with pain, so removing the bump routinely may be unnecessary. Your surgical team's plan comes first.
Sources 6, 1, 35, 36, 37, 13