Foot subcutaneous fat
Tela subcutanea pedis
Integumentary (skin)Fat & fasciaLegLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- Subcutaneous fat of the foot, forming a specialised honeycomb heel pad of fat chambers walled by fibrous septa under the calcaneus, and a thin layer on the dorsum.
- Function
- The heel pad absorbs the impact of heel strike, which reaches ~1–1.5 times body weight in walking.
- Size
- Heel pad ~15–20 mm thick; dorsal fat ~2–3 mm
- Clinical note
- Heel-pad atrophy with age is a common cause of heel pain that is mistaken for plantar fasciitis.