Anatomy
The heel bone, which is also called calcaneus in Latin, is the largest and longest bone of the tarsal and must withstand great strain. The body of the heel bone has roughly the shape of a cuboid and extends from the rear end of the foot to the front and up to the outside of the foot. The actual heel of the foot (calx), however, is formed by the heel bump (tuber calcanei), which is located at the rear end of the foot.
This is also where the Achilles tendon (Tendo calcanei) comes in, which is the strongest tendon in the human body. It is the common end tendon of the three-headed calf muscle (Musculus triceps surae) and is thus a connection between the calf muscles and the heel. The three-headed calf muscle is composed of the two-headed calf muscle (Musculus gastrocnemius) and the clod muscle (Musculus soleus).
A bursa (bursa tendinis calcanei) is located between the heel bone and the Achilles tendon. Two extensions originate from the underside of the heel bone, the medial tuberosity of the calcaneus and the lateral tuberosity of the calcaneus. The clinical picture of the calcaneal spur often originates from one of these extensions. A connective tissue tendon plate, the so-called sole plate (aponeurosis plantaris), also starts at the heel bone and moves forward to the ball of the foot.Its fan-shaped arrangement, together with muscles, ligaments and tendons, stabilizes the arch of the foot.