Your foot has a natural bursa between your heel bone and the Achilles tendon. This bursa is a fluid filled sac that act as a cushion  to protect the Achilles tendon from the pressure exerted by your heel when you’re on your feet. If this bursa gets inflamed or irritated, it can cause pain and swelling in the foot – a condition called as bursitis.

Common causes of bursitis are overuse injuries, ill-fitting footwear and faulty foot biomechanics.

When you participate in high impact activities like running, jumping, dancing, the repetitive stress can cause bursitis, especially if you have not taken the time to do your warm-up activities, especially for your feet. Stretching and warming up activities before sports or high impact activities get your soft tissues warmed up with a good amount of blood circulation and oxygen.

Ill-fitting footwear that rubs against the back of your heel can also cause bursitis. Also, conditions like over pronation can cause a heel spur; and the bursa can get inflamed trying to cushion the heel and the spur from impact.

If the cause is ill-fitting footwear, it needs to be changed at the outset. Custom insoles can reduce the discomfort by correcting movements that cause additional stress to the inflamed bursa. Insoles with firm arch support can relieve pressure from the affected area.