Heel

Looks like

The thickest outer layer (epidermis) of the body, over a pad of fat under and behind the heel bone.

What it does

Takes the first strike of every step.

Keeping it well

Cracked heels come from dryness: a rich cream and socks. Pain on the first steps in the morning is usually the plantar fascia, not the skin.

Related conditions

• Buerger's disease (thromboangiitis obliterans)
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Clubfoot (talipes equinovarus)
• Flat feet (pes planus)
• Ganglion cyst
• Gout
• Hammer toe and claw toe
• Lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis)
• Lymphoedema
• Morton's neuroma
• Restless legs syndrome
• Varicose veins
• Venomous snakebite