Enthesitis

Enthesitis is inflammation of the entheses, the sites where tendons or ligaments insert into the bone. It is an enthesopathy, a pathologic condition of the entheses. Manifest in inflammation or occasionally in fibrosis and calcification, enthesitis can be caused by recurring stress or by inflammatory autoimmune disease. A common autoimmune enthesitis is at the heel, where the Achilles tendon attaches to the calcaneus. Enthesitis is inflammation of the entheses, the sites where tendons or ligaments insert into the bone. It is an enthesopathy, a pathologic condition of the entheses. Manifest in inflammation or occasionally in fibrosis and calcification, enthesitis can be caused by recurring stress or by inflammatory autoimmune disease. A common autoimmune enthesitis is at the heel, where the Achilles tendon attaches to the calcaneus. It is associated with HLA B27 arthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and reactive arthritis. Symptoms include multiple points of tenderness at the heel, tibial tuberosity, iliac crest, and other tendon insertion sites.