What causes heel spurs?
Bone spurs can develop anywhere throughout your skeletal system, although it’s most common to have them in weight-bearing areas, like your heels. These tiny bone protrusions — caused by calcium deposits — occur on the underside of your heel bone. You may have heel spurs due to:
- Inherited foot shape
- Foot muscle strain
- Overstretching of the plantar fascia
- Running and jumping regularly
- Poorly fitting or worn shoes
- Obesity or being overweight
While anyone of any age can develop heel spurs, you’re more likely to get them if you’re older, have diabetes, or spend most of the day on your feet.
Do heel spurs cause pain?
Not always. In fact, in many cases, men and women don’t know they have heel spurs until they have an X-ray for an undiagnosed issue, like plantar fasciitis. You can live for years with no symptoms from heel spurs, but if symptoms start occurring, you could experience:
- Foot pain with your first steps upon waking
- Stabbing pain that turns into a dull ache
- Pain that occurs when standing after a long period of sitting
Most heel spur sufferers describe the pain as feeling like they stepped on a sharp pin that got stuck in their foot.
How are heel spurs treated?
The pain you experience with heel spurs is often soft tissue pain due to irritation of your plantar fascia, so your treatment plan is likely going to involve therapies that help heal soft tissues throughout the arch of your foot. Your heel spur treatment can include:
- Physical therapy
- Stretching exercises
- Customized orthotics
- Night splints
- Taping or strapping
- Shoe recommendations
In severe cases, a podiatrist could recommend surgery if more conservative measures haven’t helped you, or if your condition is getting worse. With heel spur surgery, the podiatrist may release your plantar fascia or remove your heel spur — sometimes both. Because this type of procedure can lead to foot instability or other issues, it’s always a last resort for severe heel spur pain.
Before living another day with heel spurs, see what the team at Foot and Ankle Center for the Rockies Specialists can do to help. Call the office to schedule an appointment.
