Heel Spur Causes and Treatments

The human foot is one of the amazing parts in our body that is capable of handling one’s weight in motion every day. The human foot is composed of many different parts that work in harmony in order to keep you moving. However, the stress put into the feet due to everyday motion may increase the risk of foot injuries. One of the most common is heel spur.

What is a heel spur?

Heel spur is a hook-like bone that grows at the base of your heel and it can extend up to half an inch. Detecting a heel spur is quite a challenge as they don’t often cause any pain. In Singapore, foot pain specialists associate heel spurs with plantar fasciitis.

What are the signs and symptoms of heel spur?

Singaporean foot pain specialists recorded no symptoms of heel spur at the moment. However, intermittent or chronic pain that is experienced during walking, jogging or running can be felt if inflammation is develop during spur formation. This can lead to difficulty in walking due to the pain felt not in the heel spur itself but the soft-tissue injury that is associated with it. Oftentimes, heel spur is detected by x-ray tests that are performed for other reasons.

What are the causes of heel spur?

Heel spur is the result of repetitive athletic stress (i.e., walking, running or jumping in hard surfaces) or strain injury found in the tendons and tissues attached to the calcaneus. It can be also caused by inflammatory diseases such as reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. Aside from inflammatory diseases, bruising of the heel, excess body weight, poorly fitted shoes, walking gait issues, wearing flip flops too often and wearing worn-out shoes are also known causes of heel spurs.

How can heel spur be treated?

In Singapore, heel spur treatment can be provided by foot pain specialists in a variety of ways. The most common treatments are as follows:

·  Ice application or cold compress that is given after exercising and walking is a helpful treatment.

·  Stretching exercises along with physical therapy are helpful especially when done at night before bedtime.

·  Anti-inflammatory medications and over-the-counter pain medications help ease the pain felt in the heel and on the arch of the foot.

·  Shoe inserts and sports running shoes with soft, cushioned soles are helpful in reducing the inflamed tissues.

·  In rare cases, surgery is carried out on chronically inflamed heel spurs.

·  Radio frequency ablation, injections of platelet-rich plasma, extracorporeal shock wave therapy and ultrasonic micro debridement are the more recent treatment options.

How can heel spur be prevented?

Treating any underlying associated inflammatory diseases help prevent heel spur. Wearing proper footwear with orthotics can also prevent this. Proper stretching after every exercise is also one of the ways to prevent this. Preventing heel spurs requires great attention to your foot health. Be mindful of the everyday foot activities that you made your feet do and make sure that you give proper rest to your feet.