Heel Spurs:  What are they and what can I do to get rid of them?

What Are Heel Spurs?

Picture a tiny, bony protrusion resembling the thorn of a rosebush. That’s a heel spur—a calcium deposit that forms on the bottom of the heel bone. These spurs often develop due to:

1. the persistent stretching of the plantar fascia, the tissue
           running along the bottom of the foot
2. repeated stress on the heel bone itself.

This bone growth occurs when the plantar fascia has been pulling at the calcaneus for long periods of time, usually years.  

This is why people often say – the pain “suddenly”came on and they didn’t have any pain up until this time. The foot will undergo all this pulling on the fascia for a long while until it has had enough and then you will begin to feel pain

Heel Spurs: Treatment Options

Now, let’s talk about solutions! The good news is that heel spurs often don’t require invasive treatments. Some helpful steps include:

Rest and Ice: Give those feet a break! Ice the affected area to reduce inflammation and ease the discomfort. The spur, once present, will be symptomatic from time to time, whenever the person stands or walks for too long a period of time. Reducing this activity usually helps prevent flare-ups.
We recommend applying ice not directly on the skin for 10 minutes every couple hours.

Stretches and Exercises: Stretching exercises for the calf muscles and plantar fascia can relieve tension and reduce the strain on the heel. Rolling a tennis ball under your foot can also provide relief.

Avoid barefoot: It is important to avoid walking barefoot because with every step that your heel hits the ground you are compressing and putting pressure repeatedly on your heel spur which irritates it and causes pain and inflammation.

Orthotics: Ah, orthotics—the foot’s answer to a customized throne! These inserts can offer additional arch support and cushioning, redistributing the weight and alleviating the pressure on the heel.

Comfortable Shoes: Only wear comfortable, soft, but well-supporting running shoes that will essentially absorb the forces of your body weight pushing down onto the ground and the ground pushing back up on you!

Physiotherapy: Cue the physiotherapist—the expert in body mechanics and muscle magic! They’ll devise a personalized plan to strengthen the foot and ankle muscles while enhancing flexibility, helping alleviate heel spur discomfort.

Medical Management: There really isn’t any surgical solution to this problem. Sometimes an injection of cortisone into the area around the spur alleviates the pain and local tenderness. This relief, if any, is usually short lived and should really only be tried if nothing else helps.

Heel Spurs: Treatment Options

Now, let’s talk about solutions! The good news is that heel spurs often don’t require invasive treatments. Some helpful steps include:

Rest and Ice: Give those feet a break! Ice the affected area to reduce inflammation and ease the discomfort. The spur, once present, will be symptomatic from time to time, whenever the person stands or walks for too long a period of time. Reducing this activity usually helps prevent flare-ups.
We recommend applying ice not directly on the skin for 10 minutes every couple hours.

Stretches and Exercises: Stretching exercises for the calf muscles and plantar fascia can relieve tension and reduce the strain on the heel. Rolling a tennis ball under your foot can also provide relief.

Avoid barefoot: It is important to avoid walking barefoot because with every step that your heel hits the ground you are compressing and putting pressure repeatedly on your heel spur which irritates it and causes pain and inflammation.

Orthotics: Ah, orthotics—the foot’s answer to a customized throne! These inserts can offer additional arch support and cushioning, redistributing the weight and alleviating the pressure on the heel.

Comfortable Shoes: Only wear comfortable, soft, but well-supporting running shoes that will essentially absorb the forces of your body weight pushing down onto the ground and the ground pushing back up on you!

Physiotherapy: Cue the physiotherapist—the expert in body mechanics and muscle magic! They’ll devise a personalized plan to strengthen the foot and ankle muscles while enhancing flexibility, helping alleviate heel spur discomfort.

Medical Management: There really isn’t any surgical solution to this problem. Sometimes an injection of cortisone into the area around the spur alleviates the pain and local tenderness. This relief, if any, is usually short lived and should really only be tried if nothing else helps.

The Role of Physiotherapy in Heel Spur Management

Enter physiotherapy, the unsung hero of heel spurs! A physiotherapist can be a guiding light, providing exercises and stretches to target specific areas affected by the heel spur. alleviate pain, and prevent future heel spur occurrences.

Biomechanical assessment: Your physiotherapist will work on correcting any biomechanical imbalances contributing to the issue. They will show you what to do to improve your foot mechanics

Ultrasound: Application of ultrasound also works well to decrease the pain and tenderness, and makes it easier for the patient to walk without limping. Every profession has its own way of treating heel spurs.

Laser: Laser is light therapy that works with your body to decrease the inflammation

Exercises: Here are some exercises that will help you stretch your plantar fascia, tendons and muscles that can help take away the pain of heel spurs

Do Orthotics Help with Heel Spurs?

Ah, orthotics—the foot’s little helpers! Custom orthotic inserts or over-the-counter options can indeed provide relief by offering additional arch support and cushioning. By redistributing weight and improving foot alignment, orthotics can reduce discomfort caused by heel spurs.

The reason the pad under your heel hurt you was because it was pushing up into the spur, therefore causing more irritation of the heel.

A pad shaped like a donut, or an “0” is what you should put under the painful part of your heel. This will allow the spur to sit comfortably in the centre of the “0” without it contacting the shoe.

Orthotics are devices to better balance the feet and ankles while in a weight-bearing position. Orthotics are often used to lessen the stress on the plantar fasciae, which is what caused the spur in the first place. Rather than treating the spur only, orthotics usually lessen the pull on the spur, and can actually prevent it from worsening with time. Orthotics can be made with that donut shaped support built in. Losing weight will obviously decrease the load on your heel spur and will therefore probably help to decrease the painful episodes.

However, it’s essential to pair orthotics with other treatments like stretching, exercises, and physiotherapy for a comprehensive approach to managing heel spurs

Final Thoughts

Heel spurs might feel like an unwelcome guest at your personal foot party, but with the right treatment and support, they need not overstay their welcome. Remember, a combination of rest, exercises, orthotics, and the expertise of a physiotherapist can lead to happier, healthier feet.

A calcaneal spur is like most things in life – you can pay as much attention to it as you want.

If it only bothers you once in a while, and only causes you slight pain, then maybe some rest and ice, whenever it is hurting, is all that should be done.

If it bothers you almost constantly, and the pain is enough to actually make you limp, then maybe you should go the full route and have therapy done and have prescription orthotics made. The decision is all up to you.

So, kick back (gently!) with some ice on that heel, stretch it out, and consider consulting a physiotherapist to put your best foot forward once again!

May your steps be pain-free, your stretches effective, and your feet feel like they’re walking on clouds once more!