What are heel spurs?
Heel spurs are calcium deposits that collect on the underside of your heel bone. A heel spur can protrude as much as half an inch from the bone.
What does a heel spur feel like?
Some heel spurs are asymptomatic – you don’t notice them at all. Other heel spurs cause pain when you walk, jog, or run, because the bone spur irritates the tissues that surround it, causing inflammation and tenderness.
If you have a heel spur, you might feel a stabbing sensation in your heel when you first step on your feet in the morning. The pain tends to fade into a dull ache throughout the day. You might feel the stabbing sensation again after a period of prolonged sitting.
How did I get heel spurs?
Heel spurs are common in athletes and others who stress the tissues in their feet. Activity-related risk factors for heel spurs include:
- Running on pavement
- Running, jumping, or jogging regularly
- Wearing ill-fitting shoes
- Wearing shoes without arch supports
- Standing for prolonged periods
- Engaging in quick bursts of intense activity
Physical risk factors include:
- Being overweight
- Being older
- Having flat feet
- Having high arches
- Having diabetes
- Having plantar fasciitis
Luckily, lifestyle adjustments and conservative treatments are enough to resolve heel spurs in 90% of cases.
How do podiatrists treat heel spurs?
Your Run Doctor specialist usually recommends noninvasive treatments for heel spurs. Your podiatrist will advise:
- Switching shoes or running shoes
- Changing running shoes more often
- Using shoe inserts
- Getting custom-designed orthotics
- Taping tendons and muscles to rest them
- Using night splints
- Performing stretching exercises
- Using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, for pain
If you’re an athlete or if your heel spurs don’t respond to conservative treatments, your doctor may inject your heel with steroids to alleviate inflammation and pain. Your podiatrist might also recommend physical therapy.
Can I get my heel spurs removed?
If your heel spurs don’t improve with noninvasive therapies, your Run Doctor specialist will recommend surgery. Depending on your needs, your podiatrist can remove the bone spur and release the plantar fascia from your heel so that it doesn’t create another bone spur. You need to keep the weight off your foot for several weeks while it heals.
You don’t have to put up with heel pain. Get a heel spurs diagnosis and treatment at Run Doctor by calling the friendly staff or using the online booking form today.
