The main sign of the development of a heel spur, perhaps, will be a sharp, stabbing pain in the heel area when trying to lean on the foot or step on it. The heel hurts much more strongly in the morning after waking up or sitting in one place for a long time.
It hurts due to the inflammatory process in the soft tissues of the plantar fascia of the foot. The pain can be so excruciating that the patient is unable to even walk. In this case, the foot should be treated as quickly as possible.
To effectively combat the problem of heel spurs and relieve pain, you first need to undergo diagnostics and find out the cause of the pathological condition.
After all, pain is not always caused by bone growths (osteophytes). If the heel hurts, as if a person stepped on a needle, then first of all the doctor recommends undergoing an X-ray examination to confirm the alleged diagnosis.
The next step will be taking painkillers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually prescribed:
In addition to relieving pain, these medications do an excellent job of reducing vascular permeability, allowing you to dull pain, reduce swelling, improve blood circulation in the affected areas of the heel, and block those substances that activate the onset of the inflammatory process in the foot.
Treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs should be short-term. Otherwise, if abused, drugs in this group give many side effects. Thus, they can irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive organs, causing stomach and duodenal ulcers. Therefore, those who have a history of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract should be especially careful with such drugs.
If your heel hurts very badly and the pain does not subside after taking medications, your doctor will recommend treating your foot with a heel injection. This anesthesia is called a blockade, and it is produced with the help of Novocaine.
In addition, it is widely practiced to inject glucocorticosteroid hormones into the area where the heel is most painful.
Inflammation with a heel spur should be treated not only with medications, but also with rest. If you follow bed rest, you will be able to eliminate the pain and quickly get rid of the problem.
When the pain is caused by an osteophyte, a special pad with a recess for the heel helps a lot. With your own hands you can make a thick roll from ordinary medical cotton wool, roll it into a ring and carefully trim it.
The ideal option would be a special orthopedic insole or heel support, which will relieve the load from the middle of the heel and prevent irritation of the surrounding tissues.
You can also pick up a heel pad at the pharmacy, which is simply glued into the patient’s shoes, which is especially effective for heel spurs.
Insoles can eliminate stress from the heel area, knee and hip joint. In this way, injury to the fascia is prevented and the arch of the foot is stabilized.
It is good to choose insoles made of silicone. They last a very long time and the heel is well supported with the spur.
The pain of a heel spur will decrease if you treat the disease with massage and gymnastic exercises. Such procedures help resolve chronic inflammation.
If you have a spur, it will be useful to regularly stretch the plantar fascia, which will help strengthen it and make it elastic. For stretching during night rest, a special orthosis is used to help fix the foot in the required position of plantar flexion to prevent morning pain.
Exercises for heel spurs using your toes are no less effective:
Doctors recommend treating heel spur pain by simply walking on salt preheated in a dry frying pan. Gymnastics should be carried out for a long time and systematically. This helps improve blood circulation if your heel is bothered by a spur.
Another method of therapy is tapping. First you need to steam your feet in warm water, and then lightly tap the foot with a stick, where the heel bothers you the most.
You can simply treat the inflammatory process at home by warming it up. The most basic way is to soak your feet in as hot water as possible before going to bed at night. The liquid should not be allowed to cool.
An equally effective way would be a bath or thermal massage. For the procedure, take 2 containers. Hot water is poured into the first, and very cold water into the second. The foot where the heel is inflamed is alternately placed in cold water and then in hot water for 15 seconds. Each time the time is increased, and the procedure is completed in cold water.
Another method is baths with the addition of baking soda. For every 3 liters of hot water, take 1 tablespoon of soda and 10 drops of iodine solution:
Since heel pain is caused by an inflammatory process, it can be eliminated using traditional methods. A heel spur can be treated if treated using one of the following methods.
Compresses based on:
Pain from heel spurs can be relieved using slightly unusual methods. Thus, traditional healers advise applying a piece of salted lard to the affected area. Tie a compress to the foot at night. They also use compresses based on apple vinegar. They soak cotton socks with it, put them on, wrap the foot with cling film on top and put on another sock. Repeat the treatment every day for 2 months.
A more traditional way to treat pain would be to use Pyatkashpor gel-cream. It is assumed that the external agent softens the osteophyte, stops the inflammatory process and relieves the patient from swelling.
To date, many remedies have been invented to combat heel spurs. If you use them in combination, you will be able to treat your foot as quickly as possible and improve your health. However, for a complete cure it will be necessary to establish the exact cause of the pain.
The main symptom of a heel spur is a sharp, stabbing pain in the heel when you try to step or lean on your foot. The heel hurts more in the morning when getting out of bed or after sitting for a long time. The pain occurs due to inflammation of the soft tissue in the plantar fascia of the foot, called plantar fasciitis. The pain can be so unbearable that a person cannot walk.
To treat pain, it is advisable to know the cause of inflammation in the foot. For many people, a spur is associated exclusively with a bone growth on the heel bone - an osteophyte. But sometimes the x-ray does not show any abnormalities, but the heel still hurts as if a needle had been stuck into it. In fact, anything that somehow injures the ligaments of the foot can lead to inflammation. These include flat feet, uncomfortable shoes, increased loads on the legs of athletes, and metabolic disorders. It is not always possible to establish the exact cause. What to do?
The first and most obvious way to combat pain is with painkillers. You can take medicine that you take for other types of pain. Doctors prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): diclofenac, voltaren, ibuprofen, aspirin, nise, nimesil and others. In addition to pain relief, NSAIDs reduce vascular permeability, which helps reduce pain and swelling, improve blood circulation and block special substances - activators of inflammation. But you should not overuse painkillers; they have many contraindications and side effects. First of all, these drugs irritate the gastric mucosa.
Anti-inflammatory drugs on a natural basis are also popular, for example an orthopedic patch; it can help relieve the inflammatory process in the early stages.
If the pain is very severe and cannot be relieved by other means, the doctor suggests giving pain-relieving injections in the heel. Novocaine blockades are used - pricking the spur with a solution of novocaine. It is also practiced to inject glucocorticoids into the most painful point on the heel.
If possible, give your legs rest, including bed rest. This will eliminate pain and help heal inflammation faster.
If the pain is caused by a bone growth, placing a special device with a notch in the middle under the heel will help. You can make a thick roll of cotton wool, sheathe it and roll it into a ring, or buy orthopedic insoles at the store. The heel support relieves the load from the central part of the heel, due to which the osteophyte stops irritating the surrounding tissues. If you use this remedy constantly, the pain and inflammation go away. Heel pads are sold that are glued into shoes.
Insoles relieve the heel, knee and hip joints, prevent injury to the fascia, and fix the arch of the foot. The best material for insoles is silicone, which supports the foot well and lasts almost forever. To select insoles or heel supports, it is better to consult an orthopedist.
Massage and gymnastics activate blood circulation, which helps resolve chronic inflammation. If you have a heel spur, it may be helpful to do regular plantar fascia stretches. This strengthens the fascia and makes it elastic. To stretch the sole during sleep, special night orthoses are used, which fix the foot in a plantar flexion position. This helps prevent morning pain when getting out of bed.
Useful exercises include fingering small objects with your toes, rolling a ball, a bottle, or a bag of cereal with your feet. You can trample your feet on coarse salt; it’s even better to pre-heat it. Gymnastics should be done regularly and for a long time, for example, while watching TV. This improves blood circulation in the feet.
Another interesting way to treat spurs is tapping. After steaming your feet in hot water, lightly tap your heel with a stick or pole. It will hurt at first, but gradually the pain will go away forever.
At home, you can treat a spur by heating it. The easiest way is to soak your feet in hot water at the maximum tolerable temperature for half an hour before going to bed. Do not allow it to cool down; add hot water if necessary.
Even more effective are contrast baths or thermal massage. Take two basins, pour very hot water into one and very cold water into the other. Place your feet alternately in hot and cold water for 10-15 seconds. Increase the time every day, and at the end, dip your feet in a bowl of cold water.
Another option is warm baths with soda. For 3 liters of hot water, add 1 tablespoon of soda and 8-10 drops of iodine. Soak your feet for 8-10 minutes in this solution, pat dry with a towel and lubricate your heels with iodine. In the morning, lubricate your feet with Vaseline. Perform the procedure twice a week.
Since heel spur pain is caused by inflammation, all kinds of anti-inflammatory drugs are suitable to eliminate it. Traditional medicine offers dozens of recipes, all that remains is to find the right one.
Compresses are the most popular external means.
Compress with dimexide: 1 tablespoon of dimexide is diluted with boiled water in a ratio of 1:5, applied to a sterile napkin and applied to the heel as a compress, insulated with wax paper and a wool sock. Keep the compress for 20-30 minutes. per day for 10 days.
A compress with medical bile is also made, but it is kept all night, and if possible, the whole day, after which it is changed. They are treated with bile from a week to a month. Bile has a local irritant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and absorbable effect. A possible side effect is skin irritation, which goes away when discontinued. If irritation appears, the next use of bile is possible no earlier than 2 weeks later.
There are also quite exotic methods of treatment. For example, a compress of old salted lard, which should be tied to the heel at night; apple cider vinegar compress (moisten cotton socks in vinegar, wrap in plastic, put another warm socks on top, do for two months). And the Bulgarian healer Vanga advised taking a copper plate, heating it well (if it’s hot, wrap it in a rag) and placing your heel on the plate. Treat like this until the spur disappears. It is claimed that heated copper has the miraculous property of getting rid of salt deposits.
Other products for external use include Pyatkashpor Gel-cream. According to the instructions, the gel softens bone growth and has an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous effect.
So, there are many remedies to combat heel spur pain. You can quickly relieve pain by resting your feet or taking painkillers. But a complete cure cannot be quick, since it is necessary to establish the cause of the disease and choose your own remedy. To do this, it is better to consult a doctor.
A heel spur is a growth of the heel bone in the area of the tubercle on the plantar side or in the area of attachment of the Achilles tendon. The growth has the shape of a spike or wedge. Heel spurs are also called plantar fasciitis.
The disease is widespread, its share among the total mass of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system is 10%. Most often, spurs are diagnosed in women who have crossed the threshold of 40 years, although aseptic inflammation of the calcaneal fascia is possible at any age, in any person in the presence of predisposing factors.
The causes of heel spurs lie in the impact of various factors on the heel fascia, primarily high loads. Fascia is of great importance in the formation and maintenance of the arch of the foot; while walking, it bears the entire weight of a person. Throughout life, it is exposed to various stresses, and by old age, a heel spur develops in every fourth person.
The reasons for the formation of heel spurs are considered to be:
Foot injuries, heel injuries: fractures, bruises, sprains, etc.
Diseases accompanied by circulatory disorders and disruptions of metabolic processes.
Excessive physical activity during sports. Professional athletes often suffer from heel spurs, as grueling workouts contribute to sprains and also increase the risk of injury. Sports training causes the formation of spurs at a young age.
Regular wearing of high-heeled shoes. Wearing uncomfortable shoes, the lack of shock-absorbing insoles, and thin and hard soles have a negative impact on the condition of the fascia.
Longitudinal flatfoot. A heel spur develops in 90% of people with this pathology. This is explained by the fact that the load on the foot is distributed unevenly, the tendons suffer from excessive tension, and the likelihood of injury increases.
Diseases of the joints and spine. Such pathologies include: gout, arthritis, osteoarthritis. Increased symptoms are observed with exacerbation of bursitis and periostitis.
Connective tissue diseases can provoke the development of heel spurs - these are pathologies such as ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis.
Thinning of the fat pad in the heel area due to age-related changes in the body.
The symptoms of a heel spur cannot go unnoticed by a person, as they are always accompanied by severe pain.
The clinical picture of the disease is as follows:
First, pain occurs while walking or when performing other movements (running, jumping). As the disease progresses, the pain intensifies, causing suffering with the slightest support on the heel. Patients themselves compare the pain to the presence of a nail in the heel. The nature of the pain is burning, acute. The pain does not depend on the size of the growth itself, although it is provoked by the pressure of the overgrown bone on the tissue of the heel. Thus, patients with small flat spurs may suffer from severe pain, while people with large growths experience only minor discomfort. The severity of the pain depends mainly on the location of the spur. The closer it is to the nerve endings, the stronger the pain.
Sharp pain occurs after a night's rest. When a person begins to move, it weakens somewhat, but in the evening it increases again. This cyclicity is due to the fact that during sleep, micro-tears in the fascia have grown together with shortening. The patient lay for a long time, and the angle of inclination of his foot in relation to the lower leg was not straight. When a person awakens, a microtear appears again, which causes sharp pain. As you move, the fascia stretches, the painful sensations are somewhat dull, but in the evening they intensify due to stress and the formation of new microscopic tears.
As calcium compounds begin to accumulate in the scar tissue that forms around the heel spur, the person's condition worsens. Pain that occurs during rest indicates that the process of calcification has provoked the proliferation of osteophytes.
The patient's gait changes. This is due to a person’s natural desire to relieve the sore spot, namely the heel. A prolonged shift of the center of gravity from the heel to the forefoot will lead to a person developing transverse flatfoot. It is especially difficult for people to move if they develop heel spurs on both legs. Such patients are often unable to cope without available means, so they begin to use a cane or crutches.
Pain can become persistent and disrupt a person’s quality of life, making him unable to work for a long time.
There are no external pathological changes in the heel area. Sometimes you can detect mild swelling of the heel area and callus.
Diagnosis of heel spurs is usually not difficult. The doctor is able to make a preliminary diagnosis based on the patient’s complaints of heel pain after waking up, after prolonged walking or running. During the examination, the doctor will press on the base of the heel, as well as from the sides. These manipulations will cause pain in the patient with a spur. The specialist also evaluates limitations in foot mobility, if any.
To verify the presence of a formed heel spur, the patient is sent for an x-ray examination. It allows you to estimate the size of the formation and its exact location. Sometimes it is possible to accidentally discover a bone growth when the patient is being examined for another purpose. At the same time, the spur does not cause any discomfort to its owner, and he does not even suspect its presence.
The image will show a spike localized on the surface of the heel tubercle. The spike is curved towards the fingers. In the early stages of the disease, the formation is round, but even in this case it can cause discomfort. The spine can reach a length of up to 12 mm, forming in the form of a bird's beak.
Sometimes doctors send the patient not only for an x-ray of the foot, but also for an MRI, which allows them to assess the condition of the soft tissues surrounding the spur. Ultrasound is used less often, since it is less informative in this regard. An ultrasound of the foot is recommended to monitor the treatment, since ultrasound can be performed more often than MRI and radiography.
Heel spurs should not be confused with spines (or spines) on the feet. A heel spur is a growth that forms on the bone of the heel under the soft tissue.
A thorn is a type of wart that is localized on the sole or palms of the hands. The pimples occur due to a person being infected with a certain strain of the human papillomavirus. It is clearly visible to the naked eye and looks like a small papilla or nodule on the skin. The danger of the spine is that it can transform into cancer over time.
The differences between a spur and a spine are obvious. They have different etiologies and clinical courses, so it is incorrect to compare these two diseases.
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A specialist will tell you in detail how to treat a heel spur on the heel, who will clarify the diagnosis based on the results of the examination.
Methods with proven effectiveness are considered to be:
Reducing the physical load on the foot, but in parallel it is necessary to perform exercise therapy followed by taping.
The use of specialized orthoses or braces.
Wearing insoles with arch supports.
Application of shock wave therapy.
Local injections with glucocorticoids.
Unloading the affected limb and eliminating excess pressure on the heel should precede any therapeutic measure.
Therefore, patients are given the following recommendations:
Maintaining bed rest;
Reducing walking and standing time;
Use of orthoses during night rest;
Using orthopedic insoles while walking;
Use of specialized devices (crutches, canes, sticks).
Conservative therapy is reduced to the use of external medications. These may be drugs from the NSAID group, including ointments: Diclofenac, Voltaren, Ibuprofen, Ketorol, Butadione, Piroxicam (in gel form), Indomethacin ointment. Ointments are used up to 4 times a day for 2 weeks.
In order to relieve pain, improve metabolic processes, and relieve inflammation, products such as Dimexide gel, Medical bile, external plant-based patches can be recommended.
Drug blockades are carried out when conservative therapy does not give the desired effect. The drugs are administered orally and allow not only to eliminate pain, but also relieve inflammation. The procedure is carried out only by an experienced orthopedist, since the selection of dosage and depth of drug administration is important. Complications that threaten improperly performed drug blockades are osteoporosis, necrosis, tendon inflammation, etc. To eliminate pain, novocaine blockades are performed no more than 2 times a day and only during an exacerbation of the disease. To relieve pain and inflammation, as well as to resolve calcifications, glucocorticosteroids Diprospan, Flosteron, Kenalog are used. Patients should not receive more than 1-3 injections.
Physiotherapeutic techniques are effective in combination with other treatment methods, such as: therapeutic baths (paraffin, mineral, radon, mud), massage, electro- and phonophoresis, magnetic therapy.
The complex of physical therapy is selected individually in each case, however, after performing any exercises, experts recommend taping. Taping is the application of an adhesive plaster or sports tape to the foot using a certain technique. There are several application options, but all of them are aimed at fixing the plantar fascia in an elongated state.
Comprehensive treatment of spurs may include the use of night orthoses. These are special devices that fix the leg at a right angle. As a result, the fascia will not fuse overnight with shortening. This method allows you to avoid morning pain or significantly reduce it.
If conservative methods do not help get rid of the problem, then it is necessary to resort to surgical treatment. During the operation, an incision is made in the area of the spur, the existing growth is removed, and the tissue is sutured.
A modern surgical method for getting rid of heel spurs is endoscopic dissection of the fascia. The procedure is performed using endoscopic equipment, thanks to which the incisions will be small - no more than 5 mm each. An endoscope is inserted into one incision and a surgical instrument into the other. The doctor cuts the fascia of the sole, relieving tension from it, and then removes the spur itself. In addition, it is possible to remove heel spurs under the control of an X-ray machine. It is worth noting that doctors rarely resort to surgical intervention.
Shock wave therapy for the treatment of heel spurs is recognized as a highly effective method to cope with the problem. To conduct the session, special equipment is used that emits shock sound waves. They have an effect on the affected area, reducing the susceptibility of pain receptors.
In addition, thanks to shock wave therapy, it is possible to loosen calcifications, relieve swelling, and speed up metabolic processes. This method significantly speeds up the patient's recovery. The duration of one session does not exceed 30 minutes. Between each procedure, 3 to 20 days should pass. From 5 to 7 procedures are recommended for one course.
Benefits of shock wave therapy for heel spurs:
The procedure does not produce any side effects;
The therapy is highly effective;
It becomes possible to avoid surgical intervention;
Gradual disintegration of calcifications;
Possibility of outpatient treatment;
Short duration of the procedure.
The disadvantages of the shock wave procedure in the treatment of spurs are only a few contraindications. Thus, the session cannot be performed for people under 18 years of age, during pregnancy, with hypotension, thrombophlebitis of the veins of the lower extremities, or with an exacerbation of any infectious diseases.
The effectiveness of treating heel spurs using this method reaches 90%. Shock wave therapy can act as an independent method of treating the disease. However, if desired, it can be combined with conservative therapy and other physical procedures.
Laser treatment is used when there is no effect from conservative therapy. Thanks to the laser beam, it is possible to reduce swelling, relieve inflammation and pain, and quickly restore damaged tissue. However, it will not be possible to remove a bone growth using a laser.
Treatment is carried out in courses, with no more than 10 procedures prescribed for the first course. They must be performed daily. After 2 weeks the course can be repeated.
Benefits of treating heel spurs with laser:
If the patient takes medications, their therapeutic effect will be enhanced;
There are no side effects;
The healing process will be accelerated;
The effect lasts for a long time;
There is no risk of developing an allergic reaction;
The procedure does not require hospitalization of the patient.
Disadvantages of treating heel spurs with laser:
It will not be possible to get rid of the bone growth;
Presence of contraindications (tumors, diabetes mellitus, heart and pulmonary failure, thyrotoxicosis).
Ultrasound treatment involves influencing the heel spur using ultrasonic waves emanating from a special device. This type of therapy helps relieve swelling and inflammation, as well as break up salt deposits.
The session is short in time and does not take more than half an hour. During the course it is necessary to undergo from 5 to 7 procedures, the interval between them should be at least a week.
Benefits of heel spur treatment with ultrasound:
Possibility of getting rid of bone growth;
No need for hospitalization.
Disadvantages of treating heel spurs with ultrasound:
The high price of the procedure, which is due to the need to purchase specialized equipment;
Presence of contraindications: cardiac dysfunction, hypotension, pregnancy, thrombophlebitis of the veins of the lower extremities, disorders of the nervous system.
X-ray therapy for heel spurs is carried out by exposing the problem area using X-rays. The spur is located in such a location that therapy can be carried out without harm to the entire body.
X-ray therapy is prescribed when other methods are ineffective. Using an X-ray machine, the doctor directs an X-ray beam to the heel, to the place where the bone growth is located. As a result of this effect, the nerve endings are blocked, so the person will no longer experience pain. The duration of one procedure is on average 10 minutes. The full course consists of 10 sessions.
Advantages of radiotherapy in the treatment of heel spurs:
To get rid of pain, 1 course is enough;
The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect is long lasting;
Treatment is carried out in an outpatient setting;
The impact is targeted, only on the affected area.
Disadvantages of radiotherapy in the treatment of heel spurs:
The presence of a potential risk to the patient’s health as a result of exposure to ionizing radiation;
The safety of the method has not been scientifically proven; long-term observation of patients who have undergone such therapy has not been carried out;
The presence of contraindications, including: carrying a child, the patient’s age over 40 years, exhaustion, any diseases in the stage of decompensation, blood diseases, radiation sickness.
Cryodestruction is a modern method for treating superficial formations, so this method is not suitable for the treatment of heel spurs. However, it can be successfully used to eliminate thorns on the heel. As a result, the patient will not have any scars, the procedure itself is carried out quickly, and the risk of relapse of the disease is reduced.
In conclusion, we can add that the development of the disease can be prevented if you get rid of flat feet and spinal diseases in a timely manner. The shoes that a person wears must be comfortable and orthopedic correctly selected. If symptoms of the disease occur, you should immediately seek advice from a specialist.
In the human musculoskeletal system, fascia plays a rather important role - a connective tissue membrane that forms unique cases for various muscle groups. Translated from Latin, the term fascia is translated as bandage, which quite accurately conveys its essence.
There are quite a few groups of fascia in the human body, but we will turn our attention to the plantar fascia, or rather to a fairly common disease associated with it - plantar fasciitis. This phrase will become a completely new term for many, but this disease has a more common popular name - heel spur, notorious to many, especially those who have overcome the 40-year mark.
The pathogenesis of heel spurs is quite complex. The main function of the plantar fascia is to support the longitudinal arch of the foot. Despite its modest size in comparison with the human body, in a standing position, about half the body weight is applied to it. That is, most of the time this fascia is under serious load. It is not surprising that the functioning of the plantar fascia is accompanied by constant microtears, which in a healthy state heal during rest.
But under certain conditions, regression of microtears does not occur properly, which leads to the occurrence of chronic aseptic inflammation, accompanied by quite noticeable pain. The body reacts to such a deviation by the appearance of marginal bone growths, which are called heel spurs because of their characteristic shape, which is quite clearly visible on x-rays.
Almost everyone is susceptible to the occurrence of plantar fasciitis and the further appearance of external bone growths on the heel. The list of prerequisites for the development of this problem is quite wide and everyone will find some of them in their lifestyle.
But at the age of up to 35-40 years, when such problems have not yet been observed, it is worth studying the following list very carefully in order to try to minimize the risk of this unpleasant disease.
The symptoms of plantar fasciitis, followed by the development of a heel spur, are quite bright and clearly defined. First of all, a person begins to experience pain in the heel area, which noticeably intensifies immediately after waking up and starting physical activity, as well as during physical activity. Secondly, a bone growth on the heel causes roughness and redness of the skin in this area, which is very clearly visualized.
These signs alone are the reason for consultation with a traumatologist, who prescribes an X-ray examination for diagnosis. The photographs clearly show heel spurs and in this case there cannot be a multi-valued interpretation.
Modern medicine does not offer effective ways to get rid of this problem. You cannot get rid of a bone growth on your heel. But at the same time, you can live with it quite comfortably, using a number of medications and traditional treatments that make walking easier and relieve pain, as well as procedures and devices to reduce the sensitivity of heel spurs. Let's look at them in separate groups.
When a heel spur is detected, doctors in most cases prescribe topical medications for external use - various creams, gels and patches. The most popular among them are:
Also, in the treatment of heel spurs with severe pain, local anesthetic drugs are used. The most commonly prescribed novocaine blockades are injection of the heel with Novocaine, or glucocorticosteroids, the injection of which is injected into the place with the greatest pain.
To relieve the symptoms of plantar fasciitis, doctors recommend a number of procedures aimed at relieving pain, swelling, inflammation and accelerating the regeneration of skin tissue. For their complex use, the ideal option is a resort holiday in specialized sanatoriums, where procedures can be carried out in the absence of physical activity.
Ultrasound therapy. A set of 15 five-minute sessions helps relieve spasm in the problem area, and also stimulates metabolic and recovery processes.
Baths with various minerals. They improve cellular nutrition processes that ensure the vital activity of tissue and organ cells. In most cases, such baths are prescribed for 10 20-minute sessions.
Laser therapy. This effect on the heel spur increases local blood circulation and reduces pain symptoms. Complex laser treatment involves 10 five-minute procedures.
Therapeutic gymnastics, which we will consider in detail below.
Photo: Josep Curto/Shutterstock.com
Gymnastics for plantar fasciitis is aimed primarily at eliminating problems with the plantar fascia. Thanks to a set of exercises, this tissue becomes more elastic, which removes the load from the heel, reducing the discomfort from heel spurs to a fairly serious level. Here are some examples of the most effective exercises:
In fact, there are many more exercises aimed at improving the functioning of the plantar fascia. But even these four will soon show good effect in reducing the symptoms of heel spurs.
Braces or orthoses to support the foot at night. By wearing them on the foot while you sleep, micro-tears in the plantar fascia heal in a non-compressed position, which allows them to be minimized the next day. For night orthoses, which are quite expensive, you can use felt boots or a thick sock, the tip of which is tied with a ribbon to the popliteal part of the leg. The main thing is that the angle between the foot and lower leg at night should be as close as possible to 90 degrees.
Orthopedic insoles and heel pads. These devices secure the foot in the correct position in the shoe, reducing stress on the plantar fascia and minimizing micro-tears. Both insoles and heel pads are made from special gel, silicone, felt, which, in addition to their orthopedic function, provide free access of air to the foot. The main thing when choosing these devices is the correct size. Therefore, you should purchase such insoles and heel supports only on the recommendation of a doctor.
Adhesive tape for taping. This process is also intended to ensure proper support of the foot, especially after performing physical therapy exercises. Taping involves properly wrapping the foot with tape, which prevents it from bending and unbending excessively. This fixation procedure is quite complex from the technical side of execution, so it is worth contacting a specialist for the first time, who is often a doctor or nurse.
The problem of plantar fasciitis has been known for a long time. And in folk medicine, many effective methods have been developed to relieve the symptoms of this disease and facilitate its course. Considering that heel spurs are diagnosed, according to statistics, in almost every tenth woman over 40 years of age, folk methods for treating heel spurs are known to many of our grandmothers.
One of the easiest ways to relieve pain from a heel spur is to immerse your foot in hot sand. The easiest way to do this is on the seashore, combining a pleasant holiday with therapeutic procedures. If this is not possible, then river sand can be heated in the oven and, placing a baking sheet on the floor, lower your feet into it. This will not only reduce pain, but also slow down inflammatory processes.
Medical alcohol also helps with heel spurs. It is heated to a temperature of 45 degrees and the sore leg is dipped in a container of alcohol for 15 minutes. This technique relieves inflammation and disinfects the treated area.
Propolis is used for plantar fasciitis. A piece of propolis is slightly heated and a plate is formed according to the size of the heel, applying it to the sore spot. It is secured on top with a sock or cloth bandage and left overnight. Flatbreads made from specially prepared dough are also effective for heel spurs. To make it you need to take vegetable oil and turpentine in equal quantities, as well as any flour. After kneading a tight dough, we make several cakes out of it, and one at a time, apply them to the heel overnight. Cover the top of the foot with a plastic bag and a warm sock, leaving it overnight. We repeat the procedure for five days. This method cannot be used by people with heart problems.
In general, the number of ways to treat heel spurs at home is in the dozens. And everyone who is familiar with this problem must choose for themselves how to treat a spur on the heel specifically for them. But the main thing is that heel spurs should not just be tolerated. You can live comfortably with her if you organize the right treatment.
How and with what to treat heel spurs with medication - in this article we will talk about all the possible methods and options for treating heel spurs with medications.
Treatment for heel spurs, or plantar fasciitis, should begin immediately. A delay will entail extremely unpleasant consequences for the patient, such as severe pain and complete immobility of the limb. In the early stages, traditional medicine can be used, sometimes they show good results. But what to do if the disease is advanced, or home treatment does not help?
Here is a medication regimen for treating heel spurs:
First, various anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drugs or patches are used, as well as the use of special medical equipment. Then, if the previous method did not help, a course of injections is used, and, as a last resort, surgical intervention is used.
Today we will look at all the methods of treating heel spurs with medications.
For heel spurs, anti-inflammatory and painkillers are prescribed. It should be remembered that such remedies only relieve inflammation and eliminate pain, but do not get rid of the cause itself. They should not be taken for a long time. If there is no improvement within a week, consult a doctor.
Diclofenac gel 5% has a powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Apply to the skin two to three times a day and rub in thoroughly. The dosage depends on the size of the affected area, but not more than two grams per single use.
Ibuprofen ointment is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Also refers to options for how to treat heel spurs with medication. A strip of ointment 5-10 cm long is applied to the heel and rubbed in with light movements until completely absorbed.
Napoxen gel 10% is applied 4-5 times a day to the inflamed area. Squeeze out a strip of gel approximately 1 cm long and rub it in with gentle movements.
Butadione ointment 5% is also used to relieve the symptoms of plantar fasciitis. Apply a thin layer of it to the sore spot (2-3 cm strip), but do not rub.
The total amount of indomethacin ointment used per day should not exceed 15 cm, squeezed out of the tube. It is applied in a thin layer to the sore spot, and only to undamaged areas of the skin.
Hydrocortisone ointment 1% is applied to the affected area 2-3 times a day and is more gentle than indomethacin.
Dimexide solution also refers to drugs suitable for getting rid of spurs, used externally. It is applied in the form of gauze applications soaked in it.
Tablets are used in the treatment of plantar fasciitis for the same purpose as ointments and gels from the previous section. Relieves inflammation and pain. You should only use tablets if, for some reason, topical medications are not suitable for you. Moreover, in this case the same drugs are used, only in a different form of release:
Therapeutic patch is perhaps the most pleasant way to treat plantar fasciitis. There are many active points on a person’s feet, and the patch, in its therapeutic effect, actively affects each one. Some types of patches already contain painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents; some require additional application. We also recommend patches with natural anesthetics, such as aconite root, gentian macrophylla, Chinese angelica and other similar natural remedies.
The patch is placed in the area of heel pain, on dry and clean skin and left for a day. The course of treatment is usually about two weeks.
Attention! This method of combating the disease is not suitable during pregnancy, as well as for people prone to allergic reactions.
A little about hardware methods and massage
This method can safely be attributed to the drug treatment of spurs on the legs. Its essence lies in the use of ultrasound to introduce drugs into soft tissues.
This method uses current of different frequencies to expand capillaries in inflamed tissues. After using this therapy, pain is reduced, the inflammatory process slows down and blood circulation increases.
These two methods are the most popular as physiotherapy methods for combating plantar fasciitis.
The method is new, and perhaps the most effective of the above. The shock wave affects the affected area, loosening calcium-salt deposits and reducing pain.
Massage, gymnastics and special exercises for heel spurs (of course, in combination with medications) can achieve tangible results. The basis of this massage is force. When removing a spur in this way, quite painful pressure is applied. Therefore, it is best to entrust the massage to a specialist.
more about massage for heel spurs on our website
How to treat a spur on the heel with medication if all of the above methods do not bring results? You will have to resort to the use of medicinal injections. This method is also called a blockade. To use it, you will definitely need the help of a qualified surgeon or orthopedist who has knowledge and experience in this field. It is necessary to correctly calculate both the depth of the injection and the dosage of the drug, which in this way will be delivered directly to the source of inflammation. For such injections, as a rule, the drug Diprospan is used, and since the injections are quite painful, an anesthetic is added to it. As practice shows, this method is much more effective than conventional means for external use.
Today we talked about medicinal ways to combat a disease such as plantar fasciitis. When used correctly, they should set the course of therapy in the right direction. But let’s make a reservation once again: if all of the above methods did not help, it means that the matter has taken a very serious turn, and surgical intervention is required.
Many people are interested in how to relieve heel spur pain. A heel spur is a bone growth that has formed in the heel area. According to statistics from orthopedists, most often such a growth appears in older people who do not lead an active lifestyle. In addition, risk factors include problems with excess weight, so it is better to get rid of excess weight, especially if the person is seriously obese. Flat feet also increase the risk of developing heel spurs. When a growth forms on the heel, a person feels pain similar to a toothache.
As soon as such symptoms appear, you need to go to the hospital to clarify the diagnosis and treat the problem. But you can eliminate pain at home. For this purpose, a large number of medicines and useful recipes have been created.
The most obvious method of eliminating heel spur pain is to use pharmaceutical medications. Nowadays, many painkillers have been developed and produced. For example, it is allowed to take any drug that was taken before to eliminate pain. In most cases, doctors recommend painkillers from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
For example, these include ibuprofen, nise, diclofenac, aspirin, voltaren, nimesil and others. In addition to the analgesic effect, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help reduce the level of permeability of blood vessels. This helps block pain and discomfort. In addition, thanks to them, swelling does not develop. The active substances in non-steroidal drugs have a beneficial effect on blood flow. Also, these substances are capable of blocking a certain group of substances in the human body, which are substances that activate inflammatory processes.
But it is better not to abuse drugs with an analgesic effect. Of course, like all medications, they have their contraindications and side effects. Firstly, the active substances in such preparations have a strong effect on the mucous membranes of the stomach and other digestive organs. Secondly, they can negatively affect the intestinal microflora.
If the pain in your heels is so severe that you cannot refuse the painkiller, then it is better to ask your doctor to relieve the pain with a heel injection. For this, novocaine blockade is prescribed. The doctor carefully punctures the area around the spur. Novocaine solution is used to block pain. In addition, in severe cases, the doctor may prescribe the use of glucocorticoids. In this case, the injection will need to be given in the most painful place on the heel.
If a person has a heel spur, then warming up can be done every day. The easiest method is to steam your feet in hot water before going to bed for half an hour. The water should not cool down, so it is better to add hot water. You can use contrast thermal massage, that is, first take a hot and then a cold bath, and alternate them. The legs should be kept in the basins for 10 seconds. Baths with soda solution will be very useful. For 3 liters of water you will need a spoon of soda. In addition, 8 drops of iodine should be added to the water. The procedure should last no more than 10 minutes, then your feet should be blotted with a towel. After this, the heel is additionally lubricated with iodine. The next morning, Vaseline is applied to the heel. This procedure should be performed 2 times a week.
You can mix valerian alcohol tincture (2 bottles), a little iodine, triple cologne and 5 pods of hot pepper. The product should be infused in a dark and cool place for 24 hours. Then they need to rub their heel before going to bed and warm it up in warm socks.
You can prepare a bath with regular table or sea salt.
You should take this bath for no more than 30 minutes. Then the feet are dried and wrapped in woolen socks. The procedure should be performed every day. The course of treatment is 30 days.
You can wipe a raw potato and apply the resulting pulp to the sore spot. They do the same with black radish. The course of treatment is 10 days. You can put fresh knotweed leaves in your shoes every day. The cabbage leaf is also kneaded, spread with honey and applied to the heel.
Heel spurs need to be treated using a variety of methods. To prevent pain from occurring, or if it has already appeared, it gradually disappears, you need to adhere to bed rest. Such a calm state for the leg will help not only cope with pain, but also recover faster, as inflammatory processes gradually decline.
If the pain is caused precisely by the presence of a bone growth, then you can place a special device under your leg, which has a notch in the place where the growth has formed. If there is no such special device, then you can make it yourself. For example, you will need a cotton wool roller. It should be tight. It should be sheathed and then turned into a ring. In a specialized store you can purchase orthopedic insoles just for this case. An under-heel device will help reduce stress on the center of the heel. Thanks to this effect, the osteophyte will stop irritating the tissues that are located nearby.
If you constantly use such a device or insole, the pain and inflammation will gradually disappear. There are even heel pads that can be glued into shoes. Insoles will help relieve stress on the heel, hip and knee joints. This will prevent the occurrence of fascial injuries, since the foot will be firmly fixed. It is best to choose insoles made of silicone. They help support the foot. In addition, they practically do not deteriorate. To choose an insole or heel support, you need to consult with an orthopedist.
Foot massage will help improve blood circulation in the legs, so that inflammatory processes will begin to subside, even if they were chronic. When a heel spur is just developing, you need to do special exercises every day. Therapeutic exercises also have a beneficial effect on blood circulation in the legs. Every day you should perform special exercises that will help stretch the fascia. This will not only make it more elastic, but also strengthen it. When a person sleeps, the plantar fascia can also be stretched. For this purpose, a special device is used - a night orthosis. He fixes the foot so that the plantar bend remains. Thanks to this, in the morning the foot may not hurt, which often happens with a heel spur.
You should definitely try to touch small objects with your toes, spin a bottle, play with balls and bags, rolling them under your foot. It is allowed to scatter salt and trample on it with bare feet. It can be preheated. Therapeutic exercises should be performed regularly and the remaining time should be devoted to this. In addition, all exercises can be done even while sitting in front of the TV.
A spur on the heel brings a lot of trouble, discomfort and discomfort to a person. Sometimes it begins to hurt not only when walking or active physical activity, but also when a person is in a calm state. To cure this disease, you need to go to the hospital. The doctor will find out the diagnosis, determine the causes and select the most optimal therapy. But you can get rid of pain on your own. For this purpose, many pharmaceutical medicines and traditional medicine have been created. Also suitable for the patient are massage, therapeutic exercises, warming up and other procedures that will allow the foot to rest and strengthen it.