If you experience pain in your heel that intensifies when walking or standing for a long time, you should not blame fatigue - the problem is more serious. The most likely cause of heel pain - a heel spur - has already been discussed on my website in the article “Heel spur - treatment, symptoms, causes.” Today we will talk about treating heel spurs with folk remedies.
Let me briefly recall the basic concepts of heel spurs.
A heel spur (as this disease is popularly called) does not form out of the blue. As a rule, these are the consequences of certain types of injuries or modifications of the plantar fascia, accompanied by inflammatory processes.
Plantar fasciitis is a serious disease, but still treatable. And along with traditional ones (massages, medications), procedures based on folk recipes can be carried out in parallel.
Before starting treatment for heel spurs with folk remedies, it would be worth starting to adhere to a special diet. Limit yourself in salty foods, drink plenty of fluids, watermelons and cucumbers are very useful, the rice diet is great for removing salts. But you shouldn’t get carried away with it; at the same time, potassium and magnesium are removed from the body. More details about rice cleansing can be found here.
There is no need to go far for folk remedies for the treatment of heel spurs - many of the ingredients used to create lotions, healing applications or compresses can be found at hand.
Nowadays it is difficult to imagine homes without indoor plants. And among the many decorative flowers, you will definitely find one or two pots with medicinal specimens.
It is necessary to cut a small leaf from the plant and make a notch in the form of a fine mesh on its back side with the tip of a knife. When the juice comes out abundantly, the leaf is applied to the sore spot, covered with a cotton napkin, and securely fixed on the leg. To be sure, you can also wear a light sock. It is better to apply the bandage at night, when the foot is at complete rest.
It has no less healing properties. Only before use, roadside sheets should be washed with warm water. All other actions correspond to those described above.
By the way, plantain can be safely replaced with sorrel leaves .
Lilac inflorescences can be prepared in advance and stored all year round in canvas bags. 4 tbsp. l of crushed color is poured with vodka (faceted glass). The jar is tightly closed, and the composition is infused for ten days. This remedy is used not only for rubbing sore spots - you can take 20-30 drops daily before meals.
Only in this case, they do not rub the sore heel with the tincture, but make an application on it from a gauze napkin soaked in the solution. The bandage should be applied at night once every 2 days, alternating applications with rubbing medical Vaseline .
These are the simplest methods of treating heel spurs with folk remedies, available to everyone. If anyone has their own ways to get rid of heel spurs at home, then you are welcome to the website alter-zdrav.ru in the comments, please share.
And finally, a video about very useful exercises for heel spurs:
The heel spur disease is associated with the formation of an outgrowth (from bone tissue), which forms in the area of the tubercle on the heel bone. Along the way, the process is accompanied by dystrophic and degenerative pathologies of nearby tissues.
The symptoms of this disease are caused by inflammatory processes, as well as high pressure from the growth on the surrounding tissues. They are expressed by burning and sharp pain that occurs when walking or standing. The pain syndrome is very intense when you begin to move your leg. Symptoms appear completely suddenly or develop over a long period of time. If measures are not taken, the pain progresses to persistent attacks.
For heel spurs, a comprehensive approach to healing is often used. It all comes down to the fact that first you need to eliminate the inflammatory and degenerative processes occurring in the soft tissues surrounding the growth. In addition, it is important to improve metabolic processes, preventing the accumulation of salts, and blood flow in the lower extremities. The beginning of the fight against the disease is accompanied by maximum relief of the heel from unnecessary pressure and action.
Today, a method called shock wave therapy is used quite successfully. This method is based on the action of acoustic waves, the frequency of which is much lower than the hearing threshold. UVT was first used in well-known clinics in Europe. All procedures were successful, and now the technique has come to our country. For each area of the body, the session does not exceed fifteen minutes. The therapeutic effect of shock waves is generated by many sources - from electromagnetic to pneumatic.
Heel laser treatment
Treatment for heel spurs is used in the form of laser therapy. This method is based on the use of laser radiation. In the body, when such light is absorbed, very important biochemical processes are activated, which leads to the renewal and restoration of cell functions. The procedures are absolutely painless, and sessions last a maximum of 15 minutes.
Heel spurs have been treated with electrophoresis for a long time. This effect allows the smallest particles of solutions to penetrate into the recesses and cracks of the skin, down to the smallest pores. Today, this phenomenon is used for physiotherapeutic purposes. This technique allows you to introduce small portions of medications into areas where there are problems with microcirculation of metabolic substances. The important effect of electrophoresis is achieved by influencing the most permeable parts of the body. The procedures do not involve any discomfort or pain; only gauze soaked in medications and an electrode are applied to the sore heel. A weak electric field facilitates the penetration of drug particles into the skin.
Mud treatment is a local method. Their positive effects are associated with mechanical and thermal properties, as well as with the special chemical composition and presence of biological substances. Mud applications in tandem with massages help achieve good results in the fight against the disease.
Heel spur hirudotherapy is used as part of a comprehensive treatment for this joint disease. As a rule, the course of use of this remedy is calculated individually. These procedures can improve your well-being, restore healthy sleep, and normalize your appetite. For patients suffering from joint diseases, leeches are prescribed for anti-inflammatory purposes, as well as to stimulate microcirculation and relieve pain.
Hirudotherapy for heel spurs
Heel spur treatment with leeches is accompanied by a burning sensation (similar to the intensity of a nettle burn or mosquito bite) in the patient when they are placed. Similar sensations may appear as the session continues. The bloodsuckers stay in the heel area from a few minutes to a whole hour. The time depends on the doctor's testimony. Often this time does not exceed twenty minutes. The wound may bleed even for about a day after the procedure, and this occurs most intensely in the first 12 hours. Bleeding after hirudotherapy generally determines the effect of the session.
After removing the leeches, the patient is given a sterile bandage consisting of several layers. Each of them is fixed with adhesive tape. The bandage should not be removed until the bleeding stops. After about 10-12 hours, it is removed, and the attachment site is cleaned with an antiseptic. If bleeding is intense, it is very important to apply a compression bandage and also contact your doctor.
Leeches for heel spurs at the end of the session can cause swelling, itching, temperature rise, and hyperemia of the wound. This is a normal reaction to the post-prenatal period. Itching can be eliminated with an iodine mesh or rubbing with an alcohol solution.
Heel pain can be caused by various reasons, and one of them is the development of a heel spur, or plantar fasciitis. The disease is accompanied by bone proliferation and inflammation.
Pain occurs due to constant trauma to the tissues surrounding the bone. The factors that provoke the formation of heel spurs, symptoms and treatment of fasciitis are described below.
A heel spur is a growth of bone tissue in the form of a spike in the area of the tubercle of the heel bone or near the Achilles tendon. Most often, the pathology is detected in middle-aged and elderly people, and the predisposition is higher in women.
The fascia of the sole (tendon plate - aponeurosis) is attached to the metatarsal bones and calcaneal tubercle, providing support for the arch of the foot. When a person stands, it bears the pressure of half the weight of the entire body, while the tissues in the area of attachment of the aponeurosis experience maximum stress.
Over time, microdamages may appear here, which usually regenerate on their own. But constant load and a number of other factors lead to inflammation and pain in the heel, against the background of which bone marginal outgrowths, or osteophytes, are formed, and a heel spur develops.
The main symptom of a heel spur is severe pain when walking and any pressure on the heel. It is caused by the impact of the bone growth on the adjacent tissues. The severity of pain depends not so much on the size of the growth, but on its location.
The closer the spur is to the nerve endings, the more intense the pain, even if the growth is small.
In the first stages, pain appears when walking and putting pressure on the heel, and later it occurs without any impact on the affected area. This is due to the fact that as the disease progresses, insoluble calcium salts accumulate in the injured tissues, which are partially scarred. They irritate tissues and provoke or intensify the inflammatory process in them.
At the initial stage of heel spurs, pain occurs sharply when supporting the heel, and it is especially severe in the morning after getting up or after any long, immobile rest.
This symptom is called starting pain, which subsides a little when walking during the day, and in the evening, as a result of prolonged exercise and accumulation of fatigue, it intensifies again.
Due to painful sensations, the gait changes - when walking, a person tries to involuntarily lean on the heel so as to reduce the intensity of the pain. In this case, the center of gravity most often shifts to the edge of the foot, which is why transverse flatfoot develops over time. The gait changes especially noticeably if heel spurs are present on both feet.
Heel pain is not always a sign of fasciitis and can occur in the case of Reiter's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Therefore, it is important to visit an orthopedist, surgeon, rheumatologist and undergo a full examination. An accurate diagnosis can be made by laboratory tests of blood and urine, an x-ray of the foot and an ultrasound examination.
The choice of treatment for heel spurs is determined by the stage of the lesion. The following can be used:
Drugs for the treatment of heel spurs:
In addition to therapeutic exercises and massage, the following physiotherapeutic procedures help reduce pain and improve the movement of blood and lymph in the foot:
You should also regularly use special orthopedic insoles. With a heel spur, they fix the foot, and the heel is in a slightly elevated position, which reduces the intensity of pain.
Indications for surgery are the ineffectiveness of drug treatment and severe pain. Surgical treatment gives a 100% result, but spur removal is resorted to in the most extreme cases.
Most heel spurs can be successfully treated without surgery.
Various methods are used to treat heel spurs at home, but they should not replace drug therapy prescribed by a doctor. The following are effective additional means:
In the folk treatment of heel spurs, they often use balm with golden mustache, baths with turpentine (3 tbsp per 5 liters of water) or a decoction of herbs such as wormwood, mallow, nettle and burdock, taken in equal parts (2 tbsp. mixture per 2 liters of water).
With a heel spur, the prognosis is favorable if treatment is started on time and prescribed by a specialist. Long-term development of fasciitis not only brings significant discomfort and pain into everyday life, sometimes with the need to remain in bed for up to 3-4 months or longer, but is also fraught with complications such as damage to nerve fibers, decreased mobility, and osteophyte chipping.
Prevention of heel spurs is as follows:
Plantar fasciitis (spur) is a problem that simply cannot be cured quickly. By and large, a spur should be understood as a bone growth in the form of a spike that forms on the heel.
The main and integral symptom of the disease is acute, sometimes excruciating pain, which increases significantly during physical activity or even slow walking.
It is noteworthy that heel spurs are gender specific and usually affect older women (from 40 years of age). Particularly severe pain when walking will be with a bilateral pathological process in the legs.
Quite often, such patients are forced to move only on crutches or with the help of a cane. People with heel spurs quickly get tired of walking in an awkward position and become nervous and irritable. This often reduces the patients’ performance and distracts their attention.
Doctors note that there can be many factors that cause fasciitis. However, the primary role in the formation of a spike on the heel is given to pronounced flat feet. Other reasons include:
The initial stages of the disease pass unnoticed by the patient and do not cause any discomfort. Often, a spur on the foot makes itself felt much later, causing severe pain while walking.
Patients usually compare this discomfort to the pain of a needle prick or sharp nail in the heels. It hurts most in the morning after waking up or sitting in one position for a long time.
For a differential diagnosis, it is enough for the doctor to interview the patient and palpate the affected area. In some cases, an X-ray photo or biochemical blood test may be required.
However, you should know that an x-ray will not show the early stages of fasciitis.
Not everyone knows how to get rid of heel spurs once and for all. Conventionally, all treatment methods can be divided into several groups.
To begin with, it is recommended to reduce the pressure on the affected feet; this will not immediately help get rid of the spur on the heel, however, it is the first step. You should wear orthopedic shoes, arch supports, half-insoles or insoles.
Heel pads specially configured for the anatomical features of the heel will be no less effective. Such devices allow you to remove part of the load from the sore heel and distribute it evenly throughout the foot.
They begin to be treated with medications and physical therapy. Typically, your doctor recommends using:
Therapy is supplemented with laser, foot baths and paraffin baths. In particularly difficult cases, one cannot do without the use of x-ray therapy, electrophoresis and a course of shock wave therapy for heel spurs. Such procedures expose bone growths on the foot to powerful effects.
If the patient is unable to bear the pain, emergency pain relief with a drug blockade is indicated. The essence of the procedure is local relief of discomfort through the administration of a large volume of medication. The procedure is extremely responsible, and the doctor who will perform it must be experienced.
In special cases, surgical intervention will be required. The operation is an extremely undesirable step, because it is not able to rid a person of spurs on the legs forever: it only fights its manifestations.
After surgery, there is a lot of damage left on the heel, which also takes a long time to heal.
In recent years, patients have increasingly begun to choose ultrasound treatment. During the procedure, the most painful points on the legs are heated, but not more than 2 degrees. This process actively restores damaged tissue and significantly speeds up the metabolism in the heel.
Ultrasound has an antispasmodic and absorbable effect, improves microcirculation in the problem area. The advantages of the method include:
Not all patients are indicated for such treatment. It is strictly prohibited in cases of pregnancy, low blood pressure, problems with heart rhythm, intoxication, and acute infectious diseases.
It is impossible to treat a spur on the legs in case of pronounced disorders of the nervous system, thrombophlebitis (in the presence of blood clots blocking the venous lumen).
During treatment, you should always monitor the patient’s health, because each body reacts differently to ultrasound. If there are disturbances in the general condition, then therapy is stopped.
Traditional treatment methods help get rid of fasciitis. They involve the use of various ointments and tinctures, the components of which are always on hand. A compress of May burdock, plantain or coltsfoot can eliminate discomfort and small spurs on the leg. The plants are applied overnight, and a warm sock is put on the foot.
There are other, no less effective ways:
It will also be useful to walk barefoot on the grass in the warm season. This is necessary to activate receptors and improve blood flow.
You can increase blood flow in the heel area and prevent bone growth with regular massage and foot exercises. In this case, sudden overloads of the feet should be avoided and work involving increased static and dynamic load on the legs should be limited.
Every person who is at risk of developing fasciitis should monitor their body weight and try to bring its indicators closer to normal. It is important to adhere to a daily routine and special dietary nutrition. This will not only have a beneficial effect on weight, but will also improve your metabolism.
For the purpose of prevention, it does not hurt to systematically and timely combat pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and the cardiovascular system.
Good shoes play an important role. You should choose models with a comfortable last, a stable heel and the right sole.
A heel spur is a sore, the treatment of which cannot be put off for a long time, because... she doesn't let me walk. Heel pain torments a person, forcing him to see a doctor or treat himself. Treatment of spurs on the heel with folk remedies is chosen very often, because there is no time, opportunity or desire to go to the clinic. Indeed, traditional medicine can help, but only for a while. Sooner or later you will still have to seek professional help.
We tried to collect the most effective folk remedies for heel spurs, which are available to every person at home. All methods are divided into conditional categories to make them easier to navigate.
Traditionally, we will start with herbs, because this is the most ancient method of treating various ailments. Previously, people had only plants at their disposal, so they had to study their properties in practice.
Its homeland is the Arabian Peninsula, but today aloe can be found in apartments on window sills. It is not particularly beautiful and is grown exclusively for medicinal purposes. Aloe juice can be used to disinfect wounds, rinse the mouth, take orally against ulcers, etc. It is also possible to treat heel spurs with its help.
You will need a five-year-old plant (not younger). We cut off a few leaves, grate them, and squeeze out the juice through cheesecloth. Add the same amount of alcohol there. Then you need to crush the aspirin and analgin tablets (1 tablet for every 100 g of the resulting mixture of aloe juice and alcohol). Add valerian tincture (0.5 bottles per 100 g of mixture), ground pepper (0.5 tsp per 100 g of mixture). We pour everything into a jar and leave it in the dark for 2 weeks. When the infusion is ready, soak gauze in it and apply it to the heel as a night compress. On top - cellophane and a warm sock. This is an excellent folk way to treat spurs on the foot. After 10-12 procedures it should resolve.
Burdock leaves contain esters, mucus, tannins and vitamin C. What is needed to treat spurs. The main properties of burdock: anti-inflammatory and wound healing. It normalizes blood circulation and relieves pain. Let's look at recipes with this plant.
The simplest way to use burdock for heel spurs is to fold a fresh leaf in 4 times, make small cuts so that it releases juice. Apply the juicy side to the heel and put on the sock. Replace the sheet with a fresh one when dry.
Suitable for those who have cracked heels. To do this, chop the burdock leaves into a paste, add a few drops of castor oil and make a compress. The oil will soften the skin and heal cracks.
Or Potentilla erecta. The root of the plant is used to treat heel spurs. Let's prepare a tincture for oral administration.
Mix everything and leave for 15 days. The container must be shaken daily. Take 50 g before bedtime. Galangal tincture for spurs has an anti-inflammatory effect and relieves heel pain.
You will need May young nettles. Scroll its sheets through a meat grinder or grind with a pestle. Apply the paste to gauze and make a night compress. It will tingle a little at first, but it will be more pleasant than painful. In addition to heel spurs, this recipe will also help with joint pain.
He is known to many as a fighter against warts. But celandine can also defeat heel spurs.
Let's prepare a simple mixture:
Mix and get something like an ointment. Apply to the heel, cover with cellophane and put on the sock overnight. In the morning, wash off with water. Helps not only against spurs, but also against corns.
This is a kind of grass with small leaves. Grows in swampy or simply damp areas. You can find it even in the city. Woodlice is used as a tincture for oral administration and as a compress.
1 tbsp. pour boiling water (0.5 l) over the herbs. After infusion, drink 100-150 ml 4 times a day. Sprinkle the remaining woodlice pulp with lemon juice and apply it to the heel as a compress overnight. If you are at home all day, then a compress with woodlice can be done in the morning. Each step will enhance the effect of the herb due to the release of juice.
Treatment of heel spurs with folk remedies based on herbs is as safe as possible. But make sure there is no allergic reaction.
If the plants did not help, people began to come up with other folk methods for treating foot spurs. Some food products were used.
We decided to attribute it not to plants, but specifically to products. Garlic has an irritating effect, which dilates capillaries and improves blood flow. This allows you to relieve inflammation and pain. Treatment of heel spurs with garlic is carried out externally, in the form of a compress. Let's prepare a mixture for him.
Grate 2 heads of garlic (not cloves, but whole heads) in the morning and pour a glass of vodka. Let it sit for a day, in the evening take the resulting pulp, put it on a bandage and apply it to the heel. On top there is cellophane and a sock. You should wear this compress for 1-2 days, but if the garlic smell becomes unbearable or you feel a burning sensation, you can remove it earlier. The effect occurs immediately, so garlic can be used in emergency cases when the pain is very severe.
Treating spurs with onions is also common and effective. Onion juice helps improve blood microcirculation and eliminate congestion. Preparing the mixture is even easier: grate the onion head and apply it as a compress overnight. The recipe will be even more effective if the foot is fixed at a right angle to the shin. This can be done using a bandage or a special orthopedic fixator.
Another product that has a pronounced irritant effect. Treatment of heel spurs with horseradish can be used in the summer season, when the plant ripens. Grate the fresh root and apply to the heel overnight. This recipe will be an alternative for those who do not like the smell of onions and garlic.
You need to grate one root vegetable directly with the skin and apply the pulp to the spur. Three procedures may be sufficient. Can be alternated with onion compresses.
Let's move on to less odorous ways to treat heel spurs. Let's prepare honey cake. Heat the honey in a water bath until it turns into water. Mix with flour and make cakes. We steam the foot and apply the dough to it so that it envelops the heel and its back. On top there is cellophane and a sock. Leave it overnight. For the spur to stop hurting, you will need at least 5-6 procedures.
Heel spurs can be treated with honey in another way: honey is mixed with sea salt (equal proportions). We make a night compress.
The fruits and leaves of this berry are excellent at removing salts that accumulate around the heel spur. Prepare the decoction according to the following recipe: 2 tbsp. leaves per glass of water. Brew for 15 minutes. Drink tea with honey instead. You can also add fresh berries or steamed lingonberries.
This product can be purchased at the store (only without added juice or salt). Whey is used to steam the legs, i.e. as baths. Heat 2-3 liters of whey over a fire and pour into a basin. Keep your feet there for 15-20 minutes. Then the feet are dried (no need to rinse with water), and compresses can be made.
This root vegetable is in every home and in any vegetable store. And it is very simple to prepare a medicine against heel spurs from it. You need to grate the washed potatoes (with peel) and apply to the heel overnight. During the day, you can pour natural potato starch into a sock and walk around like that all day. The spur goes away in 2 weeks.
Spur potatoes are used in another original way. Boil potato wedges and peel them in a saucepan. Drain the water, cool slightly, pour into a basin and knead the mixture with your feet while it is warm. Repeat once a week. By the way, mashed potatoes can then be used for compresses.
Cabbage leaf is usually used in combination with honey to treat spurs. You need to take medium leaves of fresh cabbage, mash them a little or cut them to extract juice. Then lubricate the same side with honey and apply to the heel. You can walk with this compress during the day or do it at night.
One of the most popular methods. Wash the raw chicken egg thoroughly with baking soda, put it in a glass jar and fill it with vinegar. Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator until the shells have dissolved. Then carefully remove the egg, remove the film and mash with a spoon. Add 10 drops of the same vinegar and 50 g of unsalted butter. This makes an excellent ointment that can be used in the morning to lubricate the heel.
The listed folk recipes for heel spurs are the most economical, because all the products used as components are inexpensive and can be found in every home.
Here we include all other substances that do not belong to plants or products.
In the 19th century, turpentine was used externally, as an injection, and even taken orally. Today it is used only for rubbing and compresses. It is good for treating non-healing wounds and internal sores. You can buy turpentine at a pharmacy.
Treatment of spurs with turpentine is carried out in the form of rubbing. The sore heel is rubbed with turpentine (it is better to use medical gloves and a gauze mask for this, since the substance is quite caustic). Then a cotton and wool sock is put on the foot. Turpentine compresses are made at night for 1-2 weeks.
Tar has a resolving effect, therefore it relieves swelling and inflammation caused by heel spurs. The recipe for it is as follows: spread a piece of black bread with birch tar (sold in a pharmacy) and wrap it around the spur overnight. We insulate ourselves as much as possible: cellophane, socks, blanket. Keep it on all night, and it is not recommended to get up. Course: week.
Human urine is also considered an effective remedy for getting rid of heel spurs. For treatment you will need your own urine or the urine of a child. Treating heel spurs with urine involves regular foot baths. To do this, you need to heat the urine in an enamel basin over a fire. Place your feet in there and sit until the bath cools down. The next day you need to take new urine (you can collect it during the day and take a bath in the evening). After the procedure, rinse your feet and wipe dry. The heels are ready for compresses.
Another non-standard remedy that also helps. Treating heel spurs with kerosene relieves swelling and congestion caused by plantar fasciitis. You will need:
First, dissolve the salt in ammonia, then add the mashed pepper and everything else. We use the resulting thick product for daily compresses. Keep it on for a couple of hours. Best done before bed.
To treat spurs, you should take Soviet laundry soap, which says 70% or 72%. You need to thoroughly soap a white linen cloth or burdock leaf and apply it to the heel. Keep the compress all night. Repeat every day for 2 weeks.
They say that with the help of medicinal bile (sold in pharmacies) you can cure a heel spur in just 3 nights. You need to mix bile with vodka and shampoo (proportions 4:2:1). Apply the mixture to steamed legs. Place a bandage on top and put on a sock. You should not cover the bile compress with cellophane. The first procedure will bring relief (pain will go away), and after 3 compresses you will be able to not only walk calmly, but also run.
Or bischofite salt. This is a natural mineral that effectively treats sore joints and chronic inflammatory diseases of the bone system. Bischofite also helps with heel spurs. It is available in the form of a solution or ointment (gel). It will be much more convenient to buy ointment and apply it to your heels. The product can not only relieve inflammation, but also relieve pain.
The second way: buy a solution, soak gauze in it, and apply it to the heel. Then turn on the blue lamp and warm the foot for 10 minutes. After this, immediately put on socks and hide your feet under the blanket. Sleep at night with a bischofite compress, and the next morning lubricate your feet with bischofite gel.
Used as an aid in preparing various recipes for heel spurs. But treatment of spurs with alcohol is possible without additional ingredients. You need to heat a liter of alcohol in a frying pan, pour it into a basin and lower your feet there. There is no need to wipe your feet after the bath. Just rub them with your hands until the alcohol is completely absorbed and put on socks to keep warm.
Attention! Alcohol is highly flammable, so proceed with extreme caution! For safety reasons, this method is more often used in the village (dacha), heating alcohol over a fire on the street.
Fold the chocolate foil 2-4 times and place it under the heel. Make sure there are no sharp corners that could rub or even cut the skin. You need to walk like this all day. To prevent the foil from moving, you can secure it with adhesive tape. Foil is aluminum that helps relieve pain from heel spurs. Copper coins can be used similarly: they are placed under the heel not only by students, but also by people suffering from heel spurs.
Now you know how to treat heel spurs at home using folk remedies, and you can help yourself or your loved ones. It is impossible to talk about one hundred percent effectiveness of one method or another, because something different suits each person. You can combine some methods: for example, make a bath of urine or alcohol, then apply a honey or kerosene compress, and in the morning, smear your heels with Bischofite ointment and drink lingonberry decoction. Or stop at one option that is most acceptable to you and try it. In any case, practically nothing will help at once. You need to carry out at least 3-5 procedures to feel the effect. Otherwise, you can choose another way to treat heel spurs with folk remedies.
Many patients are concerned about the question of how to get rid of heel spurs. After all, this disease brings a lot of inconvenience, it causes discomfort when walking, and it becomes more difficult to lead a normal lifestyle. There are several types of treatment for a thorn on the heel that will quickly and effectively help eliminate the disease. First you need to know what a heel spur is and how to get rid of it.
Plantar fasciitis (heel spur) is a pathology characterized by the appearance of a small bone growth in the heel area, which causes pain and discomfort. Most often, this disease affects women over 40 years of age.
Causes of heel spikes:
Throughout the day, our feet bear a huge load and because of this, small cracks often form in the heel fascia, which heal quickly. But it happens that microtraumas do not have time to heal, then the tissues of the foot become inflamed, and pain appears, because of which patients suffer and wonder how to get rid of heel spurs forever.
The main symptom of heel spurs is pain. It appears with high loads on the heel, and also intensifies in the morning, immediately after waking up, then subsides, and appears again in the evening. The discomfort is usually described as feeling like a nail has been stuck into the heel. The disease often leads to lameness and changes in gait; in advanced cases, when both legs are affected, a person cannot walk, swelling and calluses appear.
At the first manifestations of the disease, it is recommended to consult an orthopedist. To clarify the diagnosis, a foot examination is performed. Feeling it will cause discomfort. You may need to do an x-ray or ultrasound to rule out other diseases with similar symptoms (gout, arthritis, rheumatism).
There are several ways to get rid of spurs on the feet: using folk recipes, conservative therapy and surgery. The latter is used when treatment with other methods has not produced any results within six months.
The main methods of conservative removal of heel spurs:
It is recommended to treat diseases only after consulting a doctor; he will be the one who will answer how to quickly get rid of a spur in the heel. If the cause of fasciitis is any internal disease, then it is necessary first of all to eliminate it.
Traditional medicine recipes are used at different stages of the disease. With their help, at the initial stage of development of the disease, they relieve pain and inflammation, alleviate symptoms and eliminate the spur itself. In advanced forms of the disease, home therapy lasts longer and is prescribed to enhance the effectiveness of treatment.
Traditional methods of getting rid of fasciitis are divided into three groups:
You can get rid of heel spurs using folk remedies using regular iodine. It provides blood flow, warms, and removes toxic substances.
Massage with potatoes is a great way to get rid of spurs on your feet. To carry it out, you need to boil several small root vegetables and their peelings, cool slightly to a tolerable temperature and knead with your feet until they cool completely. After this, wipe your feet, apply iodine net to them and put on warm socks. The effectiveness of the procedure will increase if you salt the vegetables. Massage improves blood circulation, reduces swelling and relieves pain.
Mix 50 ml of ammonia and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, soak a cotton pad or bandage in the resulting mixture, apply to the sore area for 30 minutes, keep the leg warm after application. This type of treatment is used daily for 3-4 weeks. It relieves pain and inflammation.
At any stage of the disease, you can get rid of heel spurs at home using salt baths. For 1 liter of hot water there should be 50-100 g of sea or table salt. Dip your feet into the resulting solution and hold them until the water cools down. After the procedure, you can apply a compress to your feet, wrap them in a blanket or put on a warm sock. This treatment is carried out daily until swelling and pain are relieved.
Garlic compress helps get rid of heel spurs quickly and permanently. To prepare, you need to rub half a head of garlic, spread the resulting mass over a gauze bandage and apply it to the inflamed leg. This compress is used for no longer than 4 hours; a slight tingling or tingling sensation may occur; if the sensation becomes unpleasant and very strong, the product must be thoroughly rinsed with warm water. Garlic disinfects, softens the skin, and relieves inflammation.
Treatment with a compress of May nettle is very effective. To do this, you will need to grind fresh leaves in a blender or meat grinder, put the resulting pulp on a burdock leaf and apply it at least at night, or better yet, wear it around the clock. This technique eliminates heel spurs in 7-10 days.
A lotion in the form of a burdock or coltsfoot leaf does not give such a quick effect, but can also be used as a round-the-clock treatment for a spur on the leg.
Apply a cake of honey and flour to the previously cleaned and steamed skin of the foot. To prepare it, you need to mix the ingredients in equal proportions. Wrap the compress in cellophane, wrap it in a blanket or put a sock on top. Leave it on all night. To eliminate the symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to conduct sessions every evening for 10 days.
Grate the unpeeled radish on a fine grater and apply the resulting juice overnight. It is recommended to wear a warm sock over the compress. The next morning, wash your feet with warm water. To get rid of heel spurs, 3-5 procedures are usually enough.
To prepare the rub you will need: 1 bottle of triple cologne, 2 bottles of a liquid solution of valerian and iodine, 5 pieces of hot pepper. Mix all ingredients thoroughly and let it brew for 24 hours in a cool, dark place. The resulting mixture is applied to the sore heel twice a day every day until the symptoms of the disease disappear.
Many patients are interested in whether it is possible to permanently cure a heel spur. Yes, if you follow all the doctor’s instructions and also take care of the health of your feet: wear comfortable shoes, walk barefoot on rocky or sandy surfaces, and also monitor the general condition of the body, avoiding diseases that provoke the appearance of bone growths.
If you notice the first signs of plantar fasciitis, consult a doctor. It is he who will give recommendations on how to get rid of heel spurs. Depending on the stage of the disease, methods to eliminate the disease are prescribed. But at any stage of the disease’s development, it is better to supplement treatment with the help of folk recipes, the ingredients for which are always available and at hand. Follow the instructions of a specialist and you will soon cure this unpleasant disease.
If the symptoms of a heel spur become too severe, they need to be blocked. Injections are prescribed in the area of the heel spur, usually hormonal drugs. Such injections are effective due to instant pain relief and inflammation.
Some people refuse to take injections for spurs, despite the fact that they create a long-lasting pain relief effect. The reason for this is severe pain during the procedure. It is worth noting that the injection from the spurs itself is given in less than 60 seconds and the sensation that a person feels during this time is nothing in comparison with the pain felt with each emphasis on the leg.
It is impossible to carry out this procedure on your own, since you need to know exactly the name of the drug and determine where to inject it so that the injection for spurs gives the desired result. It may seem that blocking heel spurs is as simple as injecting a muscle. But it is not so. You don't just need to stick a needle in and inject the medicine. To find out where to insert the needle, an x-ray is first taken.
But even if the point where the medicine should be injected becomes known, you should not carry out this procedure yourself. A heel spur block can only be performed by an experienced specialist, as it is a fairly complex injection. The result will depend not so much on the injection itself, but on the actions of the doctor. The injection for spurs should be given to the point that hurts the most.
The meaning of the procedure itself is to relieve pain and stop the inflammatory process. To do this, select the most painful place; as a rule, it is located above the bone growth. The injection for a heel spur is a little more difficult to place than for the buttock muscle. This is due to the high density of the fabric and a thick layer of leather.
Particular attention should be paid to ensure that the needle hits the most painful point, as the spur causes unbearable pain. If the injection gets into another area, the blockade will not be effective; the drug will spread throughout the tissues around the spur, without achieving the desired result.
If the heel injection is done incorrectly, it can lead to:
If the injection is done correctly, pain and inflammation will instantly decrease - the result will be noticeable after the first procedure.
If long-term treatment of spurs does not produce results, and the pain intensifies, a blockade is prescribed. In addition to the positive aspects, the blockade can cause some complications.
Main complications during blockade:
These complications are associated with a violation of the integrity of the fascia, and do not depend on the chosen drug.
After the heel injection is given and the block is found to be effective, the patient should follow some recommendations for a speedy recovery:
First of all, for heel spurs, injections cannot be given if there is an intolerance to the drug itself or its components.
Injections are given with caution in the following diseases:
Some of the main medications for heel spurs are:
A drug belonging to the group of glucocorticosteroids, the main active ingredient is betamethasone. For treatment, a suspension or injection is used. After the first injection of Diprospan in the heel, pain quickly decreases or completely stops. The course of treatment and results depend on how successfully the drug is administered. One injection is enough for one patient, while another may need two or three procedures.
Hydrocortisone is a hormone of the adrenal cortex. For a pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, several injections are prescribed in the heel, which are given at certain intervals. This drug has a cumulative effect.
To summarize, it cannot be said that blockade for heel spurs is a definite treatment. In addition to the positive effects, many contraindications and various complications are identified. As a result, it cannot be said that the blockade method is frequently used or very popular. When deciding to use a blockade, you should take into account all the recommendations of specialists. Only in this case the period of remission and the duration of the effect will last a long time.