A heel spur is a very painful, unpleasant phenomenon that interferes with the usual and active lifestyle of everyday life. Fortunately, this disease can be treated. Let's try to understand what is needed for this and how to prevent this painful phenomenon.
Those who have ever experienced these painful sensations know that even radical painkillers sometimes do not help in the acute stage of heel disease. In this case, make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible; here you need an accurate diagnosis and advice on treating the disease.
According to statistics, pain in the heel area occurs in every tenth person. We used to call this inflammation a heel spur, but this is not entirely true. The reason lies in a disease called plantar fasciitis, this is a violation of the structure of the foot, which is located at the phalanges of the toes and at the heel bone, forming the longitudinal calcaneal arch. When the fascia located in the heel part ruptures, inflammation begins and the structure shortens.
With the first steps in the morning, the fascia tears again, hence the pain. Subsequent steps help to stretch it, so the pain becomes less. But, with prolonged walking or stress on the heel, we again experience pain with renewed vigor. Due to constant cracking and tearing, tissue degeneration, it grows, forming compactions. Tissue that is constantly injured accumulates calcium, which provokes the appearance of scars that ossify, gradually transforming into a hard growth, which is called a spur.
If you do not treat the disease, it only gets worse, therefore, at the first symptoms, you should take action and consult a doctor.
The symptoms of this disease are quite striking, and it is difficult to call it invisible; it is pain in the heel, especially after a person has been in a lying or sitting position for a long time. When standing on a sore heel, severe and pronounced pain occurs, which prevents one from stepping on the entire heel surface, and the person is forced to limp. Particularly painful sensations appear towards the end of the day.
Almost all people are susceptible to the disease, but there are a number of factors that provoke this disease.
For greater effect, heel spurs are treated comprehensively. This includes medications, in the form of tablets and ointments, that will help relieve inflammation and relieve pain. If the pain is too great and there is no way to endure it, botulinum toxin is recommended in the form of an injection into the tendon tissue. This will relieve the heel pain for a while.
Methods traditionally used for heel spurs:
Some measures should also be followed for more effective treatment:
Traditional treatment is of great importance in the complex of measures to eliminate the disease, so the variety of remedies invented and tested from our own experience by our inventive people is huge. But, everything is in order.
There are several ways to treat the disease:
Among the large number of medications, there is its own classification:
Alternative medicine knows many ways, but before you start casting spells and preparing all kinds of tinctures, ointments and decoctions, consult your doctor. Many folk healing methods are based on herbal remedies or other natural remedies, when exposed to which an allergic reaction may occur, or your body may not accept certain components.
Here are some of the most effective home therapy treatments:
Steaming your legs with a strong saline solution
Onion and garlic lotion
Carefully study the contraindications to avoid causing unwanted side effects.
Remedies made and used at home can be combined well with other therapies; this will speed up the process, overcome pain, and quickly get rid of painful growths.
Video about wise folk unconventional methods of healing sore heels. Advice from our grandmothers
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 components of a spur are newly formed bone tissue, a characteristic feature of which is the presence of signs of chronic inflammation. The soft tissues located above the spur often have a mucous bursa formed as a result of its presence.
Heel spur (plantar fasciitis, plantar fasciitis) is a foot disease that is manifested by inflammation of the aponeurosis that supports the longitudinal arch of the foot, and the resulting formation of a bony protrusion on the heel. Inflammation often affects the surrounding soft tissue, periosteum and mucous bursae.
A heel spur can be recognized by severe pain in the heel, especially in the morning. During the day the pain subsides, but in the evening it becomes even stronger.
The plantar fascia is a fibrous tissue, a ligament that connects the heel bone to the heads of the metatarsal bones. It supports the longitudinal arch of the foot. During walking and running, the tissues of the plantar fascia experience the greatest tension precisely at the site of its attachment to the heel tubercle.
With injuries, or heavy weight, or too intense loads, athletes experience microscopic tears. At first, they grow together on their own, but with constant negative influence, non-infectious inflammation of the fascia begins, as well as nearby bone tissue, and it grows, forming spines.
That is, a heel spur is an overgrowth of the plantar fascia due to inflammatory-degenerative processes, trauma, etc., and the disease is called plantar fasciitis.
Anyone who has had inflammation of the plantar fascia knows that in the morning, when you try to step on your heel, you get the feeling that a nail has been driven into it - the pain is so acute. Because overnight, the tissue destroyed by inflammation begins to recover, and when you try to stand on your feet with your entire body weight, micro-tears in the tissue again occur and inflammation with pain occurs.
Every year, more than 2 million people are forced to seek treatment for heel spurs, and 70-80% of them are women, often city residents over the age of 40. Doctors identify several main reasons for the appearance of spurs on the heel:
The photo shows a heel spur on the heel in its early stages, showing a normal foot with a small white spot in the center. This is a heel spur or thorn.
As the disease progresses, the thorn grows, increases in size and can reach 0.5-2 cm in diameter. The length of the growth in the later stages can be more than 2 cm.
Usually, with a large spur, you can distinguish keratinized areas of skin around it and signs of inflammation: redness or bluishness of the heel.
In essence, a heel spur looks like a small, but nevertheless very unpleasant, pointed growth on the sole of the foot and is an osteophyte (bone growth) on the surface of the heel bone. This growth acts as a thorn and, when loaded, compresses the soft tissues of the foot.
A person with a heel spur changes their gait. He steps on the toe and outside of the foot, protecting the heel from stress. In some cases it is necessary to use canes or crutches.
If the disease is not treated when the first signs are detected, the process worsens and additional symptoms of a spur appear:
Attention! Pain in the foot area does not necessarily indicate the presence of spurs on the legs. To make a timely correct diagnosis, you must consult a doctor. After all, only a specialist can rule out diseases such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or Reiter's syndrome.
To treat a heel spur, you need to see a podiatrist. He will prescribe orthopedic products that help with walking (special insoles), medications, and, if necessary, refer the patient for treatment with the shock wave method. You can also contact an osteopath or rheumatologist. For overweight people, consultation with an endocrinologist or nutritionist will be useful.
Examination, as a rule, does not detect visible changes caused by inflammation in the area of the plantar heel spur. A thick layer of soft tissue makes it impossible to palpate it, but palpation reveals pain that occurs when pressure is applied to the heel from the plantar region. A posterior heel spur sometimes manifests itself in the form of callus of the skin and the appearance of edema, localized on the side of the attachment of the Achilles tendon to the heel bone.
In most cases, the following is prescribed:
Before treating a heel spur, you need to make sure that it is a heel spur, as there is a wide range of diseases that cause heel pain. It is the orthopedic doctor or traumatologist who will be able to correctly establish the diagnosis.
Modern medicine offers several methods of treating the disease:
The first thing to do when your plantar fascia is inflamed is to choose the right shoes. Without this, there is no point in starting treatment at all.
Insoles and heel pads are an important component in the complex treatment of spurs. Their functions:
See an orthopedist. He will study all the features of your foot, weight and degree of development of the disease and select the necessary model for you.
Most often, doctors recommend taking non-steroidal painkillers to relieve pain. In addition to the analgesic effect, they reduce the permeability of blood vessels and block the development of swelling. But it should be remembered that, like any medicine, they should not be abused so as not to cause side effects.
Prescribed for local use in the form of ointments, creams, gels: butadione, ketorol, piroxicam. Medicines have a pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect: when administered enterally (tablets, capsules) and parenterally (solutions for injections).
Non-selective drugs are used: diclofenac, ibuprofen, and selective drugs (nimesulide, movalis).
For heel spurs, they are prescribed for pain relief, normalization of metabolism, prevention of infection, and reduction of the inflammatory reaction. Dimexide gel and medical bile are used as a compress on the heel for 12-24 hours.
External injection therapy is used to quickly relieve pain.
To treat heel spurs, it is possible to use patches containing herbal anti-inflammatory and analgesic components.
It should be noted that such patches are not a remedy recommended by official medicine, however, many patients recognize the positive effect of their use.
Physiotherapeutic procedures alleviate the patient's condition and reduce pain: laser therapy, electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, mineral baths, and the use of high-frequency waves.
Therapeutic massage is recommended by an orthopedist. Mobility of the feet and elasticity of the ligaments are important to prevent blood stagnation and reduce the risk of injury.
Exercise therapy acts on heel spurs by strengthening the calf muscles and foot muscles, which actually eliminates pain and increases periods of remission, while NSAIDs and hormones only suppress pain symptoms, causing damage to health.
The shock wave technique eliminates inflammation and improves metabolic processes in the bone. As a result of treatment, calcium deposits are loosened, which are then washed out with the bloodstream. Bone tissue regeneration occurs more intensively. The pain becomes less pronounced after each procedure. Small spurs on the heels are completely eliminated.
Treatment is prescribed on an outpatient basis with a course of up to 8 procedures lasting 10-30 minutes.
Does not apply when:
No less popular among the people is the Vitafon device, which helps accelerate lymph flow in inflamed tissues and improves the process of cell regeneration. The device is used to treat many ailments, so it can often be found in home medicine cabinets. The course of treatment usually does not exceed ten days, the duration of the procedure is from 30 to 40 minutes.
Currently, low-level laser therapy is a popular and widely used method of treating this disease. Laser therapy targets the soft tissue around the spur. Focused radiation causes an increase in blood circulation in the area of inflammation, which helps reduce pain.
Heel spur removal is prescribed in rare cases:
Then, using a chisel, the growth and, if necessary, all the affected tissue next to it are removed. However, conservative treatment methods are most often used.
Even non-doctors understand that it is impossible to cure a spur in a day or two, except perhaps in an operating room. But long-term and persistent use of home treatment will definitely yield results!
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.
Preventive measures must be observed by persons who are predisposed to the formation of spurs on the heels.
Prevention of heel spurs includes:
Do not forget about preventive exercises, thanks to which you can avoid the appearance of spurs. It is advisable to walk barefoot whenever possible, stomp on your toes, on the outer or inner part of the foot. You can also take foot baths by adding baking soda, soap, salt or essential oils.
Hello, dear readers! Problems with legs bother many people, because this part of the body is undeservedly forgotten in daily care, but experiences enormous stress when walking. And if you are interested in treating heel spurs at home using folk remedies, it means that your feet have failed you and are making you feel pain with every step.
The disease is quite common, but very unpleasant and requires quick treatment, since in advanced cases it simply will not allow you to step on your foot. Therefore, let's find out how to identify the problem at an early stage, the main factors causing inflammation, and how to treat a sore foot at home using simple methods.
I note that I know the problem firsthand - my grandmother suffered from such a disease, but she knew how to dull the pain and reduce inflammation in time. But her friend had developed such a spur that during exacerbations she could only move on crutches or lie down all day. Therefore, I do not advise you to endure pain and hope for a miracle - at the first symptoms, we get down to business!
Treatment of heel spurs at home with folk remedies is quite possible; many patients with experience note that folk recipes can remove inflammation in just 2-3 sessions, while conservative treatment is delayed for weeks.
But I’m not saying that you need to run away from doctors and self-medicate. On the contrary, it is important to visit a specialist and make the correct diagnosis (sometimes you can confuse a spur with other ailments, for example, a plantar wart, osteomyelitis, gout, or ankylosing spondylitis). And only after this, begin complex treatment, supplementing physiotherapy and medications with homemade compresses, poultices and baths.
The symptoms of the disease are quite characteristic and are known to many, among them the most striking:
The causes of spurs on the heels can be different, more often elderly people suffer from this disease, much less often middle-aged people, but in children the incidence, fortunately, is minimal. Most often the disease is caused by the following factors:
As a result of one or more factors, the delicate plantar ligament connecting the metatarsals and heel bone becomes injured. As they grow together, scars are formed that are gradually filled with calcium, and a so-called “spike” of salts of this mineral is formed in the area under the heel, which doctors call plantar or plantar fasciitis.
An examination by an experienced doctor and additional diagnostics, which include:
During these studies, it is possible not only to determine the diagnosis, but also to establish the severity and cause of the disease, and suggest how to treat this particular type of disease.
Conservative treatment of heel spurs is aimed at reducing pain and inflammation with the help of medications and special procedures. As a rule, doctors prescribe:
Treatment of the disease with old, time-tested folk remedies is no less effective. The good news is that the procedures are easy to carry out at home, in your free time and without having to go to the clinic, which is an important argument for sore legs!
I offer you a selection of recipes that my mother and her friends tried on themselves, who personally fought against heel spurs and shared with me their secrets on how to get rid of the disease forever:
For my mother, iodine turned out to be the most effective way. She poured it into a cap, which she placed in a disposable plate. Then I dipped my heel in iodine and watched a movie. And so on for several evenings. The heels, of course, were dark in color from the iodine, then the skin began to peel off, but, as if by magic, everything went away. And now, more than two years since then, she has not been bothered by pain.
The only addition is that it is better to carry out such procedures in the cold season. Otherwise, imagine how you will flaunt yourself in sandals with such heels!
Fortunately, some preventive measures can help prevent heel spurs, which is important if you are at risk. For example, due to your type of work, you walk a lot in heels or stand for a long time, or you are overweight.
To avoid the onset of illness, it is recommended:
Treating a heel spur at home with folk remedies will take more than one day, so do not despair if the first few procedures did not have the desired effect - after all, the disease did not appear in a day! Have patience, believe in luck and everything will work out. Subscribe to the blog, share the article with friends suffering from heel spurs, and don’t forget to visit our website, because we are working for you!
Heel spur is the popular name for an inflammatory-degenerative process in the soft tissues surrounding the heel tubercle. The heel spur itself is not a separate disease; it is a syndrome that occurs in certain pathological conditions. Its essence lies in the growth of bone tissue of the heel bone.
The growth has a clearly defined localization - the plantar surface of the heel bone, in the area of attachment of the long ligament of the foot. The size of the growth can vary within small limits, and the shape resembles a spur.
The causes may be infection, acute or chronic injury, rheumatism, longitudinal flat feet, vascular disorders, which over the years turn into bone growths resembling a beak or a thorn. Heel spurs are most common in middle-aged and elderly people.
In this article we will look at how to cure heel spurs, that is, which treatment methods will be the most effective and fastest. Reviews of successful therapy can be read in the comments.
Why does a heel spur develop and what is it? The formation of a spur on the heel bone begins with the onset of plantar fasciitis. First, the fascia, the connective tissue of the sole, which is located near the heel tubercle and reaches the toes, becomes inflamed. Then, if the process is delayed, calcification occurs - impregnation of the inflamed area with calcium salts. This is how an osteophyte is formed, which, due to its characteristic appearance, is popularly called a “spur.”
Provoking factors that contribute to the development of spurs on the heel:
There is often no apparent reason for heel spurs, especially in older people. A common misconception is that pain is related to a bony growth on the heel bone or “spur.” Many people have heel bone spurs, but not everyone develops fascial inflammation.
When a heel spur occurs, the main symptom is severe pain in the heel. People describe the pain as boring, stabbing, or burning.
It is permanent, but its intensity can change throughout the day, increasing or decreasing. In some patients, the pain may be most severe in the morning and decrease with exercise. Other patients note an increase in pain closer to night, after being on their feet for a long time. Sometimes, pain can spread to the entire foot.
Due to constant, sometimes excruciating pain, a person’s gait changes. This happens due to the fact that a woman or a man spares the sore heel and tries to step on the entire foot when walking.
We offer detailed photos for viewing of what a heel spur looks like.
Treatment of heel spurs should be comprehensive and carried out in several directions at once.
There are several ways to get rid of heel spurs: non-drug methods, medicinal methods, physical therapy and therapeutic exercises, as well as surgical treatment. Let's look at these methods in more detail.
When the first symptom of a heel spur appears, treatment is necessary. As a rule, tissues such as “ligaments” and “fascia” heal rather slowly. It may take several months for the pain to completely disappear. However, the following procedures may help speed up recovery.
A combination of different heel spur treatments at home may help. Collectively, these procedures are known as conservative treatments for plantar fasciitis.
In addition to the methods described above, it is important to wear shoes with special orthopedic insoles and heel pads. Thanks to such accessories, the load on the feet will be distributed evenly, which will relieve pain.
If the appearance of heel spurs is based on any ailment, then it is necessary not only to directly treat the heel spur, but also to undergo a course of treatment for the underlying disease.
Injections of glucocorticosteroids into the location of the spur. Injections of diprospan and flosterone are most effective. The method is as follows: the drug is injected at the point of greatest pain, as a result the pain syndrome is relieved, inflammation is reduced, and the accumulation of calcium salts is gradually resolved.
In some cases, 1-2 repeated injections will be required. Only an experienced specialist should carry out the procedure, since it is necessary to accurately determine the amount of drugs, as well as the location and depth of their administration.
Exposure to the source of inflammation using x-ray radiation. For the same purpose, high frequency currents (UHF), laser therapy, and magnetic therapy are used.
The method of shock wave therapy for this disease was developed by Swiss doctors more than ten years ago. Today, this is the most effective way to cure heel spurs, which has a minimum of side effects, and its effectiveness is 85%.
Benefits of shock wave therapy:
Main contraindications for UVT:
Under the influence of ultrasonic pulses, calcium deposits are “broken” into tiny particles, which are removed from the patient’s body through the bloodstream. At the same time, shock wave therapy activates the process of soft tissue regeneration, reducing inflammation and swelling.
The use of shock wave therapy at the initial stage allows you to completely remove the heel spur. Using the technique in advanced cases relieves inflammation, inhibits or completely stops the growth process of calcium buildup.
Along with medications, folk remedies that can easily be prepared independently at home also work well for heel spurs.
Since among traditional medicine recipes there are many tips on how to get rid of heel spurs, we will consider only the most effective:
Perhaps folk remedies will help in treating heel spurs at home, but still the best option is to use them in combination with physiotherapeutic and medicinal methods prescribed by a specialist.
If a heel spur appears, you should consult an orthopedist. He will not only recommend medications to relieve inflammation, but will also help you choose special insoles and other devices to make walking easier.