“Can heel spurs be corrected by a chiropractor?”
Can a chiropractor help in treating heel spurs? If yes, how does treatment work?
21 Answers
This is a difficult problem, and the answer is: it depends. It depends on the size, cause, and time frame of the heel spur. Is the spur the problem, or is it the pain caused by the spur that is the problem (or both)? There may be some dietary changes, stretches, exercises or other treatment that can be done after a detailed history and examination are completed.
Heel spurs usually cause pain by pressure on the bursa in your heel. You need to be fitted for custom orthotics.
Yes
No, it won't be corrected. The symptoms that a bone spur can cause might be reduced with therapies such as ultrasound, electrotherapy, laser, massage, and soft tissue work, among others. If the pains do not subside, the bone spur will need to be released by surgery.
The words corrected and treated are defined differently. Chiropractic therapy may provide relief in pain symptoms caused by a heel spur, but will not correct it. To correct a heal spur would assumably mean to remove it, which would be left to the opinion of an orthopedic surgeon. But heel spurs do not have to be painful, meaning, you can have a heel spur and you may never know it. There are multiple chiropractic treatment therapies for pain as a result of a heel spur. Ex: joint manipulation, ultrasound, cold laser, manual therapy, exercise therapy, and taping. Each chiropractor may have a differing treatment plan, but they can be very effective.
Hi,
Absolutely! Chiropractors are trained to evaluate/treat the whole body and especially the musculoskeletal system. Heel spurs are excessive bone growth on one of the foot bone and can be very painful if left untreated. The most important thing when you have bone spurs is to keep your whole body stable so the least amount of extra pressure is applied on your feet. They often form over time due to repetitive pressure if not due to underlying disease. No matter the cause, there are chiropractic adjustments, muscle work, and especially regular home care/stretches and exercises that can be done to keep the spine/body stable to avoid extra pressure and extra weight applied on the feet. We are on our feet all day so any dysfunction on that part of the body will create compensation from muscles and surrounding joints. Chiropractors are trained to help the body heal itself and will help your body get back to its optimal health and relieve the pain/discomfort from heel spurs.
Hope this helps,
Dr. Jessica Grichy, DC
Absolutely! Chiropractors are trained to evaluate/treat the whole body and especially the musculoskeletal system. Heel spurs are excessive bone growth on one of the foot bone and can be very painful if left untreated. The most important thing when you have bone spurs is to keep your whole body stable so the least amount of extra pressure is applied on your feet. They often form over time due to repetitive pressure if not due to underlying disease. No matter the cause, there are chiropractic adjustments, muscle work, and especially regular home care/stretches and exercises that can be done to keep the spine/body stable to avoid extra pressure and extra weight applied on the feet. We are on our feet all day so any dysfunction on that part of the body will create compensation from muscles and surrounding joints. Chiropractors are trained to help the body heal itself and will help your body get back to its optimal health and relieve the pain/discomfort from heel spurs.
Hope this helps,
Dr. Jessica Grichy, DC
Not to my knowledge but doing adjunct therapy could reduce it
No. Heel spurs are not something a chiropractor can take away. Those are pieces of bone that have developed due to Wolf's Law.
An emphatic yes! I help heal spurs all the time!
most chiropractors will have ultrasound units that can help relieve pain/inflammation from heel spurs
Ultrasound can sometimes help break up heel spurs , but not always . The key is to address why heel spurs are forming in the first place !
Heel spurs are bones that grew too big in the foot. We cannot get rid of the spur, but a foot orthotic can help relieve the pain. We also have a therapy called softwave therapy, which would also help.
Exercise, trigger point therapy, and orthotics.
Yes. They tend to come back but can be resolved via ultrasound.
No
Chiropractic care will usually aid in the treatment of heel spurs. Heel Spurs form from tight soft tissues in the foot pulling on bones in the foot. This usually is due to or at least associated with joint dysfunction both which a chiropractor who does adjustments by hand on the extremities (arms and legs), well as the spine will most likely be able to help with this issue.
Of course! Chiropractic physicians diagnose and treat heel spurs (osteophytes) with the same diagnostic tools as any physician. There are both anterior and posterior calcaneal (heel) spurs that can occur in people. Anterior calcaneal spurs are common, with pain in the sole of the foot, just anterior to (forward from) the heel. Diagnosis is confirmed with lateral plain film radiography (x-rays) of the heel. Treatment at the chiropractor includes stretching and strengthening exercises, prescription for heel spur cushions, orthotics and/or shoes/sneakers with cushion/orthotic built-in. Pulsed and continuous therapeutic ultrasound can both be helpful during the course of treatment. If PF (plantar fasciitis) is occurring concurrently with the anterior spurs (as is sometimes the case), specific exercises and therapies can be prescribed for that. If conservative treatment is insufficient, referral to an MD would be made for medication, or possible invasive therapies such as cortisone injection. Application of cold or heat sometimes works as well as over-the-counter medications.
No. A surgical procedure is required and this is usually done only in extreme circumstances. A chiropractor that offers footlevelers brand custom orthotics specifically designed for heel spurs would help in conjunction with laser therapy to reduce inflammation.
Heel spurs, once present cannot be removed by a chiropractor, but we can provide adjustments and other treatments to relieve some of the pain. I would also recommend a high quality magnesium supplement and Vitamin D3 to help with proper bone health.
A chiropractor can provide custom orthotics to help with not making the spur worse and may also provide therapy modalities to help with pain. A chiropractor cannot fix a heel spur. See a podiatrist.
Heel spurs have to be assessed first to see how bad they are. Most heel spurs are not large and can be helped conservatively. Chiropractic can help if the doctor is a sports/orthopedic chiropractor and is using cold laser therapy and doing soft tissue therapy. Laser can help reduce inflammation of heel spurs and soft tissue care can reduce the muscle adhesions in the calf and plantar fascia that have contributed to the heel spur. Add in some foot and ankle adjustments and there can be some good correction.
Vishal K. Verma, DC, CCSP
Vishal K. Verma, DC, CCSP
