“How do you relieve heel spur pain?”
I was diagnosed with heel spur. It hurts bad. How do you relieve heel spur pain?
6 Answers
Heel spurs are indication of internal inflammation, compensation, and remodeling process by the body. Until all of those are addressed, the pain will not subside. heel spurs are usually treated with orthotics, EPAT, injections, Physical therapy, etc... Some times surgery is needed, in my office, surgery is done in office, under only local anesthesia, no hardware is used, and patients walk on the same day, full recovery is 6 wks. please see a local podiatrist for treatment options that is right for you and your activities.
Typically, some combination of anti-inflammatory medication, stretching, and support. This can be oral pain medication, and injection, night splint, orthotics, tapping, or any combination of these options.
Heel pain can be treated several ways. Patients can treat themselves by icing the painful area. Generally, I tell patients to use a frozen water bottle and roll their foot over it for 20 minutes every couple of hours as needed. You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatories like Aleve or Motrin. Stretching the foot and calf regularly is by far the most important way to relieve the pain and ultimately resolve the issue. It may be necessary to see a foot doctor who can do X-rays, provide targeted injection therapy, and provide custom foot orthoses. Surgery is the last option if all else fails.
"Heel Spurs" refers to a problem which is actually with a ligament called the "Plantar Fascia," and not the spur itself. The spur is a reaction of the bone to inflammation and tension of the ligament. Conservative treatment for Plantar Fasciitis (heel spurs) consists of stretching and icing (you can find some exercises online) and orthotics and supportive shoes are very important. If that does not improve the pain, you should see your local Podiatrist for a cortisone injection. It is most often unnecessary to have surgery for this problem, but occasionally it may be necessary in very difficult cases.
Heel spur pain is not caused by a bone spur. The mechanics of the foot are the cause of the pain. I recommend you see a foot and ankle surgeon (podiatrist) for diagnosis and treatment options
Ice the area and do some plantar stretching exercises to help
