Heel spur: causes, symptoms and natural remedies to treat it

The feet support us, keep us in contact with the earth and allow our movement. Despite their importance, we do not always give them the attention they need and, sometimes, we even mistreat them with inappropriate shoes that impair our footprint, we overload them… something that can lead to problems such as heel spur. We explain why this annoying foot problem occurs and how to treat it naturally.

Calcaneal spur: what is it

He heel spur (also called calcaneal exostosis) is a heel calcification which produces a cgrowth of the heel bone (called calcaneus) in the form of a beak or point. This bone growth causes the surrounding tissues become inflamed.

It happens, in many cases, as consequence of plantar fasciitis that has been chronicled Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the thick band that runs along the bottom of the foot (plantar fascia) from the heel bone to the toes. The organism accumulates calcium in the injured areas so that the tissue can regenerate and this is how the heel spurs end up appearing.

Plantar fasciitis (and therefore heel spurs) is often caused by a overload (from running, jumping or standing for long hours, for example, or due to obesity), the use of inappropriate footwear (with a lot of heel or that the foot does not adapt well), due to having the flat feet or cavus (with too much bridge), the shortening of the Achilles tendon or one bursitis (inflammation of the synovial bags) at the insertion of the plantar fascia.

Heel spur: symptoms

The main symptom of a heel spur is a shooting pain on the inside of the heel when supporting the foot, as if you were nailing a stone or a nail.

The pain can become very intense and cause limp when walking. It’s more intense when you wake up after sitting or lying down for a while, for example, when putting your feet on the ground in the morning, or running, and the punctures can also spread to the sole of the foot. When you are at rest, the pain usually goes away.

In some cases, the heel spur does not cause any discomfort and can only be detected through an x-ray.

Is it good to walk with a spur?

If the spur causes pain when walking, it is recommended decrease activity and always use suitable footwear (not too high and that adapts well to the foot), as well as reducing the intensity and frequency of sports practice. It is also convenient lose weight to relieve pressure on the sole of the foot.

In some cases, the pain is so intense that it becomes disabling.

Can a heel spur be treated naturally?

He heel spur treatmentApart from going through modifying the causes that cause it (overload, inappropriate footwear, obesity), it can include the use of custom orthopedic insoles to loosen the fascia laser therapydrugs anti-inflammatories and, ultimately, if the most conservative measures do not work and the spur interferes a lot with the person’s daily life, it may be necessary to operate.

There are also others natural treatments which can be very useful, such as acupuncturewhich has been shown to reduce pain in some people.

The stretching, massages and exercises to educate the feetlike the ones you can find in this article, are also a very interesting option.

When you feel pain, the cold can help you soothe inflamed heel tissue. One option is to apply a cloth covered ice pack on the heel (never apply ice directly to the skin) for about 10 to 15 minutes. In the pharmacy you can also find gel bags that you put in the freezer and adapt to the foot to make it easier for you to keep the cold in the right place.

On the other hand, some essential oilssuch as eucalyptus or lavender, can act as natural anti-inflammatories to reduce both pain and swelling. Keep in mind that you must dilute them enough in vegetable oil and follow the instructions of a specialist before using them for massage your heels.