Frequently Asked Questions On Heel Spurs

Treatments for heel spurs include exercise, custom-made orthotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and cortisone injections. In case, If conservative treatments do not work, surgery may be necessary.

Heel spurs can be caused by strains on foot muscles and ligaments, stretching of the plantar fascia, and repeated tear of the membrane that covers the heel bone. Heel spurs occur when calcium deposits build up on the underside of the heel bone. This a process occurs gradually over a period of many months.

• Walking abnormalities, that may place excessive stress on the heel bone, ligaments, and nerves near the heel
• Running or jogging on hard surfaces
• Poorly fitted shoes or badly worn shoes lacking appropriate arch support
• Excess weight and obesity

Heel spurs often exhibit no symptoms. Heel spurs may cause intermittent or chronic pain, especially while walking, jogging, or running in case inflammation develops at the point of the spur formation. In general, the cause of the pain is not the heel spur itself but the soft-tissue injury associated with it.