Heel spur is a calcium deposit that forms between the heel bone and the sole of the foot. It usually starts in front of the heel and then gradually progresses to other parts of the foot. Since the size of the heel spur is usually 0.5 cm, it may not always be visible to the naked eye.
This discomfort occurs with problems such as the inability to step on one's foot and the biggest factor in recognizing it is the pain, stinging and burning sensations when the foot touches the ground.
Symptoms of heel spurs are generally seen in people who wear hard and flat-soled shoes, those who stand for a long time, those who have a disorder in the foot and step structure, and people who experience reasons such as weight gain, as a result of the tearing of the fibers called fascia that connect the short muscles on the sole of the foot to the heel bone. Early diagnosis of heel spurs is important in terms of rapid healing of the disease and in terms of not negatively affecting the daily life flow.
What is a heel spur?
Thesymptoms of heel spurs make themselves felt when you are sitting but do not make their presence felt when you move.
This discomfort, which we know as heel spurs, is known as a bony protrusion caused by calcium accumulation at the bottom of the heel bone.
Usually heel spur symptoms; It is observed to be seen in front of the heel, behind the heel or just below the arch of the foot.
We can say that the symptoms of the heel spur are manifested by the feedback from situations such as pain and stinging that the person feels when he presses his foot on the ground. However, not all pain and stinging sensations in the heel can be associated with heel spurs. For this reason, in order to reach the right conclusion, a doctor's examination and X-ray examination accompanied by an examination are essential. Heel spur discomfort is such a type of discomfort that sometimes it may not even be seen in X-rays. In cases where it is not seen, it is called "heel spur syndrome".
The main reasons whyheel spurs are usually seen are as follows; It is more common in people who prefer flat and hard-soled shoes, who spend most of the day standing, who have disorders in the foot structure and compression structure, and who experience increased weight gain.
Early diagnosis plays an important role in the early recovery of the heel spur and the flow of daily life. The reason why this condition is called heel spur is that it resembles a thorn. Patients with heel spurs should go to orthopedic doctors.
Why does heel spur occur?
Heel spurs are calcium deposits that form between the heel bone and the sole of the foot. The most important problem in heel spur is not the heel spur. The main problem is the damage or tears that the heel spur will cause in the plantar fascia. The reason why this condition is called heel spur is because of its shape. It is known as a heel spur in the medical world because of its shape resembling a thorn.
A few problems that are effective in the formation of heel spurs are as follows;
- Use of flip flops
- Going barefoot at home
- Choosing the wrong shoes that are not comfortable for the foot
- Weight gain
- Impact of the heel
- The foot and the structure of the foot and stepping structure, etc. such reasons are known to cause heel spur discomfort.
What are the risk factors for heel spurs?
The risk factors ofheel spurs are as follows;
- Non-orthopedic hard and flat soled shoes and high heeled shoes
- Obesity as a result of excessive weight gain
- Hitting/striking the heel on hard surfaces
- Spending most of the day on your feet
- Excessive mobility or excessive inactivity
- Disorders in the structure of the foot and disorders in the structure of the step
- Diabetes
- Being between the ages of 40-60
Having various rheumatic and hereditary diseases are risk factors for heel spurs.
What are the symptoms of heel spurs?
Thesymptoms of heel spurs are not something that can be understood at first glance. Heel spurs usually do not give any symptoms. If there is inflammation in the heel spur, it causes pain and is thus recognized.
One of the first and most important symptoms of a heel spur can be defined as pain in the sole of the foot when you get out of bed after waking up in the morning and pain caused by a stinging sensation in the heel of the foot.
The second important symptom is difficulty in using the foot during the day and increased pain in the heel at the end of the day.
The pain in the heel spur sometimes occurs while walking and sometimes at rest.
Symptoms of heel spurs are as follows;
- Pain in the heel area that does not go away despite resting the individual
- Swelling in the heel of the foot
- Complaints such as tenderness and pain in the heel
- Difficulties for the patient to climb stairs
- The patient has difficulty moving or walking during the day
- Experiencing tingling in the heel of the foot
How to recognize a heel spur?
The length ofthe heel spurcan usually reach up to 2 cm. It is quite difficult to recognize the slowly forming heel spur. This is because it is an insidious disease. It is decided to take an X-ray because the patient who is uncomfortable applies to a physician. If a protrusion occurs in the heel bone as a result of the X-ray, it shows that the individual has a heel spur. Generally, these diagnosed patients experience pain around or under the heel of the foot.
The heel spur has a pointed structure. After it starts to grow, it causes the soft fat tissue in the heel of the foot to disappear.
Heel spur; It can be understood due to the formation of redness, hardness, tension and tenderness in the patient's heel. In addition, the most important damage of the heel spur is that it causes swelling of the heel bone.
The only way to detect the heel spur or to be sure of its presence is to go to a specialist doctor and be examined and X-rayed after the examination. The most commonly used method for detecting heel spurs is known as foot x-ray. For this reason, specialists usually diagnose the disease thanks to the foot X-ray.
How to Treat Heel Spurs?
Contrary to what is imagined,heel spur treatment is done by applying easy methods. Heel spur treatment does not have any side effects that may adversely affect health. One of the easiest heel spur treatment methods is for patients to use a foot sole. It has been proven that this footbed, when used regularly, corrects the foot structure and is effective in reducing the effects of heel spurs on the human body. If there is no visible improvement in the heel spur when insoles are used, surgical heel spur treatments such as ice, laser and eswt are used. The methods applied in the treatment of heel spurs are as follows;
Laser treatment :
In the heel spur laser treatment method; laser beams applied to the heel area are low energy and do not damage the soft tissues in the heel. The patient who undergoes laser treatment gets rid of the heel spur painlessly and painlessly.
Ice treatment :
In the ice treatment method, ice wrap is applied to the heel area. The ice wrap is kept in the problematic area for no less than 15-20 minutes. Thanks to the application of ice treatment, the inflammation in the heel begins to soften thanks to the cold. The area softened by ice treatment is massaged by applying cream.
ESWT treatment:
(H3) Eswt treatment; It is known as the last type of treatment that patients who do not get efficiency from these treatments we mentioned should apply. ESWT treatment is also known as shock wave or sound wave. It is also known as heel spur breaking operation among the people. The aim of this treatment is not to break the heel spur under the patient's heel, but to create a controlled injury, that is, micro bleeding, in order to heal the heel of the foot and accelerate this process in the case where the sole membrane adheres to the heel thanks to high-energy sound waves.
Heel Spur Remedy
There are no medicines produced specifically for the treatment of heel spurs. The medicines that are readily available are useful in reducing the pain and problems caused by heel spurs.
These medicines are
- Steroid injections
- Painkillers
- Creams, ointments and gels.
Heel Spur Surgery
Heel spurs are generally a type of discomfort that has a high possibility of recovery without the need for surgical intervention. However, in some cases, it can be determined that treatments for heel spurs do not yield positive results. At such times, heel spur surgery is preferred as the last option. If non-surgical treatments do not yield results, the physician may prefer surgery.
After the surgery is decided, the physician reviews all examinations and tests related to the patient and determines the exact position of the heel spur. In this way, the physician removes the heel spur. Thus, this method is effective in removing the inflammation in the heel. The patient's recovery period after surgery usually varies between 6 and 8 weeks. During this time, ice treatment is applied to the problematic area of the patient. The physical therapy exercise program schedule of the patient whose stitches are removed is prepared and started to be applied to the patient.
Some possible situations require the patient to use bandages, splints, splints, surgical shoes, crutches or canes after surgery. After the patient applies the programs prepared for him/her, the specialists warn him/her to take short distance walks. After the exercise and physical therapy applications are over, the patient can continue his/her normal life.
Being treated by a doctor specialized in heel spur surgery and in a well-equipped hospital are factors that affect the patient's recovery process to be faster and more positive.
Heel Spur Exercises
Strengthening the joints and muscles in the heel is an extremely important factor to prevent recurrence of heel spurs in patients. It is an important factor for people with heel spurs to follow the exercise schedule determined for them in order not to have problems again after the treatment is over and to use shoes with personalized soles while doing these exercises in order to get positive results in this process.
There are several exercise movements that can be done at home to stretch the calf muscles and plantar fascia.
These exercise movements are as follows;
- Pulling-stretching movement
- Squatting movement
- It is the movement of moving the heel of the foot up and down.
If these exercise movements are performed regularly, they will help to reduce the patient's complaints. These are the easiest exercises that can be done at home with these movements;
- The patient can get help from a piece of cloth for these heel spur exercises. It will be enough for the patient to adjust this cloth so that it is right under his foot and pull it towards him.
- The second exercise is for the patient to cross his/her legs. Thus, the patient becomes sitting thanks to this position. The patient should hold the toes with the help of one hand and the heel of the foot with the help of the other hand and make a blowing movement in opposite directions.
- The third exercise is to place a hard object under the patient's foot and make back and forth movements for 3 minutes, provided that it does not press too hard.
How does the heel spur go away?
One of the most important factors in heel spurs is to rest the sole of the foot as much as possible. Soaking the feet in water for 10-15 minutes at home in the evening will be good for this discomfort.
One of the most commonly used methods in heel spurs is the use of orthopedic shoes and soles. Ice treatment, laser treatment and pain relieving creams recommended by the doctor should be applied to the problematic area with light makeup to relieve heel spurs.
There are also natural treatment methods for heel spurs. The natural methods mentioned are as follows;
- Apple cider vinegar
- Carbonate
- Massage with essential oils
- Epson salt bath