Shoes That Best Fit Bone Spurs

A bone spur is a sign that the plantar fascia on the bottom of your foot is inflamed, and it may have partly torn from its origin at the heel bone. The bone spur, a bony outgrowth pointing toward your toes, is your body's way of protecting itself and is typically not painful. If you treat the plantar fasciitis, the bone spur may no longer bother you.

Foot Support

• When you have heel pain, avoid shoes that give you little support such as flip-flops or shoes that fit you poorly. Because the most frequent reason people develop bone spurs is excessive pronation, an abnormal motion of the foot, you must wear shoes that have arch supports and good cushioning. You know you pronate if the soles of the shoes you wear on a regular basis wear down along the outer edge. If you pronate, look for athletic shoes specially made for people who pronate, or ask your doctor for orthotics to wear in all your shoes.

Shoe Flexibility

• Throw out old shoes that no longer give you proper arch support and cushioning. Perform the "Shoe Pushup Test" on your athletic shoes by holding the heel of the shoe in one hand and pressing up underneath the forefoot. The shoe should bend at the ball of the shoe, where your toes are. If it bends more toward the middle of the foot, close to the heel, discard these shoes and buy new ones because the old ones have lost their stabilizing properties.

Good Brands

• Because the most important aspect of addressing heel pain or any painful condition of the foot is your wearing good shoe gear, choose brands recommended by doctors. According to podiatrist Katheryne Glantz of High Desert Foot & Ankle Clinic Shoes, Nike, K-Swiss, and Avia are the best shoes to relieve and prevent heel pain. In addition to wearing good shoes, you may find that inserting heel cups into your shoes helps heal plantar fasciitis. You can buy heel cups in pharmacies or at shoe repair shops.