How to Ease the Pain of Spurs

A bone spur is a small protuberance that sits on the edge of a bone, usually a bone that is near one of your joints, according to the Mayo Clinic. Bone spurs are also called osteophytes and can be caused when a calcium deposit forms in your body. Some people have bone spurs and experience no outward symptoms at all; others may feel pain when the spur comes in contact with soft tissues in the body or a nerve. Medications, exercises and surgery can all ease the pain of spurs.

Things You'll Need

• Pain relievers
• Heel pads

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Instructions

• 1

  Rest the area of your body in which you have a spur. Bone spurs can rub against your joints or tendons and cause pain, according to the American Academy of Orthpaedic Surgeons (AAOS). Resting your back, hip, heel or other areas in which spurs are common can help ease the pain.

• 2

  Take a non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to ease your pain. Medications of this kind reduce the inflammation between the spur and the soft tissues or joints. Use as directed by your doctor or according to the instructions on the drug's packaging.

• 3

  Perform stretching exercises to ease heel pain associated with spurs. Stretch the width of tissue running across the bottom of your foot by rolling a can of soup or small ball back and forth with your foot. Arch your foot up toward the ceiling several times before getting out of bed in the morning. These exercises are effective for treating plantar fasciitis, and may also relieve the pain of a heel spur.

• 4

  Ask your doctor about surgical removal of your bone spur if your pain becomes debilitating. Some spurs on the spine or around other joints are caused by degenerative diseases like arthritis, and may need to be removed in order to repair joint damage.