Types of Heel & Bone Spurs

Heel and bone spurs are the source of pain for many people. Heel spurs occur more frequently in women due to types of footwear. Bone spurs can occur on any bone anywhere in the body. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid medications are prescribed to help with pain relief of heel and bone spurs. In severe cases, surgery can be performed for both types of spurs.

• Heel and bone spurs are a source of pain for many people.

Heel Spurs

• The largest bone in the foot is the heel it absorbs more shock and pressure than any other bone in the foot. Heel spurs cultivate as an irregular growth on the heel bone. When the plantar fascia separates from the heel, calcium deposits occur and create a heel spur. The plantar fascia is a wide band of stringy tissue located on the bottom of the foot and runs from the front of the foot to the heel. Heel spurs are extremely painful particularly when standing or walking. Overpronation (flat foot) is usually caused by the stretching of the plantar fascia. People with pes cavus (abnormally high arches) can develop and suffer from heel spurs as well.

Bone Spurs

• Osteophytes often called bone spurs are bony protrusions that form along the edges of bones. When bone spurs rub against other bones and nerves, they trigger pain. Bone spurs have the ability to form on every bone in the body. They are able to form in places where one bone meets another or where ligaments and tendons attach to bone. Most bone spurs may go unnoticed for numerous years because they typically have no symptoms. Bone spurs can break off the bones they are attached to and become what physicians call loose bodies. Most often when the spur breaks from the bone it becomes embedded in the nearby synovium (joint). Loose bodies may drift in between the joints and cause intermittent locking of that particular joint.

Bone Spurs on the Knee

• As cartilage diminishes from the knee, the joint senses that surface area is decreasing. The joint then compensates by forming bone spurs. Bone spurs in the knee make bending or extending the leg extremely painful. Some bone spurs form and get in the way of bones and tendons in the knee operating efficiently.

Spinal and Cervical Bone Spurs

• Spinal bone spurs can push against nerves in the spine and even on the spinal cord. When they do it causes pain and even numbness in other places in the body. Bone spurs on the neck are called cervical bone spurs. Often they can protrude inward making swallowing difficult and breathing painful. Cervical bone spurs can also push against veins and cause blood flow to the brain to be restricted.

Bone Spurs on the Shoulders and Fingers

• Range of motion in the shoulder can be restricted by bone spurs. They can also rub against the rotator cuff, making movement painful. It can also cause tendinitis (swelling) and ruptures in the rotator cuff. Bone spurs on fingers appear as hard bulges under the skin. This can cause the fingers to look abnormal. Bone spurs on the fingers can cause sporadic pain.