What Are Bone Spurs?

Bone spurs cause pain as they rub against other bones, nerves, muscles, tendons or ligaments when you move. They can form anywhere in the body, but are most common in the joints or along the spine. Bone spurs can exist for years with no symptoms, but they can also be quite disabling.

Identification

• Bone spurs are also called osteophytes. They occur along the edges on the ends of the bone, and become an extension of the bone as they grow. They can create a problem since they protrude into areas of your body where bone is normally not found.

Considerations

• Bone spurs are the result of your body trying to repair itself due to an injury or illness. When there is damage to a bone or joint, your body creates new bone to replace the damage and stabilize the area. For this reason, there are cases where bone spurs are helpful.

Bone Spurs and Overuse Injuries

• Tendons connect muscle to bone and ligaments connect bone to bone. With too much use, these structures can start to pull away from the bone. There may be an excessive amount of rubbing and friction in the area. The body may develop bone spurs in an attempt to fill this gap and reduce the friction.

Age and Bone Spurs

• Bone spurs can be a natural part of aging. As you lose cartilage in your joints--and as the disks in your back deteriorate--your body may grow bone spurs to help make your joints and spine stronger.

Complications

• Bone spurs can become a problem if they break off and float loose in the body. They can become embedded in the lining of a joint and cause severe pain. Bone spurs can also reduce your mobility.