Heel spurs are treatable

How do I recognize a heel spur? Do you have heel pain or the painful sensation of having a pebble or thumbtack in your shoe when it is not? Then you probably have a heel spur, also known as a calcaneal spur. Around ten per cent of the population has such a thorn-like outgrowth on the heel.

Heel spurs: causes of this heel pain

Most commonly, a heel spur occurs on the underside of the heel bone, where the tendon plate (plantar fascia) of the sole and the short muscles of the foot attach. Rarely does the heel spur develop at the top of the Achilles tendon. The symptoms often begin between the ages of 40 and 60.

A heel spur is usually the result of overloading. The causes of this overload can be:

• severe overweight
• a job that requires standing for a long time
• a flattened longitudinal arch
• longer incorrect loads due to hard shoes
• wrong running technique
• insufficient warm-up before physical activity

However, staying in a forced position for a long time, for example, when driving for hours, increases the risk of getting a heel spur on the heel.

Constant overload leads to minor cracks, which the body repairs with calcium deposits. The heel spur grows gradually and presses on the surrounding connective tissue. By then, you will need medical help.

 

Heel spur: how is the diagnosis made?

In addition to heel spurs, other conditions can lead to heel pain. These include:

• nerve entrapment
• Stress fracture of the heel bone or
• inflammatory joint diseases

The doctor must first rule these out. The diagnosis is usually established after a detailed questioning and examination and, if necessary, an X-ray and ultrasound examination.

Heel relief treatment

The most critical first measure of heel spur treatment is temporarily relieving the foot. Conservative therapies are the first treatment after the diagnosis of heel spurs.

 

Insoles and physiotherapy help with heel spurs

The classic therapy for heel spurs includes, for example, individually adapted insoles with recesses or foam rubber lining in the heel or heel spur area. In addition, insoles that support the longitudinal arch of the foot are beneficial for heel spur treatment. In addition, a simultaneously existing kink and flat foot should be considered using insoles.

 Comfortable and well-cushioned shoes for everyday life and sports, as well as the proper running technique and warm-up training, are also essential.

In addition, special physiotherapy exercises can help a heel spur. These exercises for diagnosed heel spurs stretch and strengthen the tendons on the calf and sole. The pain decreases.

Therapeutic measures for the treatment of heel spurs

In addition to conservative therapies, there are traditional physical therapy measures to treat heel spurs. This includes:

• Injection procedure: The doctor injects anti-inflammatory drugs such as cortisone and local anaesthetics into the inflamed connective tissue. However, this is not a long-term therapy.
• Iontophoresis: Ion migration introduces medications through the skin and into the bloodstream and tissues.
• Local cold therapy: Add ice wrapped in a damp towel for about 5 minutes.
• Medi-Taping: Pain receptors are directly influenced by using Medi-Tapes. Inflammatory secretions and water retention are removed faster.
• Shock wave treatment with ultrasound (extracorporeal shock wave therapy ESWT): Ultrasound impulses hit the affected heel area and have a pain-relieving effect – the “how” is still unclear (success rate around 50 to 80 per cent).
• X-ray deep irradiation/X-ray stimulus irradiation: The inflammatory changes recede due to irradiation with low-dose X-rays. This also relieves the pain.
• “Phonopower” with tuning forks: Vibrating forks are intended to accelerate the dissolution of the calcium deposits in the heel spur.
• Homoeopathy: The appropriate preparation is Hekla Lava, made from the fluoride-rich ash of Mount Hekla volcano in Iceland. The application takes place three times a day for three weeks as a tablet in the potency D2. The drug is available in pharmacies without a prescription.

Heel spur therapy surgery is only in emergencies.

During the procedure, the stress on the tendons caused by the heel spur is relieved by severing part of the tendons of the tendon plate of the foot. In the long term, however, this can lead to flat feet. The standard surgical risks, such as nerve damage and infections, continue to exist.

In retrospect, the surgical wound itself can cause heel spur-like symptoms. Then, the surgery was no help, and only one thing left to treat the heel spur: Block the nerves around the pain point.