Heel spur treatment

A heel spur is a bony growth that forms at the site of attachment of the plantar fascia to the heel bone.
The occurrence of a spur is associated with chronic inflammation and degenerative changes in the plantar fascia and tendons that attach to the heel bone, which occur as a result of their microdamage. In these places, calcifications (calcium salts) begin to be deposited, which lead to the appearance of the growth.

Causes of heel spurs

The causes of heel spurs are factors that lead to overexertion, damage and inflammation of the plantar aponeurosis, which include:

• Flatfoot. Flattening of the longitudinal arch of the foot in flatfoot leads to overexertion and fibrous changes in the plantar aponeurosis.
• Excess weight.
• Overloading the legs (standing work, excessive physical exertion).
• Wearing shoes with hard soles.
• Metabolic disorders, injuries, chronic diseases.
• Hollow foot (the longitudinal arch of the foot is too high and rigid).
• Scoliosis, pelvic obliquity.

Symptoms:

• A heel spur is manifested by pain in the heel area, which increases when standing, walking, and supporting the heel. The pain also worsens at the end of the day, after straining the legs or vice versa in the morning or after prolonged sitting.
• The pain is more often localized in the center of the heel, but can spread over its entire surface and along the plantar fascia. Also common symptoms are pain in the arch of the foot and the muscles of the lower leg.
• The pain is caused by the inflammatory process and the pressure of the bone spur on the soft tissues.
• Initial pain during the first movements, especially in the morning and after sitting.

Diagnosis:

Diagnosis of heel spurs is based on the history and characteristic pain manifestations of this pathology.

To clarify the diagnosis, ultrasound diagnostics or X-ray of the foot is performed. During the ultrasound, the condition of the soft tissues of the foot is assessed, the presence of signs of inflammation or fibrous changes in the plantar aponeurosis, the presence of bursitis, tendon damage, and the relief of the calcaneal tubercle. A heel spur is defined as a protrusion (spike) on the plantar surface of the heel bone at the site of attachment of the plantar fascia and muscles to it.

On the lateral projection of the heel, the bone structure of the heel and its relief are well visualized. A heel spur is defined as an osteophyte (spike) on the plantar surface of the calcaneal tubercle, the tip of which is directed downwards and forwards from the attachment site. The size of this growth can be from small, about 1-2 mm, to 1 cm. Often, a shadow of a fibrous-altered plantar tendon is determined on the plantar surface of the foot.

Heel spur treatment:

The Obolon spine clinic offers a full range of services for diagnosing and treating heel spurs. Here you can get a consultation from an orthopedist traumatologist and undergo the necessary treatment procedures – shock wave therapy (focal, radial), phonophoresis with hydrocortisone, magnetoelectrotherapy. This treatment will help relieve the heel, relieve inflammation, and break down salt deposits in the heel area.

Shock wave therapy for heel spurs is currently one of the most effective treatment methods.

• Breaks down salts
• Relieves pain and inflammation
• Treatment in 5-15 sessions

The effect of shock wave therapy is based on the use of high-energy shock waves, which, when penetrating the tissue, cause loosening of calcification areas and fibrous foci at the site of heel spur formation. It also helps improve blood circulation in the affected area and the formation of new capillaries that nourish the damaged tendon and bone.

We are often asked: “where do the salts disappear after shock wave therapy on the heel spur?” When treated with this method, bone fragments or calcifications are not formed, but the calcification areas are gradually loosened, which are removed through the lymphatic and blood vessels.

Shock wave therapy is not performed on pregnant women, people suffering from blood clotting disorders, or malignant neoplasms.