When to Seek Treatment for Your Heel Spur

Heel spurs are bony growths on the heel bone, typically either on the back of the bone where it joins with the Achilles tendon or on the bottom of the heel. Spurs don’t always cause discomfort, but when they do, they can cause pain with every step you take.

At Performance Foot & Ankle Specialists, LLC, Stephen Lazaroff, DPM, FACFAS, and Joel S Segalman, FACFAS, FACFAO, help patients manage heel spurs to relieve pain and prevent complications. Here’s what they want you to know about heel spurs so you can decide when to visit our team.

Quick facts about heel spurs

Also called calcaneal spurs, heel spurs are built-up deposits of calcium that form hard, bony lumps or bumps on the bone surface. Anyone can develop spurs, but they’re more common among runners and other athletes and happen more regularly with age.

Some heel spurs develop as a “side effect” of another foot condition called plantar fasciitis, an irritation and inflammation of a band of tissue called the plantar fascia. When this tissue gets inflamed, it rubs against the heel, causing friction that leads to spur development on the bottom of the heel bone.

Achilles tendonitis can also lead to heel spurs. Again, inflammatory responses in the tendon cause extra irritation and rubbing against the heel bone, leading to heel spurs on the back edge of the bone.

Heel spur symptoms

Heel pain is the most common symptom associated with heel spurs. Pain can be sharp or dull and throbbing. Typically, pain is worse with activities involving repetitive impact, like walking or running, but even standing still can cause pain. 

Depending on where the spur is, you may have pain on the bottom of your heel or the back of the heel near the Achilles tendon. If you have plantar fasciitis, your pain may worsen when you first get up in the morning, lessening as you move and the plantar fascia warms up and stretches.

When is it time to seek treatment?

Sometimes, heel spur symptoms improve with a little TLC, like elevating your feet, taking over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), applying some gentle stretching, and using ice. But other times, you need more aggressive medical treatment to relieve pain and restore normal movement.

It’s time to call our office and schedule a visit if you have:

• Pain that doesn’t respond to TLC
• Pain that’s getting worse
• Pain that’s interfering with walking or other activities
• Pain that’s making it hard to sleep
• Swelling or tenderness around the heel area

It’s also important to schedule an appointment if you have heel pain along with underlying medical issues, like circulation problems, nerve issues, or diabetes.

Medical treatment for heel spurs

During your visit, the doctor examines your foot, reviews your symptoms and medical history, and performs passive movements to assess your foot function. Diagnostic imaging helps confirm the presence of a heel spur and rule out other potential causes of pain.

For diagnosed heel spurs, treatment options include:

• Custom orthotics to relieve pressure on the area
• Night splints to support your foot while you sleep
• Steroid injections to reduce inflammation
• Extracorporeal pulse activation technology (EPAT) to encourage healing

When a heel spur is related to plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis, your doctor likely recommends treatment to resolve those problems.

For heel spurs that cause severe symptoms and don’t respond to these methods, we may recommend minimally invasive surgery to remove the spur and restore the smooth surface of the bone. 

Relief for nagging heel pain

Heel pain can make every step painful and can interfere with lots of other activities, too. To learn what’s causing your heel pain and how we can help, request an appointment online or over the phone with the Performance Foot & Ankle Specialists team in Waterbury and Newtown, Connecticut, today.