Heel spurs: photos, symptoms and treatment at home
Plantar fasciitis is a disease in which inflammation of the plantar connective tissue occurs.
On the sole of the foot, rather large loads are falling every day and in some cases the tissues that are attached to the calcaneous tubercle do not cope with the load and become inflamed.
As compensatory process in the heel appear bony growths, which are popularly called "heel spurs".This is a fairly common disease. Usually they suffer from elderly people with chronic joint diseases or overweight people.
What is it and why does it occur? As already mentioned, heel spur is a bone growth that is formed as a result of inflammation of the fascia, that is, connective tissues of the foot.
Thus, wearing uncomfortable shoes, for example, high-heel shoes, shifts the distribution of body weight along the foot, which can lead to inflammation of the connective tissue and the formation of a spur. In addition, flat feet in 90% of cases sooner or later leads to the formation of calcaneal spurs.
Usually calcaneal spur occurs in the elderly. For young people it is characteristic in the case of active sports, in which the load on the heel increases. The likelihood of the disease is also increased with excess weight, metabolic disorders, joint and back diseases, injuries, and circulatory disorders of the legs.
The main symptoms of the heel spur are pain in the foot, which is localized in the heel area. In most cases, the pain is acute, burning, it is often compared with the pain from the nail stuck into the heel.
A person in this case can experience pain more than usual. Sometimes they are also called "starting pains".
Painful sensations throughout the day can change their intensity, but this process is individual. Some people can suffer only from "starting pain" and slight discomfort during the day. Others may suffer from moderate pain, which still allows a person to move freely, but with such feelings, it is unlikely that a person will be able to run or simply walk quickly.
In extreme cases, a person can feel severe pain that spreads all over the foot, which indicates a strong inflammatory process. If the calcaneal spur appeared immediately in two legs, in most cases the person loses the ability to move normally until adequate treatment is provided.
People with this ailment, suffering from painful sensations, very often try to minimize them, transferring the load from the heel to other parts of the foot. This leads to the development of flat feet, which only worsens the condition of a person and aggravates the underlying disease.
Diagnosis of the disease is based on the collection of information about past and associated diseases, as well as on the patient's complaints. Mandatory external inspection of the feet is necessary to identify abnormalities that could lead to painful sensations in the heel.
In most cases, instrumental research methods are required to diagnose the heel spur. Radiography of the feet can reveal the formation of bone growth, its severity, as well as other problem areas in the foot.
If the radiography has not given enough information to confirm the diagnosis, then it is possible to diagnose and using magnetic resonance imaging( MRI).MRI allows you to clearly see not only the bone tissue of the foot, but also soft connective tissue, which makes it possible to detect many problems at the initial stage of their development.
In addition, in some cases ultrasound is used for diagnosis, which is more accessible than MRI.
The heel spur, due to its unpleasant clinical manifestations, requires immediate and effective treatment.
Initially, the treatment of the calcaneal spur is based primarily on eliminating the root cause of the disease. So, with an overweight person who increases the load on the feet, he must take care of reducing his own weight.
In the case of a disease that led to this problem, it is necessary to consult a specialist about his cure. Thus, the tactics of treatment will directly depend on the cause of the development of the calcaneal spur.
Of course, treatment is applied, which has a beneficial effect on the heel spur. In therapy, in most cases, actively used drugs with anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, painkillers are used in the form of tablets and ointments, which allows for a while to remove the pain.
Patients with a calcaneal spur necessarily have physiotherapy, namely: a variety of massages, warming rubbers, warm foot baths, etc.
In the absence of the effect of traditional therapy, the problem can be cured by surgery, which implies the removal of build-up and altered tissue. In addition, in the process of treatment a person should take care of the purchase of special insoles for shoes that will evenly distribute the load on the foot and will support it throughout the day.
In addition to conservative therapy under the supervision of a specialist, a person can treat heel spurs at home. Folk remedies that use for this:
On the sole of the foot, rather large loads are falling every day and in some cases the tissues that are attached to the calcaneous tubercle do not cope with the load and become inflamed.
As compensatory process in the heel appear bony growths, which are popularly called "heel spurs".This is a fairly common disease. Usually they suffer from elderly people with chronic joint diseases or overweight people.
Reasons for
What is it and why does it occur? As already mentioned, heel spur is a bone growth that is formed as a result of inflammation of the fascia, that is, connective tissues of the foot.
Thus, wearing uncomfortable shoes, for example, high-heel shoes, shifts the distribution of body weight along the foot, which can lead to inflammation of the connective tissue and the formation of a spur. In addition, flat feet in 90% of cases sooner or later leads to the formation of calcaneal spurs.
Usually calcaneal spur occurs in the elderly. For young people it is characteristic in the case of active sports, in which the load on the heel increases. The likelihood of the disease is also increased with excess weight, metabolic disorders, joint and back diseases, injuries, and circulatory disorders of the legs.
Symptoms and photos of the calcaneal spur
The main symptoms of the heel spur are pain in the foot, which is localized in the heel area. In most cases, the pain is acute, burning, it is often compared with the pain from the nail stuck into the heel.
Such unpleasant sensations often occur in the morning hours, as well as after a long sitting position, when the heel for a long time was not given any load.
A person in this case can experience pain more than usual. Sometimes they are also called "starting pains".
Painful sensations throughout the day can change their intensity, but this process is individual. Some people can suffer only from "starting pain" and slight discomfort during the day. Others may suffer from moderate pain, which still allows a person to move freely, but with such feelings, it is unlikely that a person will be able to run or simply walk quickly.
In extreme cases, a person can feel severe pain that spreads all over the foot, which indicates a strong inflammatory process. If the calcaneal spur appeared immediately in two legs, in most cases the person loses the ability to move normally until adequate treatment is provided.
People with this ailment, suffering from painful sensations, very often try to minimize them, transferring the load from the heel to other parts of the foot. This leads to the development of flat feet, which only worsens the condition of a person and aggravates the underlying disease.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the disease is based on the collection of information about past and associated diseases, as well as on the patient's complaints. Mandatory external inspection of the feet is necessary to identify abnormalities that could lead to painful sensations in the heel.
In most cases, instrumental research methods are required to diagnose the heel spur. Radiography of the feet can reveal the formation of bone growth, its severity, as well as other problem areas in the foot.
If the radiography has not given enough information to confirm the diagnosis, then it is possible to diagnose and using magnetic resonance imaging( MRI).MRI allows you to clearly see not only the bone tissue of the foot, but also soft connective tissue, which makes it possible to detect many problems at the initial stage of their development.
In addition, in some cases ultrasound is used for diagnosis, which is more accessible than MRI.
Treating the calcaneal spur
The heel spur, due to its unpleasant clinical manifestations, requires immediate and effective treatment.
Initially, the treatment of the calcaneal spur is based primarily on eliminating the root cause of the disease. So, with an overweight person who increases the load on the feet, he must take care of reducing his own weight.
In the case of a disease that led to this problem, it is necessary to consult a specialist about his cure. Thus, the tactics of treatment will directly depend on the cause of the development of the calcaneal spur.
Of course, treatment is applied, which has a beneficial effect on the heel spur. In therapy, in most cases, actively used drugs with anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, painkillers are used in the form of tablets and ointments, which allows for a while to remove the pain.
Another method of curing this disease is extracorporal shock wave therapy( ESWT), which allows you to split the spur and also activates regeneration processes.
Patients with a calcaneal spur necessarily have physiotherapy, namely: a variety of massages, warming rubbers, warm foot baths, etc.
In the absence of the effect of traditional therapy, the problem can be cured by surgery, which implies the removal of build-up and altered tissue. In addition, in the process of treatment a person should take care of the purchase of special insoles for shoes that will evenly distribute the load on the foot and will support it throughout the day.
Treating the calcaneal spur at home
In addition to conservative therapy under the supervision of a specialist, a person can treat heel spurs at home. Folk remedies that use for this:
- 1) Hot baths with various additives showed good results in this case. Warming the calcaneal spur helps reduce the inflammatory process and reduce pain, which undoubtedly facilitates the human condition. So, it is possible to use trays with salt. For their preparation you need any salt and hot water. Legs should be kept in the solution for about half an hour, and then rub it with a dry towel and wear woolen socks. It is better to do such baths for the night, so that the feet are kept warm for a long time.
- 2) Compresses made from honey and flour also have a good effect. To make them, you need to mix a spoonful of honey with a few spoons of flour. As a result, you should get a small flat cake, which must be attached to the heel. But before that, the legs need to be properly steamed. Cake can be secured with a bandage, and on top of the foot it is worth wearing a woolen sock. Do a compress better at night.
- 3) Another wonderful tool that will help cure the spur is tincture on aloe. For its preparation, it is necessary to finely chop the leaves of aloe and pour them with vodka. Tincture is best done in a fairly voluminous tank with a tight lid. Aloe must be infused within 10 days, after which it is possible to use it. Tincture should be lubricated with heels at night and, in addition, you can make lotions for several hours.