Calcaneal Spur

What is a Calcaneal Spur?

A Calcaneal Spur is a projection that is bony and small and that forms on the heel bone or calcaneus. It is normally instigated by placing too much stress on the sinew located on the feet sole. This typically develops over a long time period.

Calcaneal Spur Symptoms

The symptoms or indicators of an calcaneal spur consists of:

• Sharp pain that is stabbing under or on the inside of the heel
• Usually it is more painful in the morning
• Pain is normally relieved while resting but will be worse after getting up
• Walking on a hard surface makes the pain worse or if carrying anything heavy, for instance a suitcase
• There are cases where the pain may be so severe that it is difficult to continue daily work

Calcaneal Spur Causes

Each time an individual moves by only a step, a heel – only one – has to bare the entire weight of the whole body. As the individual moves, this load is often approximately 20 times the body weight. This burden is made softer by fat pillow underneath heel and a large “sinew” or tendon under the sole of the foot.

When an athlete doesn’t warm up correctly or a person with a sedentary lifestyle decides to spend the weekend exercising heavily, calf muscles or the Achilles tendon becomes overworked. These are fixed on the bone of the heel. Whenever the muscles of the calf or Achilles tendon are overburdened there will be strain on the muscles in the foot soles as well as the tendon. The overburden will overtime cause inflammation and even causes cracks that are small in the tendon.

Each time you sit down, lie down or rest the legs, the muscles located in the sole of the foot contract to guard the tendon that is hurt. The pain in the heel will no longer be there. But when you get up this pain will return and when you move, the tendon will crack even more.

To recompense for this damage that is repeated, the body will try to repair it in the only way that it knows how to repair a broken bone, by casing it in bone. This results in a projection on the heel bone that is bony and small and known as a “calcaneal spur”.

But it is not this spur that creates the pain, rather the spur is the cause of a prolonged overburden of the tendon at the bottom of the foot.

Calcaneal Spur Treatment

In every stage of this problem, it is vital to use footwear that is appropriate and adopt good habits for foot care.

• Rest the heel by reducing any activities
• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Injections of steroids sometimes will reduce pain but the effects are only temporary

A state-certified podiatrist or chiropodist, especially one who is specialized in biomechanics will advise on posture of the foot as well as the use of footwear and insoles that are corrective.

Calcaneal Spur Surgery

This type of spur may usually be managed with physical therapy and rest however a case that is severe might need surgery.

If none of the other therapies have worked in the long term, then calcaneal spur surgery might be needed to correct this problem. Surgery is done to eliminate the spur totally and if the factors that triggered the spur to develop are gone, it is not likely the spur will re-develop. During this surgery, an opening is cut at the heel side, and the bone spur is removed. The period for recovery is usually long, and can take many months.