Posted on June 4, 2009 in Latest News
Bone spur is the bony outgrowth of the normal bone. While bone spur itself does not cause pain, it can exert pressure on the surrounding muscles, tendons, or nerves and cause pain. Bone spur is caused due to aging, pressure or rubbing on the bone. Bone spur in the foot is very common as the foot is generally subjected to excessive pressure.
What Causes Bone Spur in Foot?
Bone spur is the body’s mechanism of repairing itself. Pressure, rubbing and stress on the foot causes the bone to outgrow. High impact activities such as running, jogging or dancing can add pressure to the feet and result in bone spur. Being overweight or wearing improper footwear can also exert pressure on the foot causing a bony outgrowth.
Plantar fascia, the ligament at the bottom of the foot can become inflamed due to high impact activities. The tension on the bone due to the tight ligament can trigger the growth of a bone spur at the bottom of the heel. Aging can also cause bone spur.
Common areas of bone spur in the foot:
Bone spur in the foot can form in the following areas:
- Heel spur is the most common bone spur, which is formed on the bottom or back of the heel
- Bone spurs can form in between the toes due to the excessive pressure from the shoes. Usually a corn between the toes can be an indication of a bone spur
- Bone spurs on top of the toes, especially over the 5th toe, are caused due to improper footwear
- Bone spur on the big toe is common
Bone Spur Treatment:
If the bone spur does not cause any pain, no treatment is needed. However, a bone spur can rub against the surrounding bones, nerves, tendons, and cause pain and inflammation. A bone spur can also contribute to loss of motion of the joint. Bone spur in the foot can be treated in the following ways:
- Wearing footwear which does not exert pressure on the spur can bring relief
- Using orthopedic padding in the shoes can be used for relief
- Weight loss to reduce the pressure on the spur could be recommended
- To relieve the pain, anti-inflammatory medications or cortisone injections can be used
If the pain due bone spur in the foot does not resolve with conservative care, then a surgery can be undertaken to remove the bone spur in the foot.
» Filed Under Latest News
Comments
Leave a Reply
