Heel spur has been and remains a fairly common disease, the treatment of which is carried out using various methods. Spur removal on the heel is carried out in a variety of ways. However, it is quite difficult to completely get rid of it.
What is a heel spur?
Spur on the heel - a growth in the calcaneus, which looks very much like a spike. The mechanism of formation of such a growth is quite simple. At the junction of the tissues and bone of the heel as a result of prolonged and frequent exertion, tears are formed that do not have time to fully heal, are always injured and exacerbated by new injuries.
Outwardly, such a formation is almost imperceptible and difficult to diagnose at the very beginning of the course of the disease. A person can determine the presence of a spur only when it begins to cause pain and discomfort. If soreness occurs, spur on the heel is removed, and a variety of techniques are used for this.
The reason for the formation of spurs on the heel
The main cause of the heel spur is considered to be prolonged systematic stress on the legs. A person can be bothered by this disease at any age, however, in older patients, the disease can occur as a result of age-related changes.
There are predisposing factors that can lead to the formation of a heel spur, in particular, such as:
- foot disease;
- overweight;
- joint inflammation;
- prolonged stay on your feet at work;
- excessive systematic stress on the legs.
In addition, the use of everyday uncomfortable shoes, foot injuries can lead to the occurrence of this disease.
Main symptoms
Heel spur is characterized by severe pain in the heel. Often, the patient immediately begins to feel severe discomfort when walking or wearing tight shoes. After a while, a person discovers a calcaneal spur, similar to a bone growth. It can form at different ages, but most often this happens after 35 years.
Heel spur can occur in a variety of places. Painful sensations can be different, in particular, temporary or permanent and dull. Initially, the spur looks like a slight seal, which gradually begins to increase in size, and the skin around the growth becomes inflamed. These growths can be single and multiple.
Diagnostics
Before removing the spur on the heel, you need to undergo a comprehensive diagnosis. It is not difficult for a specialist, however, it is necessary to determine the cause of the disease, study the symptoms, find out the location, prescription and stage of the disease.
Then the doctor conducts a clinical examination of the diseased heel by palpation. This is quite enough, especially at more advanced stages, when the growth will be clearly visible and easily palpated.
At the initial stages of the disease, diagnosis can be quite complicated. Therefore, additional diagnostics may be required. In this case, an x-ray examination is prescribed. This will also eliminate serious injuries of the calcaneus, fractures and cracks. It is possible to determine the presence of a rheumatic spur, in which the inflammatory process proceeds, using a biochemical blood test.
Integrated competent diagnosis using modern methods allows you to determine the disease in the initial stages. This will allow you to choose the best way to remove spurs on the heel, which will bring positive results.
Conservative Therapies
If this complex disease occurs, it is important to know how to treat it. Spur removal on the heel is carried out using a variety of techniques. Heel spur requires an integrated approach, which includes:
- extracorporeal therapy;
- the use of medications;
- immobilization measures;
- folk techniques;
- surgical intervention.
Treatment of the disease begins with unloading the injured limb and eliminating the load on the foot. All these measures allow the most effective therapy. With the course of the disease in a complex form, bed rest is required.
To ease the pain during walking, you can use orthopedic shoes and insoles that help to distribute the load correctly.
Orthopedic appliances
To reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process, pain and faster healing of tissues, the use of orthopedic devices is prescribed. At night, it is recommended to wear orthoses that ensure the correct position of the foot. Immobilization of the leg helps to heal tissue without shortening the limb and getting microtrauma.
During the day, the diseased limb needs to be unloaded by restricting movement. In the process of walking, it is recommended to use crutches and a cane, which will help reduce pressure on the tissues.
In some cases, taping is performed to reliably fix the structure of the musculoskeletal system. This is achieved by applying a band-aid or adhesive tape. Taping is prescribed to maintain the arch of the foot and reduce the damaging effects on surrounding tissue.
Medications
Methods for removing spurs on the heel can be very different. Often, medications are used to eliminate the inflammatory process, reduce soreness, normalize blood circulation and metabolic processes. Medications have:
- decongestant;
- warming up;
- annoying effect.
All this helps to restore mobility in the foot. Often, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for the treatment, presented in the form of ointments and creams. In addition, such drugs as Nimesulide, Movalis, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac may be additionally prescribed.
To anesthetize and reduce the inflammatory process, Dimexide Gel or medical bile is prescribed, which must be applied as compresses on the heel. Dietary supplements that are made from natural ingredients have proven themselves well. The most popular are Pyatkashpor cream, Shark fat, Tiger's eye creams, as well as special herbal patches.
Injections are used for intense pain and inflammatory processes that cannot be eliminated with the help of other medications. Throughout the course of the acute period, novocaine blockades are indicated. To absorb excess calcium, glucocorticoid injections are prescribed.
Reviews about the removal of spur on the heel with medications are basically only the most positive, since you can achieve a good result without surgery. Medicines can also be administered through physiotherapy.
The use of folk techniques
Removing spurs on the heel at home can also be done using alternative methods, which, if used correctly, can be quite effective. Alternative medicine recipes are based on the use of natural ingredients that do not have serious contraindications and practically do not provoke the occurrence of side effects.
When carrying out the removal of spurs on the heel with folk remedies, it is absolutely necessary to strictly observe the rules for the use of all medicines, as well as consult a doctor first. Incorrect treatment can only harm your health. Alternative methods are most effective at the initial stage of the course of the disease and the prevention of the occurrence of the pathological process.
For treatment, you can use compresses prepared on the basis of black radish, which are applied to the affected foot. To prepare such a compress, the root crop must be thoroughly washed and crushed. The gruel must be squeezed out of excess fluid and applied to the heel, secured with a plastic bag on top. It is advisable to leave such a compress overnight, and in the morning wash the foot with warm water and soap and grease with a nourishing cream. The course of treatment is 7-10 procedures, and if necessary, it can be repeated.
The iris root helps to cope with a heel spur. To do this, grind it, pour alcohol, insist in a cool place for 15 days. The resulting tincture is used as compresses that need to be alternated with petroleum jelly dressings. The course of therapy is 20 days, alternately with each component.
The most popular method of removing spurs on the heel at home is the use of iodine. To do this, pour 3 liters of hot water into a container, add 2 tbsp. l tincture of iodine and mix. In the prepared solution, you need to soar a sore foot for 15 minutes, and then carefully dry the foot, apply an iodine net to the heel and put on a warm sock. The procedure is best done before bedtime to ensure a better result. This method is not suitable for patients with sensitive skin, with iodine intolerance and in the presence of varicose veins.
Phytotherapeutic techniques
To get the most positive result when removing the spur on the heel, the treatment should be comprehensive. Physiotherapeutic methods of therapy have proven themselves well. Shock wave therapy is often used. This method of removing spurs on the heel involves the use of special pulses of ultrasound. Due to this, calcium deposits, which form the basis of the growth, gradually begin to lose their strength, loosen and leach out of the body. In addition, this technique helps:
- accelerate the healing process of tissues;
- reduce inflammation;
- reduce tissue swelling.
Each such procedure leads to a decrease in pain, and by the end of the treatment of pain there should not be at all. However, in order to get the maximum possible result and completely get rid of the heel spur, treatment should be carried out at the very beginning of the onset of the disease. If the pathological process is severely launched, then such a technique will only help prevent the subsequent deposition of calcium salts.
In addition, it is worth noting that this method has certain contraindications, among which it is necessary to highlight:
- low pressure;
- disorders of the cardiovascular system;
- malignant tumors;
- disorders of the nervous system;
- infectious processes occurring in acute form;
- pregnancy.
Well-established treatment with radiation therapy. A similar method involves exposure to the affected area with x-ray radiation. Blocking of nerve endings occurs, as a result of which the patient ceases to feel severe pain, and over time it is completely eliminated. To completely get rid of soreness, a course of 10 sessions will be required. The main advantages of using such a technique include:
- high performance;
- complete painlessness;
- lack of contraindications;
- irradiation of only a certain area of the legs;
- anti-inflammatory effect.
It will help to evaluate the result after removing the spur on the heel of the photo, as a noticeable improvement and elimination of the painful growth is clearly visible. After taking a course of physiotherapy, it is important to take care of reducing the load on the injured area.
Laser treatment
Laser removal of spurs on the heels is considered one of the most effective methods that allow you to get rid of the neoplasm in the most gentle way. Laser therapy is based on the use of optical radiation generated by a laser. The wavelength is fixed.
In the process of removing spurs on the heel with a laser, the parameters are set depending on what diagnosis was made to the patient, that is, the severity of the course of the disease largely depends. Laser exposure can be high-intensity or low-intensity. This method helps the normalization of metabolism, as a result of which there is a more intensive tissue repair.
Laser removal of spurs on the heels helps to normalize blood flow, which helps to get rid of puffiness and eliminate the inflammatory process. All this leads to softening of the spur and its subsequent elimination.
Among the main advantages of using a laser can be distinguished such as:
- decrease in pain;
- destruction of pathogenic microflora;
- muscle relaxation;
- quick recovery;
- no addiction;
- can be performed on an outpatient basis.
Despite many advantages, laser removal of spurs on the heel has certain contraindications. These contraindications include:
- the presence of a malignant tumor;
- kidney and liver disease;
- thyroid disease;
- tuberculosis;
- heart diseases.
In addition, there may be other contraindications for such a treatment, which is why you need to first consult a doctor and undergo a comprehensive examination.
Surgical intervention
If the use of conservative treatment methods is ineffective, surgical removal of the spur on the heel is performed. This technique implies the complete removal of the growth. However, it is worth remembering that even crushing the heel spur does not guarantee that the growth does not form again. That is why during the diagnosis it is very important to determine the provoking factors that lead to the formation of spurs.
According to experts, surgery to remove spurs on the heel is well tolerated by patients, and complications are very rare. Before the start of the operation, an anesthetic is injected with a thick needle so that the surgical intervention is painless.
An operation to remove spurs on the heel can be carried out using x-rays. Local exposure to them helps to eliminate the inflammatory process, promotes faster healing of injured tissues, and also has an analgesic effect. In addition, surgery involves excising a spur by making incisions in the skin.
Therapeutic gymnastics, massage, diet
Such techniques as massage and special therapeutic exercises contribute to a more rapid recovery and elimination of tumors. The effect of such therapeutic measures is aimed at stretching and increasing the elasticity of connective tissues, which helps to normalize blood circulation in the lower extremities.
Regardless of the chosen methodology for conducting therapy with the help of specially selected gymnastics and massage, you can significantly reduce the treatment period, as well as consolidate the positive result. To better remove salts from the body and reduce the inflammatory process, patients are advised to exclude salty dishes, tea, sweets, smoked meats, coffee from the diet. In this case, you must pay attention to a sufficient amount of fluid consumed.
Physiotherapy exercises can bring the most positive result in the elimination of growth. The easiest exercise is rolling the feet of a glass bottle.
Massage spikes have a good result, but you should not abuse them. The best option is to use them 2 times a day for 15 minutes after performing a set of exercises. Similar techniques must be applied in conjunction with the use of medications and compresses.
Heel Spur Prevention
Together with the treatment of heel spurs, it is necessary to apply preventive measures. First of all, you need to take care of proper nutrition. It is necessary to correctly choose a diet that will reduce weight and stress on the heels and joints. The diet should consist mainly of products that contribute to the removal of salts from the body, reducing inflammation. The main methods of prevention include:
- weight loss;
- active movements;
- decrease in pressure on the feet.
It is advisable to do warm foot baths, self-massage and physiotherapy exercises. With any changes in the condition of the foot, you must immediately consult a doctor for a comprehensive examination and subsequent therapy. Prevention measures will help prevent the onset and subsequent development of heel spurs. Treatment requires a lot of time and certain material costs, which is why it is better to timely prevent the disease.