What is a heel spur? What does the pathology look like? Is it possible to cure an ailment with folk remedies? Of course, many people are interested in these questions, because diseases of the musculoskeletal system are considered one of the most common.
Spur on the heel, the symptoms and treatment of which will be described below, gives the patient tremendous discomfort. Its appearance is completely unrelated to age; plantar fasciitis (the scientific name for the disease) may appear in both young people and people of retirement age. If diagnosed with spur on the heel, symptoms and treatment will depend on the negative factors that triggered the ailment.
Causes of the disease
The calcaneal spur is a bone growth resembling a spike at the calcaneus or at the site of attachment of the Achilles tendon. Treatment of spurs on the heels, the causes and symptoms of the disease can be very different. Let us first consider the factors affecting the appearance of a heel spur. The main cause of the formation of the ailment is considered to be a microfracture or inflammation of the plantar fascia (the ligament on the foot supporting its arch, when walking, the entire weight of a person falls precisely on it). In addition, the following factors may precede the appearance of spurs:
- foot or heel injuries;
- diseases that provoke circulatory disorders;
- overweight, diabetes, metabolic disorder;
- too heavy loads on the foot (prolonged wearing of high heels or excessive exercise);
- longitudinal flat feet;
- arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis or other diseases of the joints and spine.
How is the heel spur formed?
Since the spur on the heel (symptoms and treatment will be described below) is not an independent disease, it is the growth that does not bring any unpleasant sensations. The cause of unbearable pain is trauma to the ligaments of the foot. Moreover, damage can occur simultaneously on two legs. In addition, you should know that there is a mucous bag on the foot, which can also become inflamed and damaged. The calcaneus reacts to this in the same way as with arthrosis, that is, it begins to expand and take the form of a growth. It is practically impossible to visually detect an ailment, but it is very well visible with x-rays.
Spurs on the heels: symptoms, photo
The main symptom of the disease is a very severe pain in the heel, which increases with reliance on the calcaneal region, especially after a long stay at rest. The pain is pronounced quite clearly, as a result of which the patient tries to transfer the entire weight when walking to the toe, protecting the heel zone from pressure. In some cases, people use a stick when walking to minimize pressure on their heels.
The most severe symptoms appear in the evening. It is noted that the size of the growth directly affects the sensations, that is, the larger the osteophyte, the more pain the person will feel. In addition, constant pressure on the growth provokes the development of inflammation, which subsequently can cause an infection, leading to suppuration of the skin and upstream tissues. With palpation of the heel, you can also feel some signs of the appearance of the disease. In this case, the foot is usually tense; when stroking in the area of osteophyte development, a callus can be felt.
Only a specialist should diagnose the disease, prescribe a medicine for spurs on the heels, since the symptoms of some other ailments (osteoma, fracture of the foot, sprain, etc.) are very similar to plantar fasciitis. But everyone knows that a correctly diagnosed diagnosis is the key to successful therapy. Professional treatment of spurs on the heel, medicines selected taking into account all the physiological characteristics of the patient, will allow you to forget about the disease and again feel all the charms of life. So, what methods are used to treat plantar fasciitis?
Medication for heel spurs: medications
Before starting therapy, you should unload the diseased limb as much as possible, eliminate pressure on the foot. Depending on the complexity of the case, the doctor may prescribe:
- bed rest;
- the use of teips in the daytime, and orthoses, at night, due to which the pressure on the foot is reduced;
- use of orthopedic shoes;
- decrease in foot load (decrease in the duration of walking, standing posture, etc.);
- use when walking crutches, sticks and other special means.
Medicines are used externally. To ensure analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, "Piroxicam gel", "Voltaren", "Diclofenac" ointment, "Ketorol gel" and others are prescribed. The selected drug is rubbed into the affected area three times a day. The full course of therapy is 2-2.5 weeks.
Dimexide
If the question of how to remove spurs on the heels has become urgent, you can buy "Dimexidum" and use it to treat the disease. In this case, the healing liquid is diluted with water (1: 5) and the resulting solution is impregnated with a gauze napkin. Then impose it in the form of a compress on the affected area, cover with polyethylene or wax paper. Then put on a sock on the sore leg. This will fix the compress and improve its effect. The duration of one procedure is about half an hour, in total it will take 8-10 sessions.
Medical bile
This drug is also used for compresses to help treat plantar fasciitis. Medical bile is produced in the form of an emulsion. To use the drug, a gauze napkin is folded in 3-4 layers and soaked in healing fluid. After that, they apply to a sore spot, cover with paper and warm, putting on a warm sock. After 12 hours, the compress must be replaced with a new one. The duration of such treatment is 1-2 months.
Cream "Pyatkashpor" and "Tiger eye"
Recently, dietary supplements have been actively used to treat certain diseases. One of them is a cream called Pyatkashpor. Even by name you can understand for what purpose it must be used. The drug relieves the symptoms of the disease, tension in the foot and improves mobility.
Cream "Tiger eye Ortho calcaneal spur" softens the skin, relieves inflammation, improves blood circulation in the foot. It is advisable to combine treatment with creams with the wearing of special orthopedic insoles, which can be purchased at a pharmacy or specialized centers.
Bang De Li and Bone Spur Plaster patches
External patches are made on a natural basis and are used to relieve swelling, pain and improve blood circulation. Using the tool is very simple. For this, a patch of spurs on the heels is glued for 1-3 days to the sore spot. After that you need to take a five-day break and repeat the procedure. In total, it is recommended to make 10-15 applications.
Home ointments for the treatment of plantar fasciitis
Together with drug treatment, it is recommended to use folk remedies. Spurs on the heels are most often treated with propolis, salt, herbs, honey. They make various healing baths, grindings, lotions or compresses. Also, from ordinary home remedies, you can prepare a great ointment from spurs on the heels.
To do this, take 1 tbsp. l honey, mix it with 1 tsp. fine salt and 50 ml of iodine. The resulting mass is stirred until homogeneous, imposed a little on a cotton pad and applied to the affected area. Top cover with cellophane and warm, wearing a woolen sock. After 15 minutes, the compress can be removed. In total, 10-15 procedures must be done, depending on the course of the disease.
Homemade ointment for spurs on the heels can be prepared in another way. A tube of any baby cream is squeezed into the bowl, one raw egg and 10 ml of vinegar essence are added. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed and used like the previous home ointment.
Healing Herbs
Alternative treatment of spurs on the heels is often carried out using herbs. For example, they take fresh young nettle leaves and pass them through a meat grinder. 2 tbsp. l the resulting mass is laid out on a sheet of burdock and applied to the resulting spur. Fix the compress with a bandage. The procedure is carried out daily at night. According to traditional healers, in a couple of weeks after use, the pain will subside noticeably, and after a month the spur will resolve completely.
A glass of dried horsetail is brewed with 3 liters of hot water, insisted for a couple of hours, and then filtered. In the resulting infusion they lower their legs and hold for 15-20 minutes. After the treatment bath, the feet are thoroughly wiped and greased with a Lugol solution.
Simple folk remedies for the treatment of plantar fasciitis
To prepare the next home remedy, combine 100 ml of melted pork fat, the same amount of vinegar and one raw egg together with the shell (ground in a coffee grinder). The resulting mixture was cleaned in a dark place for 3 weeks, stirring daily. After the set time has passed, the mixture should become homogeneous. When the medicine is ready, it is placed on a cotton pad and applied to the affected area, covered with wax paper and insulated by putting on a sock. The full course of therapy is 35 days.
A very popular way is to treat plantar fasciitis with laundry soap. At the same time, the bar of the darkest laundry soap needs to be grated, put in an aluminum bowl and melt in a water bath. Compresses are made from the resulting mass. For this, the pulp is spread on a cotton pad or gauze, folded in several layers, applied to the affected area, covered with cellophane on top and fixed with a bandage or scarf. The procedure is done daily until complete recovery.
Half a cup of salt is poured into a pan and heated in the oven or on the stove. Next, the diseased heel is immersed in hot salt and heated until the salt cools. Such therapy is recommended to be done daily.
In conclusion, it should be noted once again that spur on the heel, the symptoms and treatment of which are described above, is a rather serious disease. Therefore, before engaging in home treatment, it is recommended to consult a specialist who, depending on the course of the disease, will approve or refute the chosen treatment method.