Many people have to deal with a problem like heel spur. It is a pointed bone growth localized on the surface of the calcaneus. Pathology significantly affects the quality of human life. He is forced to experience constant discomfort, to wear special shoes. How to cure a spur on the heel quickly?
Reasons for violation
Every year, about 2 million people turn to the doctor with a question, is it possible to cure a spur on the heel. Approximately 80% of their number are women from the age of 40. Doctors managed to identify a group of factors that cause this violation:
- flat feet;
- age-related changes affecting the circulatory system of the lower extremities;
- pregnancy;
- overweight;
- diseases of tissues and vessels of the lower extremities (diabetes, gout, rheumatoid arthritis).
In young people, the main cause of heel spurs are intense sports training. In girls, in most cases, it is a consequence of wearing shoes with heels.
Main symptoms
To understand how to effectively cure a spur on the heel, you need to know the clinical picture of the pathology. Only timely detection of a problem is the key to a quick recovery.
Its first symptom is discomfort in the heel, which is worse when walking. It is associated with the pressure of bone formation on soft tissues. The intensity of the pain syndrome may vary depending on the size of the growth. At first, discomfort appears only at the "starting" steps, and then disappears. If untreated, the pathology progresses, and the pain does not leave a person even at rest. It acquires a cramping or aching character.
The second symptom is a consequence of the first - a change in gait. If discomfort occurs in the heel, a person tries to unload it involuntarily. As a result of the improper distribution of body weight, not only gait changes, but also transverse flatfoot develops. It is especially hard for people with heel spurs on both legs.
Calcaneal spur in pregnant women
Women in the position are often faced with such a problem as a spur on the heel. Where to cure this pathology, the gynecologist should tell at the reception. As a rule, an orthopedist or therapist is involved in the disease.
The main reason for the appearance of spurs in pregnant women is considered to be physiological changes - softening of the ligaments. Diagnosis and subsequent treatment during this period is very difficult, because some methods and drugs are simply prohibited. Therefore, even at the planning stage, doctors recommend starting to engage in the prevention of heel spurs:
- monitor nutrition;
- wear the right shoes (heel height 2–4 cm);
- abandon addictions;
- perform daily foot massage (in the absence of severe swelling);
- use preventive insoles-arch supports.
Pregnant women, especially the third trimester, should not remain motionless for a long time. For example, standing in line or at a bus stop. Useful leisurely walks.
If a calcaneal spur is detected, the doctor should prescribe the treatment. Trying to solve the problem yourself or using folk methods is strictly prohibited. Therapy usually comes down to the use of painkillers and ointments that are allowed during pregnancy. Injections are resorted to in exceptional cases, so as not to harm the baby inside the womb.
Diagnostic Methods
It is not possible to diagnose at the initial appointment and immediately cure heel spurs. Exceptionally physical examination and examination of patient complaints is not enough. Pain in the calcaneal region may also indicate other pathologies (ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, etc.).
Therefore, standard diagnostics includes a number of laboratory, instrumental studies:
- urine and blood tests;
- MRI of the foot;
- radiography of the foot.
After a comprehensive examination, the doctor will be able to determine the cause of the pathology and tell how to heal the spur on the heel.
Therapy Features
The technique for the treatment of heel spurs is always selected individually. You should not try to overcome the disease yourself. Such attempts can lead to burns and damage to soft tissues, partial restriction of mobility.
In modern medical practice, several treatment options are used:
- physiotherapeutic procedures;
- ethnoscience;
- surgical intervention.
Each of the methods of how to cure a spur on the heel on the leg will be described in detail below. All patients are advised to limit pressure on the damaged area during the treatment period. In especially serious cases, bed rest and hospitalization are prescribed.
Drug use
At home, you can cure a spur on the heel by using special gels, ointments or creams. For example, Butadion or Diclofenac. All of them in their composition should have non-steroidal anti-inflammatory components. These topical agents have an analgesic, anti-inflammatory effect. For treatment, it is necessary to rub the drug selected by the doctor into the affected area three times a day. The course of treatment, as a rule, is at least two weeks. You can not interrupt it even if the unpleasant symptoms disappear.
At home, it is possible to cure a spur on the heel with the help of special plasters made on the basis of herbal anti-inflammatory and analgesic components. Such a tool should be glued to dry skin of the calcaneal region for about 1-2 days. The course of treatment is about two weeks.
In the absence of a pronounced effect of external treatment, the patient is prescribed a block of heel spurs. This procedure can only be performed by a doctor. She means chipping the affected area of the heel with drugs with glucocorticoid hormones: "Hydrocortisone", "Diprospan". The introduction of an injection into the focus of inflammation allows you to quickly cure a spur on the heel. How long the treatment will last, the doctor determines. Usually 2-3 injections are required.
Physiotherapeutic Complex
To eliminate the symptoms of the disease, various physiotherapeutic procedures are used. Thanks to the additional effect, it is possible to significantly improve the patient's condition. All procedures are performed in medical facilities. Their number and duration is determined by the doctor. A physiotherapeutic complex for eliminating calcaneal spurs may consist of the following measures:
- shock wave therapy;
- laser application;
- ultrasound treatment;
- X-ray therapy.
Can I heal spurs on my heels with a laser? Laser therapy is recognized as a fairly effective technique, which is used at all stages of the development of the pathological process. During the procedure, the doctor reveals a sore spot from four projections with a special apparatus. As a result, inflammation and swelling go away, the pain syndrome decreases. Procedures should be repeated daily for 10 days. If necessary, the treatment is repeated after 2 weeks. Laser therapy is contraindicated in patients with tumor processes in the body, thyrotoxicosis, heart and lung diseases.
Treatment with ultrasound can not only stop the symptoms of heel spurs, but also positively affect the root cause of the disease. The procedure involves exposure to the affected area with ultrasonic waves. As a result, blood circulation is restored in this area, pain and inflammation disappear. In addition, ultrasound helps trigger regeneration processes and break up salt deposits. A treatment session takes no more than 30 minutes and is not accompanied by pain. In total, 5-7 such procedures are required, the interval between which should be about a week. This technique is not recommended for women in position, patients with nervous disorders and arrhythmias, thrombophlebitis.
With the help of x-ray therapy, you can quickly cure a spur on the heel. As a rule, the pain disappears in just 10 minutes. The doctor directs the x-rays directly to the affected area. Therefore, such an effect does not entail harm to the body. The procedure allows you to block the nerve endings, which brings relief to the patient.
Despite the large number of positive aspects, x-ray therapy is not prescribed without urgent need. The technique has many contraindications, including old age and the presence of chronic diseases in history.
Shock wave therapy
Separately, it is necessary to consider shock wave therapy. This method of physiotherapy is used in medical practice relatively recently, but has already managed to prove its effectiveness. Exposure to an ultrasonic wave of a certain frequency helps to stop inflammation in the soft tissues, loosening salt deposits. The latter are washed out of the body along with the blood stream after some time.
Shock wave therapy helps to quickly heal a spur on the heel. As a rule, small formations can be completely eliminated. In advanced cases, this approach allows you to slow down the progression of the disease and relieve the patient from pain discomfort. The standard course of treatment is 5-7 procedures.
Help traditional medicine
Alternative medicine has a large number of recipes on how to cure a heel spur. Folk remedies therapy is permissible only after consultation with a doctor. Some herbs and ingredients are simply contraindicated in this diagnosis. Below we list the most effective recipes:
- Warming up. To treat a neoplasm, you can prepare baths. Water should be warm and comfortable for successful softening of the growth. You can add sea salt to the liquid, and then lower your legs into it for 10-15 minutes. After the procedure, you need to wear socks made of natural fabric to keep the heat longer.
- Compresses This is another popular way to cure heel spurs at home. Some drugs also effectively relieve swelling and inflammation, as well as pharmacy drugs. Among them are potatoes, honey, black radish and cabbage leaf. Compresses are recommended for pre-steamed skin. The procedure is best done at night so that the active substances have a positive effect during rest.
Treatment of heel spurs with folk remedies should be considered an additional measure to the main course of therapy. Such an approach cannot be an independent option for eliminating pathology.
Physiotherapy
How to cure spurs on heels with folk remedies is described a little higher. Against this pathology, doctors offer not only unconventional therapy or medications. Physical therapy has found its application in the fight against this problem.
All exercises are selected strictly by the doctor. During acute inflammation, they are contraindicated, and bed rest is recommended for the patient. When it is possible to get rid of the source of the pain syndrome, it is necessary to start strengthening the ligaments and muscles of the foot.
Immediately before performing the exercises, the affected area should be warmed up. This can be done through conventional massage. Gentle movements should be held with your hands on the outer surface of the foot, gradually increasing the pressure intensity. All manipulations should not be accompanied by pain or discomfort.
Then you can proceed to the set of exercises:
- squats against the wall;
- rolling the ball with the foot in a sitting position on a chair;
- stretching the calf muscle in a standing position with socks on the step;
- lifting small objects from the floor with your toes;
- pulling socks to the body by means of special tapes.
A similar set of exercises can be performed at home, but only after consulting a specialist. Gymnastics helps strengthen the muscles and ligaments of the foot, and prevents the further progression of the underlying ailment. Daily enough to allocate 15-20 minutes.
Dieting
One of the prerequisites for how to cure a spur on the heel at home is to follow a diet. The formation is formed from uric acid salts. Therefore, the main purpose of the diet is to normalize the acid-base balance in the body. Starvation can only provoke an exacerbation of the disease. It is strictly prohibited.
Standard nutritional recommendations come down to the following requirements:
- reduced consumption of fish, meat, cereals and dairy products;
- increase in the diet of fresh vegetables and fruits;
- heavy drinking (alkaline mineral water is allowed, decoctions based on rose hips);
- categorically prohibited sweets and pastries, canned goods, mayonnaise and ketchup.
The exact diet is selected for each patient individually. Following such a diet can not only slow down the progression of the disease, but also improve the health of the whole organism.
Surgical intervention
Conservative therapies help you figure out how to heal a spur on your heel quickly. Reviews of doctors warn that the above treatment options help stop inflammation and swelling, slow down the progression of the disease. However, to completely get rid of the growth is possible only through surgical intervention. But this method is not a guarantee of no relapse. Therefore, doctors turn to him in exceptional cases.
The amount of intervention depends on the stage of the pathology and its nature. During the operation, the plantar fascia is cut partially or completely. At the same time, the specialist removes the spur itself and dissects damaged tissue. In the case of complete or disconnecting fasciomy, the anatomy of the foot is violated. As a result, gait changes, which is often the cause of disability.
Minimal invasiveness is characterized by radiofrequency microtenomy (burning out). This procedure involves the use of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, under the influence of which damaged tissues and nerve fibers are destroyed.
Reviews
How to cure a heel spur quickly, patients speak out ambiguously. For example, recipes for traditional medicine help one. According to them, compresses with ordinary potatoes or daily heating allow you to forget about the problem for a while. In this case, you do not have to resort to the help of drugs.
Other patients talk about a miraculous diet. You just need to remove several foods from the diet, add more vegetables and fruits, and the growth disappears on its own. The third category is the adherent of surgical intervention. As a rule, such patients in a short period of time have already managed to go through medical and folk care. However, such therapeutic techniques are often ineffective. And only a well-conducted operation saves from the problem.
Medical reviews on how to cure a spur on the heel are more categorical. According to doctors, to eliminate the ailment, you must have an integrated approach. First you need to go through a complete diagnosis and determine the cause of the formation. Then proceed with drug therapy, accompanying it with a change in nutrition. This approach allows you to cure a spur, if not forever, then achieve a stable remission. When a neoplasm occurs several times a year, you can already proceed to the operation. However, in this case, after surgery, the patient is recommended to constantly engage in prevention: to control body weight, eat right, wear only high-quality shoes. More details about the options for preventing the disease will be discussed later in the article.
Prevention Methods
Is it possible to cure a spur in the heel forever? This is the question that most patients who once in their lives had to deal with this ailment asks. The answer will be positive only with surgical intervention. In all other cases, the heel spur may reappear.
In order not to worry about a likely relapse, you need to deal with the prevention of pathology. It is quite simple and comes down to following the rules of a healthy lifestyle. However, there are several directions for the prevention of heel spurs:
- body weight control;
- prevention of premature aging of the articular apparatus;
- injury prevention;
- timely detection and treatment of diseases of the supporting apparatus.
Overweight leads to an increase in the load on the longitudinal arch of the foot. In addition, high weight is often a signal of metabolic disorders in the body or serious diseases that can directly or indirectly stimulate the formation of heel spurs.
Proper nutrition, the absence of addictions and feasible physical activity can avoid premature aging of the articular apparatus. Doctors recommend paying special attention to the condition of bones to women older than 40 years. After 45 years, many begin menopause, accompanied by the occurrence of osteoporosis. Modern medicine offers many vitamin and mineral complexes to maintain the health of the supporting apparatus. The therapist should help in choosing a specific drug.
Wearing low-quality shoes is a common cause of heel spurs. Doctors and high-heeled shoes are advised to wear no more than 3 hours a day. Slippers, sandals and other types of shoes without a back are also not recommended for continuous use. Shoes are best chosen with a small heel (about 3 cm). With flat feet, it is necessary to wear special orthopedic shoes or use corrective insoles.
The effectiveness of any therapeutic tactic directly depends on the timeliness of identifying health problems. Going to the doctor at the first sign of a heel spur avoids complications. People who are at risk should have a regular checkup.