Heel Spurs: Causes, Symptoms, and Modern Treatments for Lasting Relief

Picture this: You wake up in the morning, take your first step out of bed, and a sharp pain shoots through your heel. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. For many, this nagging discomfort points to a common yet often misunderstood condition: a heel spur.

Let’s walk through what you need to know about heel spurs, how they form, and what steps we can take to manage and prevent them effectively.

What Is a Heel Spur?

A heel spur is a calcium deposit that builds up over time, forming a bony protrusion on the underside of the heel bone (calcaneus). It often develops in response to ongoing stress or strain on the foot’s ligaments and muscles, primarily the plantar fascia.

While heel spurs themselves aren’t always painful, when inflammation occurs in the surrounding soft tissues, especially the plantar fascia, it can lead to significant heel pain. This is especially true during the first steps after resting.

They’re often associated with plantar fasciitis, but they’re not synonymous. Think of the heel spur as the physical growth, and plantar fasciitis as the inflammation of the tissue where that spur might form.

How Heel Spurs Develop: Causes and Risk Factors

Heel spurs don’t appear overnight. They form gradually, typically as the body tries to repair stress-related injuries. When the plantar fascia pulls on the heel bone repeatedly, the body responds by depositing calcium where the stress is most concentrated. Over months or years, this creates the spur.

Let’s break down some common contributing factors:

• Poorly fitting or unsupportive footwear
• High-impact sports like running or jumping
• Flat feet or high arches that alter gait mechanics
• Obesity or rapid weight gain, increasing heel pressure
• Aging, which reduces heel pad thickness and elasticity
• Occupations that demand prolonged standing

Think of it this way: the more shock and weight your heel absorbs without proper support, the more likely it is to develop microtrauma. Over time, that trauma may turn into a spur.

Recognizing the Symptoms of a Heel Spur

Although heel spurs can be asymptomatic, many individuals report:

• Sharp, stabbing heel pain with the first steps in the morning
• Aching discomfort after standing or walking for long periods
• Pain that fades as you move around, then returns after rest
• Swelling or a visible bony bump (in advanced cases)

Diagnosing a Heel Spur: Tests and Procedures

We begin with a detailed clinical evaluation, including patient history and a physical exam. Your doctor will look for:

• Point tenderness beneath the heel
• Signs of inflammation or swelling
• Foot structure anomalies like overpronation

From there, imaging studies help confirm a heel spur diagnosis:

• X-rays can clearly show the bony spur
• MRI might be ordered to evaluate the plantar fascia and rule out other issues like tendon tears or stress fractures

It’s important to note: not all heel pain comes from a heel spur, and not all spurs cause pain. Diagnosis should always be a comprehensive decision, not based on imaging alone.

Conservative Treatments: Medications, Orthotics, and Physical Therapy

Fortunately, most heel spurs don’t require surgery. In fact, over 80% of patients improve with conservative care.

We typically recommend a combination of the following:

• NSAIDs like ibuprofen for inflammation relief
• Properly fitted orthotics or heel cups to offload pressure
• Stretching routines targeting the calf muscles and plantar fascia
• Ice massage or rolling a frozen water bottle underfoot
• Physical therapy for strengthening and gait correction

Advanced Treatment Options: Injections and Shock Wave Therapy

If conservative measures fall short after several weeks or months, advanced options come into play.

• Corticosteroid Injections: These reduce inflammation fast but aren’t long-term solutions due to potential side effects.
• Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT): This non-invasive modality uses acoustic energy to break up inflammation and stimulate healing. Studies have shown high success rates in chronic heel pain cases.

Both treatments can be highly effective, especially when combined with lifestyle changes.

Surgical Considerations and When to Consider Surgery

Surgery is the last resort, reserved for those with persistent, debilitating heel pain after exhaustive non-surgical efforts.

Surgical options include:

• Plantar fascia release: cutting part of the fascia to relieve tension
• Spur removal: using minimally invasive tools to shave off the bony growth

Recovery from heel spur surgery can take 6–12 weeks depending on the procedure and individual healing rate. Risks include nerve damage, recurrence, and infection. That’s why we explore every non-surgical path first.

Preventing Heel Spurs: Lifestyle and Foot Care Tips

While we can’t always control biology or every aspect of our jobs, many heel spurs can be avoided with intentional care:

• Choose supportive footwear with cushioning and proper arch support
• Use orthotics if you have flat feet or biomechanical imbalances
• Stretch daily to maintain calf and foot flexibility
• Maintain a healthy body weight
• Avoid prolonged standing, or switch to cushioned matting at work

If you’ve ever slipped on a cheap pair of flip-flops and felt pain later, you’ve already experienced the cost of insufficient foot support.

Recovery and Long-Term Management

Recovery timelines depend on the severity of the spur and your treatment approach. Conservative care may provide relief in a few weeks, while more persistent cases can take several months.

Post-recovery, ongoing management includes:

• Continuing foot stretches
• Wearing appropriate footwear
• Avoiding high-impact activities without adequate warm-up

With guided care, most heel spur sufferers can return to their normal routine, pain-free.

If heel pain is interfering with your mornings, workouts, or workdays, don’t wait for it to worsen. Visit South Florida Multi-Specialty Medical Group for expert diagnosis and personalized treatment. Let’s build a path to lasting relief together.

Treatments SFL Offers for Rearfoot Disorders

At South Florida Multi-Specialty Medical Group, we provide comprehensive care for a range of rearfoot conditions:

• Plantar Fasciitis: We offer advanced therapies and custom orthotics to relieve inflammation and restore foot function.
• Pump Bump (Haglund Deformity): Our team uses both conservative and minimally invasive surgical techniques to reduce pain and correct the bony prominence at the back of the heel.
• Flat Foot: We assess gait and provide orthotics, physical therapy, and, when needed, surgical solutions to support arch health and alignment.
• Arthritis of the Rearfoot: Our approach includes medication, injection therapy, and surgical options to maintain mobility and manage pain from joint degeneration.
• Heel Spur: We combine conservative management, advanced therapies, and minimally invasive surgery to address both pain and the underlying bony growth.

We also provide Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), laser nail treatment for nail fungus, and comprehensive podiatry services to address all aspects of foot and ankle health.