Your feet support your whole body when you’re upright, and your heels play a major role in how you stay up. The calcaneus, or heel bone, helps you maintain balance, absorb shock, and provides structural support. Your heel fat pad, attached to the largest bone in your foot, also plays a vital role in balance and stability as well as minimizing the risk of injury.
Whether through constant use or an accident, feet are sadly prone to injury, and for your heels, that means problems like heel spurs. Dealing with this condition can be painful, and make staying on your feet uncomfortable. If you’re struggling with difficulties stemming from heel spurs, there are ways to get relief.
Drs. Ashkan Soleymani, Michael Salih, Arash Jalil, Saman Tabari, and the Cedars Foot and Ankle Center team assist residents of Tarzana and Inglewood, California, with heel spurs and a range of other foot health conditions.
This painful foot problem, also referred to as a bone spur, describes a bony growth that develops on the base of your heel. It develops over a long period, resulting from stress and strain on your ligaments and tendons. It can also be linked to other foot ailments, such as plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis, as both conditions are connected to the heel.
The extra bony growth is your body’s way of responding to the stress placed upon it, and you may feel nothing while it develops. This form of foot pain affects about 15% of people and isn’t curable, but can be managed.
When symptoms of heel spurs develop, you’ll experience problems like swelling, a feeling of warmth in your heel, a stabbing sensation under your foot, and heel pain, which happens while performing activities on your feet and worsens right after getting out of bed.
The stress and strain that lead to heel spurs can be triggered by several factors, including obesity, pregnancy, high-impact sports, sudden increases in physical activity, ill-fitting shoes, and conditions that inflame joints, such as arthritis.
To manage heel spurs, take steps to address plantar fasciitis, as both conditions are linked, and the pain likely stems from the latter issue. Resting your heels can help, along with using ice to reduce inflammation, taking anti-inflammatory medications, and wearing shoes that fit correctly. We also offer custom orthotics for foot support and pain relief.
To avoid the pain caused by these spurs, ensure you run or jog on even surfaces and wear comfortable shoes that fit and offer arch support. Also, avoid walking on hardwood floors without slippers or shoes, and adjust your walking routine to alleviate heel pressure. Changes in daily routine can lower the time you’re upright, and losing weight can reduce heel pain and other problems.
Heel spurs can really affect your quality of life. For help, schedule an appointment with Drs. Soleymani, Salih, Jalil, Sabari, and the Cedars Foot and Ankle Center team.
