I have now had a heel spur for quite some time and it HURTS. Especially when I have been sitting or lying down for a while then go to get up. It will hurt all the way up to my ankle unless I do a lot of flexing my foot before getting up. That at least makes it bareable until I've walked on it for a little while and some of the pain goes away. I have added a dr scholls shoe pad along with a rubbery heel pad I found and I also found some arch supports to wear while barefoot or with shoes that helps with my heel but actually makes my arch tired or start to hurt a little. I'm sure staying off of it will help but no matter how hard I try that's not going to happen. I'm a mother of 3 boys, 1 being an infant, work pt, baseball team mom pt, ft mom, housekeeper, cook and nurse. Would really like to get rid of this heel spur though. Any suggestions?
The podiatrist can give you a cortisone injection which will take down the inflammation and relieve the pain.
I would suggest meeting with a podiatrist in order to see if you have plantar fasciitis. If so, they may suggest a special orthotic for your shoes prior to having a cortisone injection.
Heel spurs develop over time from having plantar fasciitis.
If it's gone on for a really long time and you have a hook of bone formed on your heel - you might have to have the spur surgically removed.
If it's only been a few months you might be able to heal up the plantar fascitis.
When I had it bad standing on my feet first thing in the morning right out of bed was horribly painful - like walking on knives.
This is what healed it up for me.
I got a pair of Birkenstock sandals (Arizona the model is called) and I wore them every waking minute of the day.
The only time I took them off was for bed (I kept them next to the bed to step into first thing) and to take a shower (soon as I dried my feet off I was back in the sandals again).
If I had to get up in the night to use the bathroom, I wore my sandals.
Constant wearing for 2 weeks got me to the point of being able to go barefoot again for a short while.
Wearing them constantly for a month took all the pain away completely.
By then, the sandals were just so comfortable they became my favorite summer shoes (I have a pair of clogs for the winter).
Do the surgery. It isn't as bad as the pain you're experiencing daily. It will be gone for good.
My friend had hers done one right after the other, took off work the whole 3 months. Her job paid for it since it was workers comp. She managed a Circle K and they had cement floors. She had 4 kids and most of them were under school age. She did it between sports seasons, right at the beginning of summer.
A heel spur is a build up of calcium. Here is WebMD's site describing the condition, it's cause, and treatment. There are some home remedies which include exercise. http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/heel-spurs-pain-caus...
When I googled "heel spur" I also found a site that advertised a heel cushion as well as other things to put in the shoe. It sounds like you've already tried those.
To actually get rid of the heel spur one has to have surgery.
I had the same thing once, I also have 3 boys and it finally bothered me so much that I went to see a Podiatrist, He gave me a creme instead of oral medicine, so the medicine went right to my heel spur. IT was an anti inflamatory I think. With following directions and icing. Had to do this twice a day for 10-15 minutes. IT worked. Going to see a Podiatrist sooner will get better sooner, My dr told me, I had to use the regimen longer because I waited so long. Good luck! S.
I would try everything and anything first, before I had surgery. I was watching TV one night, and saw a Montel Williams infomercial on something called Tommie Copper. They manufacture compression gloves, socks, etc, for whichever part of your body is in pain. Of course everyone on the show said it worked miracles for them (of course they said that!) but I have read up on it a bit and thought I might get one for my knee. It might be worth a try!
I had them for over a year before a friend showed me how to get rid of them. Simple, but it takes time(3 mths for me). 5 x day kneel down but stay on your toes with heels up. Stretches the toes and the muscles that cause the problem. Hold 10 seconds and repeat 10 times. Hope it helps
See a podiatrist. He/she can better tell you that us mamas. Also, try not to opt for the cortisone, it is a quick fix that eventually will lead to bone loss.
Those are some really good stop gap measures, but the only real way to get rid of them is surgery.
The heel pad, stretches, and arch supports will all work for a short time, but removal can only be done with surgery.
I also have heel spurs. The only way to get rid of them unfortunately is surgery. You can find go find a foot doctor and have them look at it and you can do cortisone injections into your heel that is what I have done. It hurts like hell but the relief you get after the soreness of the injection goes away is worth it. I hope this helped.
J.
