Also called heel spur, heel spur is caused by inflammation of the ligament that connects the heel to the toes. The person who suffers from it complains of not being able to put the heel down when standing up.
L’heel spur or heel spur touch the heel bone. Characterized by sharp pain, it touches especially the sportsman. What to do ? How do we know if we have it? Should we make physio sessions ?
Definition: what is a heel spur?
A heel spur is a bony growth which forms at the level of the bone of the heelcalled calcaneus. The spine appears under this bone, in the area where theplantar fasciathere fibrous membrane that connects the heel to the base of the toes. When this membrane is overstretched by microtraumasit follows a inflammation referred to as “plantar aponeurosis” or “Plantar Fasciitis“. This inflammation can lead to the formation of bone cells, which accumulate, form a spinecalled heel spur, Heel spur or calcaneal exostosis.
What are the symptoms of a heel spur?
The main symptom is a sharp pain under the heela feeling of tearing or a nail being driven into the heel, which appears suddenly, in the morning upon rising or after sitting for a long time. The thorn itself is not always painful, it is the inflammation of the aponeurosis that causes the pain. This one can radiate under the foot or to the back of the leg.
What causes a heel spur?
There intensive practice of a sportsuch as the running or any other activity that stresses the foot joint, favors the appearance of the calcaneal spur. Certain anatomical particularities may also be involved, as explained by Karine Poirier, pedicure-podiatrist: “THE hollow feetbut also in some cases flat feetfavor the appearance of the calcaneal spur“. THE wearing shoes maladaptive can also contribute to the phenomenon: “THE shoes that are too flat, without thick soles, heels and soles that are too hard can promote the appearance of the thornsays our expert. Television wearing flip flops, flip-flops or shoes without a posterior buttress, even the walking barefoot, are other contributing factors“. Finally, overweight is another risk factor.
Which doctor to go to see for a heel spur?
It is important to consult a pedicure-podiatrist to identify and then quickly treat the lack of support that led to the formation of the thorn. “Initially, there is often no heel spur visible on X-ray yet.emphasizes Karine Poirier. It is an inflammation of the insertion of the plantar aponeurosis at the level of the calcaneus. The patient complains of not being able to put the heel down when standing up. It’s important to consult from this first inflammatory stage so as not to trigger a chronic inflammation which could last several months.“
The treatment aims to reduce inflammation from the plantar aponeurosis at the origin of the spine. For this, it is first necessary to reduce traumatic activities for the heel. “The first treatment is cool the heel regularly (with an ice pack for 10 to 15 minutes), and especially to wear cushioning shoes (sneaker type) in order toisolate the heel from hard surfaces“, advises the specialist. “The port made-to-measure plantar orthosesmade by your pedicure-podiatrist, associated with sessions of physiotherapy brings relief fairly quickly” adds Karine Poirier. More rarely, in the event of therapeutic failure, the thorn is removed during an act surgical. In case of overweight, it is also advisable to losing weight.
Thanks to Karine Poirier, podiatrist-podiatrist.