Means and methods of heel spur treatment

Among foot enthesopathies, the most common is inflammation of the plantar fascia with the formation of a thorn-shaped ossification on the lower surface of the calcaneus – on the side of the sole – or, as doctors call it, a marginal osteophyte. This osteophyte (enthesophyte) directed towards the metatarsal bones is a heel spur.

What means and methods of treating heel spurs are used in orthopedics and how can it be treated with folk remedies? And will heel spurs go away without treatment?

Medicinal treatment of heel spurs at home

It should be borne in mind that heel spurs cannot be treated without treatment, but all therapeutic methods – medication and alternative – are symptomatic, that is, they reduce pain and inflammation that limit the mobility of the foot.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of heel spurs, inhibiting the synthesis of inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins) - Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Indomethacin, Ketorol, etc. - orthopedists prescribe to take orally if patients do not have such contraindications as gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, blood clotting disorders, bronchial asthma, chronic liver disease, heart or kidney failure, pregnancy and lactation. What other tablets are recommended for the treatment of heel spurs, as well as their side effects and dosage, more details in the article - Tablets for leg pain

Also, ointments and gels related to NSAIDs relieve pain, inflammation and swelling of the soft tissues of the foot. In particular, treatment is carried out with Diclofenac (other trade names - Diclac-gel, Diclofenacol, Dicloran, Voltaren), Ibuprofen, Ketonal (Ketoprofen), etc. Full information in the material - Ointments for heel spurs

Treatment of heel spurs with Dimexide (Dimethyl sulfoxide) is also aimed at relieving the symptoms of this enthesopathy; it is recommended to apply a 50% solution of the drug to the painful area of the heel and foot two or three times a day. A compress with Dimexide relieves pain even better: a 30-40% solution of this drug is made to wet a napkin, the compress is covered with polyethylene and natural fabric; it should be kept for no longer than 25-30 minutes. Usually, treatment of heel spurs at home with Dimexide is carried out for two weeks (the compress can be done twice a day). It is very convenient to use 25% Dimexide gel, as well as Dolobene gel containing dimexide and Ioddicerin solution.

Very severe pain can be relieved by treatment with Dimexide and novocaine, for which the compress composition should contain one part of a 40% solution of dimethyl sulfoxide and two parts of a 2% solution of novocaine (available in ampoules).

Dimexide is not used in the presence of serious problems with vision (glaucoma), the cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys, as well as during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Since Vishnevsky's aseptic liniment treats purulent inflammations of the skin and necrosis of subcutaneous tissues, treatment with Vishnevsky's ointment is not used in orthopedics. Also, treatment with Zorka cream (this ointment is used in veterinary medicine) and treatment with Vasna chitosan gel (this is a cosmeceutical for problem skin) are not prescribed.

But various plasters for heel spurs are often used due to their distracting effect. This is a regular pepper plaster (helps reduce pain), a similar menthol plaster (Clifton, Mentopas, TetaPlast, Neobun menthol plaster, etc.), as well as a Chinese plaster with pepper, ginger, camphor and menthol (Tongluo Qutong). But waterproof plasters with silver are not used: this is a remedy for better healing of open wounds and burns.

When the inflammatory process worsens, treating the heel spur with cold helps reduce pain: apply an ice pack to the sore spot several times a day for a quarter of an hour.

And outside of an exacerbation, doctors recommend making various compresses. For example, treatment with bile at home comes down to the fact that at night, after holding your feet in moderately hot water for 10-15 minutes, you need to put a compress of medical bile: moisten a piece of bandage with undiluted bile, put it on the sore spot, cover it with compress paper, and secure it with a bandage on top (you can put on socks and go to bed). Due to the influx of blood, tissue trophism improves and inflammation subsides. This procedure is performed every evening for at least two to three weeks.

An alcohol compress is made in a similar way for heel spurs. In addition, pain relief is facilitated by treatment with bischofite - a multi-component natural mineral-salt solution: by rubbing or compresses (also put on at night - every other day for a month).

If the patient prefers homeopathic treatment, then experts name such drugs for local use as Traumeel, Ziel T and Reuma-Gel.

In addition, homeopaths may prescribe: Calcarea flourica, Rhus toxicodendron, Aranea diadema, Ruta graveolens, Ammonium muriaticum.

In cases where neither NSAIDs taken orally nor externally give the desired result, and the pain becomes unbearable, it is necessary to make injections for heel spurs - periarticular injections of glucocorticoid drugs, often in combination with novocaine. But specialists prescribe treatment with Diprospan, Betamethasone dipropionate, Methylprednisolone and treatment with Hydrocortisone with great caution, since the introduction of drugs of this pharmacological group into the joint area can lead to structural changes in bone tissue and cartilage, atrophy of subcutaneous tissue and muscle fibers, and disruption of the integrity of tendons.

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Folk remedies for treating heel spurs at home

While specialists know the difference between marginal osteophyte of the calcaneus and retrocalcaneal (retrocalcaneal) exostosis (Haglund's deformity, which is part of the triad of the syndrome of the same name), many people who are far from medicine consider a heel spur to be a dense cartilaginous growth on the back of the heel - where the Achilles tendon is attached.

Haglund's deformity is called a retrocalcaneal or Achilles spur, and it occurs as a complication of inflammation of the Achilles tendon or heel joint bag. Why are we talking about this? Because many recipes for treating heel spurs with folk remedies at home published on the Internet seem to be designed specifically for the Achilles spur. There are also tips that are applicable only to dry calluses (corns) on the soles of the feet or to their hyperkeratosis.

How to choose an effective home treatment? Probably, if a folk remedy really helps, then the doctor recommends it to his patients...

Thus, doctors confirm that treating heel spurs with salt can reduce the intensity of pain, for which it is enough to do daily baths with salt for two weeks (50-60 g of salt per liter of water). In some recipes, in addition to salt, it is recommended to add vinegar, soap, soda to the water, but this does not increase the effectiveness of this procedure.

Treatment with sea salt (the same baths) is good for relieving foot swelling and heel pain; treatment with Dead Sea salt is best done with compresses and lotions. But treatment of heel spurs at sea (that is, relief of its symptoms) can be done by simply walking barefoot along the surf line and hot sand.

Treatment with turpentine: it is recommended to rub the skin of the sole near the heel bone or make a compress with subsequent warming. Turpentine (purified turpentine oil) causes irritation at the site of its application, and this has a distracting and analgesic effect. And the reflex expansion of capillaries enhances microcirculation and tissue metabolism.

Treatment with kerosene: rub the sore spot with a mixture of kerosene and table salt (50 g of each ingredient) or a mixture of kerosene and ethyl alcohol (in equal proportions). It should be borne in mind that kerosene can cause a chemical burn of the skin.

Identical to the use of a pepper plaster is treatment with pepper (bitter, containing the alkaloid capsaicin), and this is also to reduce pain and inflammation due to a reflex rush of blood. The same effect - due to the action of the glycoside sinigrin - is given by treatment with mustard or treatment with horseradish (compresses with freshly grated root), as well as treatment with black radish (which is grated on a fine grater and, wrapped in cotton cloth, applied to the heel at night).

Treatment with aspirin: the composition for compresses (which are applied at night) includes 200 ml of medical alcohol, 5 g of aspirin (crushed into powder) and 25 g of red pepper (ground). And treatment of heel spurs with iodine and aspirin is carried out by applications from a mixture of equal amounts of crushed aspirin and 5% alcohol solution of iodine.

In this case, iodine acts as a local irritant (the principle of action is mentioned above), so from a pharmacological point of view, treating heel spurs with iodine at home can be considered an effective method.

By the way, many folk recipes include vinegar, honey, salt and iodine for heel spurs. And if we somehow figured out the salt and iodine, then doctors do not comment on treatment with honey - in the form of compresses with the addition of salt. But the ointment with bee venom Apizartron is effective for pain, including that caused by heel osteophytes.

You can try vinegar treatment at home - vinegar infusion of colchicum tubers (10:1) as a pain-relieving rub.

Treatment with alcohol will help relieve pain - if it is formic alcohol (ethyl alcohol + formic acid). And in order for treatment with vodka to have a pain-relieving effect, it is better to prepare a tincture for rubbing from the root of calamus or flowers of common lilac. Herbalists guarantee pain relief if you treat with lilac (its tincture).

How can clay help treat heel spurs? Thanks to its adsorbent properties, it removes accumulated metabolic waste from tissues, helps relieve swelling and reduce pain. For a clay compress, you only need the clay itself and slightly warm water, and the mixed mass should have the consistency of a thick paste. As expected, the compress should be covered with a waterproof material and insulated, the standard procedure time is 60-90 minutes.

Traditional treatment of heel spurs with vinegar and egg is suitable only for retrocalcaneal exostosis (bumps on the heels) - in the form of compresses. Treatment with egg, vinegar and oil is fraught with burns - using not table vinegar, but concentrated acetic acid (as recommended in some recipes). After dissolving the shell of a raw egg in acid, vegetable oil is added. This method can be used to get rid of keratinized calluses (while healthy tissues are protected with adhesive tape).

The treatment with lemon or treatment with cabbage leaves recommended in some sources is questionable. The beneficial properties of lemon are applied externally for mycosis, acne and hyperpigmentation of the skin; lemon peel softens hardened calluses. And cabbage leaves draw out purulent exudate in phlegmon and treat mastitis.

Treatment with onions (which are recommended to be tied to the heels) is not justified by anything: the volatile phytoncides of onions do not penetrate the skin. But a gruel of onions removes old calluses quite successfully - due to the presence of organic acids in its composition.

The claim that garlic treatment – compresses or applications of a mixture of garlic gruel with vodka, salt or grated laundry soap – dissolves osteophytes is, to put it mildly, exaggerated. But such procedures help with fungal diseases of the feet.

Treatment of heel spurs with lard is suggested: by systematically lubricating the Achilles spur (the lump on the heel) with lard, it can become less hard over time. And rubbing the keratinized skin of the heels with raw lard helps to soften it and heal cracks.

Often, questionable folk remedies for treating heel spurs at home are offered, such as:

• treatment with propolis (it is better to use it externally not even for heel spurs, but for better healing of skin damage);
• treatment with apple cider vinegar (it is used for varicose veins) or treatment of heel spurs with kombucha;
• treatment with tar or treatment with solid oil (keratoses and psoriasis are treated with tar-based products and ointments based on solid oil);
• treatment with ammonia, even mixed with sunflower oil, will not help, but in combination with glycerin it will help with calluses and cracked heels;
• Treatment with potatoes (raw or boiled) is used to soften the hardened skin on the heels.

Some people use urine compresses or heated urine baths to combat cracked heels and hardened calluses (due to the action of urea), but whether treatment with urine is possible is unknown.

According to official information, foil treatment effectively reduces pain - wrapping the foot (for one to two hours a day) with regular food foil, as well as copper treatment - placing and fixing a copper plate on the sore area of the sole. The analgesic effect is explained by the difference between the electrical activity of the skin and the electrical potential of the metal: when it comes into contact with the skin, the conduction of pain impulses through the ion channels of the presynaptic membranes of the nerve endings is reduced.

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Treatment of heel spurs with herbs

Here are the most popular recipes for treating heel spurs with medicinal plants.

Treatment with burdock helps reduce pain and swelling: compresses from fresh leaves of burdock are made at night (necessarily after hot foot baths). For the same purpose, fresh leaves of peppermint, marjoram and aspen are used in folk medicine. For gout, it is recommended to take a decoction of burdock root internally, but it is unknown whether this remedy helps with osteophyte of the heel bone.

Treatment with plantain is unlikely to give a positive result, since the leaves of this plant are most often applied to abscesses, chafed and itchy areas of the skin.

It is recommended to carry out treatment with stinging nettle: compresses from ground ground parts of the plant or from scalded leaves. But the first option is better: formic acid, contained in the stinging hairs of the plant, does not lose its skin-irritating properties when crushed.

The tincture of lilac flowers has already been mentioned above, and in the same way, alcohol tinctures of cinquefoil (aerial part and rhizome), yellow water lily roots, white bryony or chickweed (woodlice) grass are used. In addition, treatment with woodlice is a daily application of steamed grass to the painful area for two to three hours (with a bandage) or compresses with its decoction.

Treatment with golden mustache (fragrant callisia): you can use ready-made ointments and balms (with added extracts of other plants or bee venom), or you can make your own vodka tincture (for rubbing) or ointment. The composition of such an ointment includes approximately equal proportions of callisia shoots crushed into a gruel and lard (or any other natural fat). It is recommended to apply the ointment every day - after a hot foot bath, put on cotton socks, and woolen ones on top.

As experts note, the duration of treatment of heel spurs depends on many factors, including concomitant diseases. Special insoles for the treatment of heel spurs will reduce the load on sore heels and soles: thickened, with notches at the base of the heel bone.

Physiotherapy treatment

In addition to the fact that treatment of heel spurs with massage helps improve blood circulation, metabolism and tissue trophism in the feet, physiotherapeutic procedures using ozokerite, paraffin and therapeutic mud are used.

Treatment with ozokerite and treatment with paraffin is carried out with compresses and applications that promote warming of deep tissues, which improves their trophism and relieves pain.

In the sanatorium, treatment of heel spurs with mud (peloid therapy) is carried out in the form of applications and foot baths with therapeutic mud - sulphide silt mud (for example, peloids of the Sivash or Kuyalnik estuary, mud of the Dead Sea, etc.). In the absence of contraindications, hydrogen sulphide baths can be prescribed.

Hardware physiotherapy treatment may include:

• conventional iontophoresis (with iodine preparations, dimexide, novocaine) or electrophoresis in the treatment of heel spurs;
• ultrasound therapy – treatment with ultrasound and hydrocortisone;
• darsonval treatment – local darsonvalization with high-frequency electric current impulses;
• treatment with a magnet – exposure to an alternating electromagnetic field of varying frequencies; at home, treatment can be carried out with the Almag-01 device for magnetic therapy;
• laser therapy – treatment of heel spurs with a laser (semiconductor or helium-neon), which helps soften the marginal osteophyte;
• treatment of heel spurs by irradiation using X-ray therapy units, i.e. treatment with X-rays will stop the growth of osteophytes; a short-focus or long-focus X-ray tube can be used;

Today, among all hardware physiotherapeutic methods, shock wave therapy or shock wave method of treating heel spurs is recognized by specialists as the most effective, since under the influence of low-frequency ultrasound waves, the osteophyte of the heel bone softens and collapses. Contraindications to the use of this method are hematological diseases and a tendency to form blood clots, high or low blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, infectious diseases, the presence of malignant neoplasms and pregnancy.

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Treatment of heel spurs with the Denas device

According to the manufacturers of this device, the therapeutic effect is carried out by dynamic electroneurostimulation. The indications for its use do not indicate diseases of the musculoskeletal system, accompanied by the formation of bone osteophytes and exostoses. Obviously, treatment with Denas is not carried out.

Treatment with the Vitafon device

Judging by the fact that the Vitafon device creates mechanical microvibrations in tissues and activates lymph and blood circulation with vibroacoustic action, Vitafon treatment at home can be an alternative to conventional massage. But the osteophyte of the heel bone is not specifically indicated in the instructions for the device.

Bioptron Treatment

The Bioptron device (Zepter Bioptron) affects the body tissues (as indicated in the instructions, at the level of cell membranes) with polarized polychromatic incoherent light, i.e. light therapy (phototherapy) is performed. Of the diseases of the musculoskeletal system, the instructions mention: arthritis and osteoarthritis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, lateral epicondylitis, myalgia, damage and pain in the joints.

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Heel spur: treatment with Imedis device

This device uses the principles of bioresonance therapy and affects the body with variable electromagnetic radiation. Among the pathologies of skeletal structures, this method is used for arthritis and bursitis.

Surgical treatment of heel spurs

Only in cases that do not respond to other therapeutic methods may a rather complex and not always effective surgical treatment of the heel spur by removing it be required.

Open access surgery, fraught with serious complications and requiring long-term postoperative rehabilitation, is now performed quite rarely. Minimally invasive interventions are more often used: endoscopic or under X-ray control.

To avoid surgery, if you have pain in the heel area, go to an orthopedist. And if it is an osteophyte of the heel bone, there are effective means and methods for treating heel spurs.