Drug treatment for heel spurs

As we have found out, the cause of pain in heel spurs lies in tissue damage caused by the growth and regular inflammatory processes in the affected area. The treatment tactics for such a disease will depend on the size of the growth, its location and the strength of the symptoms it causes.

The simplest and most reliable way to combat osteophytes is considered to be their removal, which can be carried out using various methods: using a scalpel and other surgical instruments, laser, X-rays, cryodestruction, shock wave therapy, etc. But even the removal of the growth will not bring a lasting long-term result if the inflammation of the tissues in the heel area is not eliminated and repeated tissue damage in this area is prevented.

Surgical treatment of heel spurs is a radical method of therapy, which is used when previous drug treatment is ineffective. But in most cases it is not necessary to resort to it, because a comprehensive approach to the treatment of fasciitis and heel spurs allows patients to get rid of pain and inflammation. As for the prevention of the disease, anyone who has once experienced piercing pain in the heel will never want it to happen again and will do everything that the doctor advises in this regard. And this is, first of all, the fight against excess weight and a change in activity that is associated with increased stress on the legs. After all, these factors are the most common causes of heel spurs.

But let's return to the treatment of heel spurs with medications. Particularly popular in this regard are drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which allow you to simultaneously cope with two main symptoms of the disease: inflammation and pain. Depending on the degree of tissue damage and the severity of symptoms, NSAIDs can be prescribed for both local and systemic use.

The drugs "Ibuprofen", "Nimid", "Nimesulide", "Movalis" and others in the form of tablets are intended for oral administration. But the matter is not limited to systemic treatment alone, which is not always necessary. Local treatment is much more effective in the case of heel spurs, for which ointments and gels with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are used. At the same time, along with NSAIDs for external use ("Ibuprofen", "Diclofenac", "Voltaren", "Fleksen", "Butadion", etc.), doctors can prescribe hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs (usually hydrocortisone, less often indomethacin ointments).

Any anti-inflammatory ointments should be applied to the heel after a certain preparation, which consists of steaming the skin. That is, before rubbing the ointment into the skin, the heel should be held in hot water for several minutes. After this, the skin is blotted and ointments, gels or solutions are rubbed into it with active movements. This will help the medicine to better penetrate into the deep layers of tissue, where inflammation occurs.

Some local irritants are good at relieving pain and inflammation, improving metabolism and reducing the risk of tissue infection in case of damage. Dimexide has proven itself well in this regard; it can be used as a gel, applied like the other ointments mentioned above 2-4 times a day to the heel area, or as a solution (a compress of Dimexide, for the preparation of which take 5 parts of water and 1 part of the liquid medicine, apply it a quarter of an hour after using local NSAIDs). For the same purpose, medical bile can be used.

Treatment with anti-inflammatory ointments and solutions takes at least 2 weeks, after which the patient feels much better.

In case of severe pain, medications of this group can be administered by injection. In this case, we are talking about the introduction of steroids into the heel joint (usually, a hydrocortisone solution). Such treatment takes much less time (usually two or three injections are enough) and gives a quick effect, promoting the resorption of osteophytes. But it should be carried out by an experienced specialist.

If the pain is so severe that the patient cannot tolerate it, but anti-inflammatory drugs do not help, a novocaine blockade is performed (the location of the osteophyte is injected with a novocaine solution). In the acute period of the disease, several procedures per day may be required.

As a treatment option, doctors consider using a special medical patch with an analgesic and antiseptic effect, which should be glued to the painful area, leaving it to act for 24 hours. This method of treating the disease can be called the simplest and most pleasant, but not the cheapest, because the course of treatment will require 2 or more packs of the patch (about 400-500 UAH).

In parallel with drug treatment, patients are prescribed physiotherapy sessions: electrophoresis with novocaine, phonophoresis with steroid drugs, magnetic therapy, massage, therapeutic baths, ultrasound, paraffin therapy, etc. The choice of procedures is made by the attending physician, taking into account the patient's condition and existing contraindications.

But that's not all. It's hard to fight pain and inflammation in a part of the body that constantly experiences significant loads. For the treatment to be effective, it is necessary to unload the sore leg as much as possible (or both legs, if osteophytes have formed on the heels of both limbs). For this purpose, the doctor will recommend the patient:

• review your diet and follow the rules of eating behavior, which is necessary for weight correction (overweight people cannot count on long-term results if they do not bring their body weight back to normal, because increased loads will lead to new micro-tears and tissue inflammation, which in turn is fraught with the formation of new spurs),
• during treatment, stay in bed or limit your movements if possible (walk or stand as little as possible to protect your heel from pressure, not to mention avoiding long hikes and sports),
• if it is not possible to stay in bed, you should try to at least reduce the load on the big heel by wearing special orthopedic insoles or shoes, using support devices (crutches, canes, etc.),
• at night, when a person does not control the movements of the feet, it is advisable to wear orthoses that fix the foot in a static position (at an angle of 90 degrees to the shin), thereby helping to avoid accidental stress on the leg and giving it the opportunity to relax, and microcracks to heal,
• In addition to NSAIDs and steroid ointments used in traditional heel spur therapy, doctors may also recommend drugs in the form of biologically active additives that improve tissue regeneration. Ointments such as "Kontraktubeks" and "Golden mustache", foot creams "Tiger's eye ORTO" and "Shark fat", gel "Pyatkoshspor" and other natural products can be beneficial for heel spurs and plantar fasciitis.

In order for the treatment to be successful and the likelihood of relapse to remain minimal, you need to try to follow all the doctor's requirements, regularly perform the prescribed procedures, fight excess weight and, most importantly, protect the sore leg from significant loads. When the acute period passes, you can practice therapeutic exercise and massage followed by fixing the foot with a special sports tape or plaster.

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