What do Heel Spurs Feel Like?

Heel spurs can be extremely painful, basically causing the ligament that attaches to your foot (the plantar fascia) to separate from the hell bone. The condition is caused by excessive bone growth on the heel and can affect both athletes and non-athletes. But how do you know that you actually have it? Here are some ways to find out, plus some ways to deal with the problem.

Signs You Have Heel Spurs

If you have chronic pain in the heel area of your foot – especially when your feet first hit the floor in the morning – and the pain eases a bit once you’ve walked around for a little while, that is a pretty good indication you have heel spurs. Also, you may have them if you find that you’re altering the way you walk in order to reduce pain.

Here are some other ways to tell if you have heel spurs:

• You feel a small growth of bone around your heel.
• The pain you’re experiencing is located in the front portion of your heel toward the arch.
• Your heel is red and swollen but the rest of your foot is not.
• You’ve developed knee, back, hip or ankle pain after your heel problem. This is likely happening because you’ve changed the way you’ve walked and other joints have become inflamed.

What to Do About it

Try putting an icepack on your heel for 15 minutes two times a day and try taking over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You should also stay off the problem foot as much as you can for about a week. There are also some exercises you can try to strengthen that area of your foot, including calf and plantar fascia stretches.

Medi-Dyne offers products that can bring both immediate relief and long-term healing. Our Tuli’s® Polar Bear Gel Heel Cups have shock absorbers that cradle the affected area of your foot while distributing pressure to the outer portion. In addition, our ProStretch Plus™ provides a deep stretch along the bottom portion of your foot as well as up into your ankle. If you want more information or would like to order these or any of our other products, visit our e-store or call us at 800-840-1740.

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