Heel spur: symptoms and treatment at home

Heel spur - a nasty and very painful illness. It can be accompanied by infection or be infectious.

Anyone who is faced with such a problem, try to solve it as quickly as possible, because the growth on the heel when walking causes pain, ie interferes with daily activity. Thus, many are interested in what is the heel spur, and how to treat it at home. Spur on the heel is also called plantar fasciitis.

What it is?

Heel spur - a growth of bone in the form of a thorn in the hill zone of the bone around the heel or Achilles tendon. Most often, the pathology is diagnosed in middle-aged and elderly people, and women predisposed above.

Causes of

Heel spurs or plantar fasciitis, refers to a group of degenerative and inflammatory diseases. Affects the soft tissues of the calcaneal tuberosity in place of attachment of muscle tendons. Sometimes it becomes inflamed and the tissue of the periosteum.

At the site of inflammation and formed bony growths called spurs. They put pressure on the soft tissues, it becomes a cause of pain. The pain is worse when the load on the heel or after a rest period (so-called starting pain).

The most common causes of heel spurs are the following:

1. Overweight;
2. Longitudinal flat feet;
3. trauma;
4. Intensive athletic exercises;
5. Vascular neurodystrophic or changes in the heel area;
6. Disorders of water and salt exchange in the organism, leading to excessive accumulation of salts in the tissues;
7. Osteohonodroz in the lumbosacral spine, creating improper distribution of load on the foot.

All these factors lead to an excessive load on the heel. At constant reloading and traumatization tendons and periosteum tissue, chronic inflammation, and which causes partial ossification of the tendon and the occurrence of heel spurs.

symptoms

Usually this pain when walking (especially pain occur in the morning, on rising from bed or after sitting for a long time as a person), often often they occur due to chronic inflammation of the plantar fascia, and more rarely, in severe cases, pain is related directly to traumatization of soft tissue bony growths, which is popularly called "heel spurs" and are putting pressure on soft tissue.

Another important symptom is a sharp and sudden pain in the heel that occurs without any apparent reason and injuries.

It looks like heel spurs: photo

The photo below shows how the disease manifests itself in humans.

Diagnostics

Heel spurs can be suspected on the basis of typical complaints of pain when walking and probing examination of the foot to the heel bone. But we need to conduct to confirm the diagnosis:

• X-ray of the foot with the identification of a typical buildup
• ultrasound,
• blood tests and blood chemistry to rule out other diseases heel - Reiter's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.

Treatment of heel spurs

Treatment of heel spurs long and is held in the home. To date, there are the following methods for getting rid of the disease:

1. Shock wave therapy - a modern and effective method for the treatment of heel spurs. The principle of operation is the impact on the spur of the ultrasonic waves that are fed a pulse. The method has contraindications: pregnancy, bleeding disorders, cancer.
2. The use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs: hydrocortisone, novocaine, potassium iodide. To facilitate the delivery of the drug to the site of inflammation using electrophoresis.
3. Radiotherapy: the impact on the focus of inflammation by means of X-ray radiation. For the same purpose, use of high frequency currents (UHF), laser therapy, magnetic therapy.
4. The use of anti-inflammatory ointments, compresses, baths, etc.
5. Changing load conditions on the foot, regular massages, physiotherapy, wearing orthopedic insoles, heel cushions soft.
6. Medicinal blockade by injection of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs directly to the site of inflammation. The procedure should be carried out by the surgeon as a high risk of injury needle foot ligaments or tendons of the calf muscle, or infection. The method allows to achieve stable remission for several years.

It is best to help complex treatment "heel spurs", which is actually quite difficult. In the most advanced cases of possible surgical intervention.

Preparations for the treatment of heel spurs

This is a very painful condition - heel spurs - its treatment may be delayed for those who do not trust modern medicine. Those who accurately performs all the doctor's instructions, have a good chance to recover quickly and efficiently, because anti-inflammatory drugs in combination with a carefully selected diet, exercises, physical therapy can work miracles. Conservative treatment of heel spurs involves the use of means related to NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

This is a broad category, the most famous of which are the representatives of diclofenac, dimexide, diprospan. However, these funds can not be used for a long time, they are prohibited for people suffering from gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. In addition, NSAIDs do not relieve pain immediately, it will take some time. If the patient can not stop the vigorous activity, it is necessary to do an anesthetic injection of long-term action - the so-called blockade.

physiotherapy complex

The complex of gymnastic exercises, massage, mud and mineral baths, ultrasound therapy can reduce relapse. To improve medical effects on areas affected tissues are used:

1. Sonophoresis - penetration of medicaments by means of ultrasonic waves.
2. Electrophoresis - medicine penetrate deeper into the soft tissue under the influence of galvanic current (low-voltage electrical pulses).

Physiotherapy complex may also include corticosteroid injections - steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in admixture with an anesthetic administered to a sole or heel. A wide range of activities makes it possible to choose the means of virtually any patient.

You need to choose the right shoes

The first thing to do with the inflammation of the plantar fascia - is to choose the right shoes. Without it there is no sense at all to begin treatment. Footwear with plantar fascia must be small heel - 5 cm (for women) and internal insoles or inserts under the heel with a hole under the painful area.

Heel higher or lower than 5 centimeters - a gain factor of pain due to improper loading of the foot and the plantar fascia stretching. Best of all - orthopedic footwear that supports the arch of the foot, corrects the wrong position.

orthopedic insoles

During the day it is important to distribute the load of the body on the whole foot. In order to properly distribute the pressure on the whole foot, necessary orthopedic insole. But not the insole, which is made of hard plastic, and individual soft insole.

When meeting with a rigid insole pain is not reduced, but enhanced! Incorrectly chosen insoles may cause worsening of the disease. Another thing - the individual soft insole. In podiatrist has billet, which is heated and a man, as it treads in it the imprint of his foot, and at the expense of the print pressure intelligently distributed to the entire foot. The insole has a horseshoe for unloading under the heel.

Also arched heel cushions can be purchased separately and inserted as the inserts in shoes. Customized insoles and heel cushions at the spur in the heel made orthopedic doctors themselves, but there are also mass production of insoles and heel cushions.

Treatment of heel spurs at home

For the treatment of heel spurs home use different methods, but they should not replace medication, a doctor's appointment. As effective as the following additional means:

1. Onions (bitter), cut in half and drip on the cut surface 1 drop of tar. Snap half the bulbs to the heel of the patient for a few hours. Repeat the procedure 2-3 times a week.
2. Hot baths with sea or table salt at the rate of 3 tbsp. l. per liter of water. The procedure is performed daily at bedtime for 25-30 minutes. Feet after not wash, wipe dry the skin and wear overnight or terry wool socks.
3. Before going to bed after the steaming feet can be applied to compress the medical bile. Means lubricate the heel and close it with cling film. The course is carried out until it is relieved.
4. Horseradish roots or leaves must boil for 5 minutes (per liter of water 100 grams of raw materials). Then the broth cool slightly and lower the diseased part of his feet into it, until the water is cool. The procedure is repeated twice a week.
5. Liter jar 3/4 volume of fresh berries fill plants, pour rubbing alcohol up to the top and push a mixture of 1 week. The resulting infusion wet gauze and apply to the sore heel as a compress for the night. Applied once or twice a week.
6. Warming heel bischofite solution, which is necessary to moisten the gauze, apply it at night and remove in the morning, thoroughly wash the skin with the remains of a compress. The course is 10-15 procedures.

When the heel spur favorable prognosis if treatment is started on time and was appointed an expert. Long-term development fasciitis not only brings in the daily lives of significant discomfort and pain, sometimes with the need to comply with bed mode up to 3-4 months or longer, but also fraught with complications such as nerve damage, decreased mobility, spalling osteophyte.

Exercises

Before you begin any of the exercises set, be sure to hold warm. If you do them regularly, the spur can become more elastic and decrease pain.

• First, you need to lean against the wall with his hands and feet to put one after the other, like walking on a log or rope. And the injured leg should be in the rear. Followed slowly sit down and fixed in this position for 15 seconds. This exercise is great for warming up muscles like. Repeat for each leg 10 times.
• For this exercise you need to embark on a low nut to 5 cm two legs (the heel should hang). Then start to lean toward the wall adhering to the palms, until you feel tension leg muscles. Then it is necessary to stand still for 15 seconds. Perform 10 times, then rest and do the same steps, only this time standing on one leg.
• The following exercise is performed with the help of a ball, a plastic bottle or a roller. It is necessary to put an object under his foot and roll the about 5 minutes.
• We need to take a variety of small items (coins, stones, nuts) and scatter them on the floor. Then, sit on a chair, and gather them any container toes. Exercise not only helps to get rid of the heel spur, but also to prevent its return.
• Finally, it should hold exercises to build-up tension. Using tape or hands you need to pull up to his feet, achieving maximum fold. Thereafter, to fix them in this position for 15 seconds. Perform 10 times.

To which the doctor ask

For the treatment of heel spurs need to see a podiatrist. He will appoint orthopedic products to help with walking (special insoles), medical preparations, send the patient for the treatment of shock-wave method, if necessary. You can also refer to the osteopath, rheumatologist. For people who are overweight will be useful advice endocrinologist or nutritionist.

Prevention of heel spurs

Preventive measures need to be sure to comply with the persons who are predisposed to the formation of spurs on their heels. Adherence to a simple set of rules at an early stage of the plantar fascia will help avoid the development of the disease:

• wear comfortable shoes, whose heel height does not exceed 5 cm .;
• prevent injuries and overload stop during exercise;
• maintain an optimum body weight without overeating;
• perform exercises ligaments and muscles of the foot;
• time to treat diseases of the joints and connective tissue;
• timely treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system (flat, pathology with the spine).

And remember, performing gymnastics, active lifestyle and preventive check-ups with your doctor will help to forget about heel spur once and for all.