Have a heel spur and it's killing me. What can I use to lessen the pain?!


Question: Most heel pain comes from overly-tight heelcords, which causes an overstretch to the plantar fascia (a thick band of tissue in the sole of your foot that supports the arch). The condition is properly called plantar fascitis, and is usually diagnosed by heel pain, severe pain with the first five steps in the morning and aching in the foot/heel with prolonged walking or standing.

If this is you, try these three exercises:
-while sitting, loop a belt or towel around the ball of the foot and straighten your knee. Gently pull so that you feel a stretch in your calf (you may even feel some heel pain). Hold 30 seconds and release. Do 5 reps.
-put a can of soup or vegetables next to your bed. As soon as you wake up, roll the can under your sore foot for a couple of minutes to break up the stiffness you get overnight. This should help the morning pain a good bit. You can also do this periodically through the day (especially if you're sitting all day).
-put a washcloth/dish towel on the floor in front of a chair; with your bare foot, use your toes to pick it up and bring it to your hand. Repeat 20 times.

Ice to the heel and/or sole of your foot can also help with the really bad pain. This should help some if not completely get rid of your pain. Under no circumstancs should you let a doctor do surgery to cut out a heel spur--this is not the reason for your pain, it is only what your body does to try to fix the problem. Good luck.


Answers: Most heel pain comes from overly-tight heelcords, which causes an overstretch to the plantar fascia (a thick band of tissue in the sole of your foot that supports the arch). The condition is properly called plantar fascitis, and is usually diagnosed by heel pain, severe pain with the first five steps in the morning and aching in the foot/heel with prolonged walking or standing.

If this is you, try these three exercises:
-while sitting, loop a belt or towel around the ball of the foot and straighten your knee. Gently pull so that you feel a stretch in your calf (you may even feel some heel pain). Hold 30 seconds and release. Do 5 reps.
-put a can of soup or vegetables next to your bed. As soon as you wake up, roll the can under your sore foot for a couple of minutes to break up the stiffness you get overnight. This should help the morning pain a good bit. You can also do this periodically through the day (especially if you're sitting all day).
-put a washcloth/dish towel on the floor in front of a chair; with your bare foot, use your toes to pick it up and bring it to your hand. Repeat 20 times.

Ice to the heel and/or sole of your foot can also help with the really bad pain. This should help some if not completely get rid of your pain. Under no circumstancs should you let a doctor do surgery to cut out a heel spur--this is not the reason for your pain, it is only what your body does to try to fix the problem. Good luck.

Crutches. Stay off your foot until you have it removed. Pain killers won't work, as I am sure you know that by now. You will have to have the surgery to take it off. It is the only thing that will stop the pain.

Actually many have great results using Castor Oil. Go to health food store and buy a decent brand...pour enough to be able to set your heel/foot in it (shallow basin?) and just sit as long as you can soaking in it. It's pretty thick.. Cover the oil you've poured with saran wrap...and use again - obviously if it starts to get dirty or it's been a few days, start over with new oil. Good luck!

A podiatrist can fit you with a special insert for your shoe that keeps pressure off the spur. Be sure you don't try to do it yourself; it does take quite a bit of skill and if you get it just a bit wrong, it can make the situation much worse.
Of course, it'll eventually have to be dealt with through surgery, but the inserts can put that off for awhile - sometimes, for a good while.

Try a regular Dr. see if they recommend surgery or a more modest treatment or a modality that may decrease the problem.
Heal spurs are fairly common possibly a chiropractor or acupuncturist can help.





The consumer health information on answer-health.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007-2011 answer-health.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Categories