Heel spurs can be incredibly uncomfortable, making it difficult to stand, walk or to live free from pain. Fortunately, we provide treatment options that make it possible to regain mobility and comfort. There are also some remedies that people can try at home to help minimize discomfort and pain. These include:
Epsom salt is a natural home remedy. By adding Epsom salt to a small tub of warm water, it is possible to soak feet and relieve some of the inflammation from the heel spurs. It is only necessary to add 1 cup to a foot soak. Since Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, it can naturally reduce inflammation just like taking magnesium capsules can.
To reduce or prevent inflammation, take a fish oil supplement every day or add fish to the diet. Omega 3 fatty acids are incredibly beneficial for health, including their ability to improve heart health. This alone is reason enough to add this daily supplement to the morning routine. For anyone suffering from heel spurs, this can also help to reduce the inflammation associated with it.
Remember to rest when feet begin hurting. Sometimes, just taking off shoes and putting feet up can help to reduce some of the pain.
These at-home remedies are useful and easy to incorporate into a person’s daily life. However, they only help to reduce inflammation and pain, rather than treating the source of the problem. This makes it important to visit our clinic as well. We have a variety of treatment methods that can be used to treat the heel spurs specifically so that the problem will not be ongoing. Treatment options may include:
Sometimes, providing patients with a custom pair of shoes can help to reduce heel spurs and the discomfort associated with them. These types of orthotics are custom-made after taking very precise measurements in our clinic.
Occasionally, surgery is necessary for treating heel spurs. We always try noninvasive methods before making this recommendation. However, if those treatment methods are ineffective after trying them for nine months or more, surgery may then be the only option for helping a patient regain their mobility. When completing surgery, we may need to either remove the spur directly or release the plantar fascia.
Which one we choose will depend on the cause of a patient’s pain and discomfort. After surgery, it will be necessary to rest and ice the foot, elevate it and avoid placing weight on it. Some patients may also require special shoes or a splint temporarily. We will oversee the entire recovery process to ensure that it goes smoothly.
If you are struggling with heel pain and a loss of mobility because of it, call us for treatment. We invite you to schedule an appointment with our office so that we can conduct an examination and discuss treatment options that can be of assistance.
