Calcaneal spur

Short characteristic of a disease

How to treat a calcaneal spur? This question is urgent for hundreds of thousands of people as this disease can be shown at any person at any age. It is characterized acute, sometimes by intolerable pains at a support on a heel. Many patients say that the calcaneal spur is as if a nail which haunts them neither in the afternoon, nor at night. And for this reason researchers from the different countries constantly work on development of new medicines and techniques which could save patients from awful tortures.

As for directly disease. The calcaneal spur represents change of soft tissues as a result of which bone growth in the field of the bottom surface of a heel appears. Outgrowths (often they are called thorns) have the different sizes. However, intensity of pains depends not on it at all. Quite often it happens so that large thorns are practically not felt, and here small outgrowths turn human life into hell.

Reasons of formation of a calcaneal spur

In most cases the calcaneal spur develops against the background of flat-footedness. The matter is that at flat-footedness distribution of load of foot and a retension of sinews significantly changes. As result, in the field of foot inflammatory processes of a blanket of a bone tissue begin to form. And there is a calcaneal spur which symptoms considerably reduce quality of human life. Except flat-footedness, can be causes of illness: disturbances of exchange processes, acute and chronic injuries of a heel, the wrong functioning of the blood circulatory system, bad passability of vessels, and also some chronic inflammatory diseases – polyarthritis, arthritis, Bekhterev's disease.

Irrespective of the reason, treatment of a calcaneal spur has to begin as soon as possible. At the main efforts of doctors are concentrated on elimination of the major factor which caused development of an inflammation. Let's notice also that national treatment of a calcaneal spur fashionable in recent years does not solve a problem with acute pains. Certainly, folk remedies are capable of time to reduce intensity of pain, but they do not remove the cause of their emergence therefore a fate of the surgeon or the orthopedist in the course of treatment is obligatory.

Calcaneal spur – symptoms and a clinical picture

As it was already told above, the main sign of a calcaneal spur is the severe pain around a heel which is shown practically at any loads of a leg. At first pain can abate to the middle of day, but then it becomes a constant, torments the patient at any time. For this reason many people with the diagnosis a calcaneal spur move by means of crutches somehow to lower load of a heel.

Calcaneal spur – treatment by traditional methods

At the choice of a technique of treatment of an inflammation, doctors consider the most different factors including a cause of illness. As a rule, they stop on the conservative treatment of a calcaneal spur including:

• massage and the remedial gymnastics directed to normalization of work of circulatory system;
• ultrasound, Ural federal district, laser therapy, electrophoresis, magnetotherapy and other physiotherapeutic procedures;
• decrease in load of the inflamed area for what orthopedic insoles, special footwear and crutches are used;
• shock and wave therapy is new and rather effective method of treatment, but appoint it not all as UVT can lead to any complications.

If conservative treatment of a calcaneal spur does not result in the expected results, then to patients appoint medicinal blockade. This procedure consists in administration of anti-inflammatory drugs, but only the experienced specialist as it is required to define precisely amount of drugs, and also the place and depth of their introduction has to hold it. If everything is made correctly, then symptoms of a calcaneal spur will disappear for several years, but in case of a mistake manifestation of various complications, for example, of suppuration in the place of an injection, destruction of fastion or a necrosis of soft tissues is possible.

At late stages the calcaneal spur is treated by means of an operative measure. Indications to it are limited that is connected with high risk and serious consequences, however, in some situations operation is really only exit.

Calcaneal spur – treatment by folk remedies

National recipes are counted on prolonged use therefore the effect of them is shown in 3-6 weeks after the beginning of a course of treatment. And anyway you should consult with the attending physician that national treatment of a calcaneal spur did not lead to even big pains. As for the recommended procedures, we listed below the most effective of them:

• twist a flagellum from birch bark, give it the form of a pretzel, wrap bandage and place in footwear so that the heel got precisely to the turned-out opening. It will allow to lower load of the inflamed area;
• do warm trays for legs before going to bed – for their preparation 0,5 liters of water with addition of a glass of urine are used. Procedure duration – 15-30 minutes. After its termination it is better not to walk, and to allow them to dry then to put on warm socks and to go to bed. Also for trays strong saline solution can be used (2-3 spoons of salt on 1 liter of water), but in this case the procedure lasts 30-40 minutes;
• apply a slice of lard to a sore point and record this peculiar compress by means of bandage. Instead of fat it is possible to use crude potatoes;
• rub a black radish on a small grater and put the received gruel to a spur every day for the period of night rest. In this case national treatment of a calcaneal spur will bear fruit already through 3-4 sessions. At least, acute pains will abate that is extremely urgent for people who sometimes cannot fall asleep because of painful feelings in a heel.