Are you suffering from foot pain around your toes or on the top of your foot? Stiffness that just won’t go away? Or maybe you’re having trouble walking because of the irritation you feel with every step. One reason why you might be experiencing this pain could be a bone spur on your foot. Bone spurs are calcium deposits that can develop between joints, causing swelling and stiffness. Read on to learn more about bone spur pain in your foot as well as what methods are used to treat bone spurs, what causes them, and how to find relief with Arizona Foot Doctors in Scottsdale.
First, how do I know if I have a bone spur?
How do you know if you have a bone spur? Ultimately, you need a doctor to capture an X-ray of your foot to see the projection, but there are common signs that your body has developed one. Watch for these symptoms and contact a podiatrist for a professional diagnosis:
- Corns on the feet
- Trouble standing
- Limited joint mobility
- Pain when walking or moving
- Redness, stiffness, soreness, or swelling around the joint
These symptoms can make daily activities difficult. If the pain you’re experiencing worsens within a month or quickly intensifies, it’s time to seek professional attention. Your podiatrist may refer to bone spurs as osteophytes, a more technical term for the calcium deposits your body develops.
Treatment methods for bone spurs on the foot
Unfortunately, bone spurs don’t go away on their own. Before determining the type of treatment you need, your doctor will carefully examine your foot, test your range of motion, assess your pain threshold, and take an X-ray to confirm where the bone spurs are in the foot. If addressed quickly with a podiatrist, your bone spurs can be treated using non-invasive methods. Some of those methods include:
- Daily stretching and low-impact exercises
- Dietary changes
- Heat and ice therapy
- Properly fitted shoes, shoe inserts, walking boots, or custom foot orthotics to alleviate pressure on your foot
- Night splints
- Over-the-counter medications for pain management
- Regular physical therapy
Applying adhesive bandages or medical tape to the painful joint area may be an option to help stabilize your foot and relieve pressure. For overweight patients, lowering weight can also help reduce the pressure put on your joints. If absolutely necessary, your doctor may suggest bone spur surgery to remove the bone spurs.
What causes bone spurs?
What causes bone spurs? Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of bone spurs (it causes joint damage by wearing down the cartilage between your bones); however, bone spurs can come from foot injuries and overuse from exercising. When it comes to osteoarthritis, your body will try to repair the joint damage, but in doing so, it produces extra bone, resulting in calcium deposits. Other causes of bone spurs include:
- Aging
- Dancing
- Exercising
- Foot injuries
- Obesity
- Running
- Wearing tight shoes
Bone spurs are likely to form on the top of the middle of your foot. However, they can also form on your heels, toes, ankles, foot arches, or other joints. To learn what is causing your bone spurs, we recommend consulting with your doctor.
How do you relieve the pain?
The best way to avoid bone spur pain is by preventing any bone spurs from developing. If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, it may be difficult to avoid bone spurs from forming. However, by maintaining a healthy weight and limiting the amount of pressure on your joints, you can lower your chances of getting bone spurs. Wearing shoes that fit properly or have arch support will also help. If you have fallen arches, you can purchase insoles that will better support your feet.
Schedule an appointment to alleviate bone spur pain
If you’re experiencing bone spur foot pain, schedule an appointment with a podiatrist. Seeking treatment is the first step to finding relief and comfort. At Arizona Foot Doctors, our priority is your health. We’re happy to provide you with conservative bone spur treatment that fits with your lifestyle. We’ve proudly been treating and diagnosing bone spur conditions for over 35 years. Call or schedule an appointment online today!