jinnybb

You can home treat heel spurs by purchasing some gel heel inserts and placing them in your shoes (forget the heels - I'll tell you why in a moment), sleeping with your feet bent in the 'standing position' (use a board or brace) and giving them a good soak prior to bed time.

A heel spur is generally formed when the plantar muscle (that long muscle at the bottom of your foot that goes from the heel to the toes) has either been damaged or has begun to separate from the heel. The spur is created when the bone attempts to 'retrieve' the plantar muscle by diverting calcium to the area to create new bone material as a 'patch' of sorts.

The intense pain that you feel is from the bone spur tearing into the muscle. If you sleep or rest with your feet pointed down then the plantar muscle will heal up in its shortened state. Then the first thing you notice when you get up is that it's darn near impossible to remain on your feet! Sleeping with your feet in the extended position (feet positioned as if you're standing on them) causes the muscle to heal while it's in the stretched position and keeps it from tearing again when you get up and try to stand.

You can either purchase a foot brace on the internet (expensive - about 75.00), place a board at the foot of your bed to brace your feet on or purchase a simple figure eight ace bandage specifically for weak ankles. While the ace bandage will not work as well in keeping your feet in the proper position they still are very helpful in reminding you that you need to quit pointing your feet.

The gel heel cups or inserts place in a good flat shoe (I've even worn mine with loafers) helps to cushion your step while the healing process continues. Wearing heels over 1/2 inch are counterproductive as this will flex your foot into the toes down position and encourage the muscle to heal in its shortened state, thereby aggravating your pain even more.

Expect it to take about 4 - 6 weeks for the pain to fully go away - remember, you've got a damaged muscle and a bit of extra bone to heal and it will take time. However, I noticed that my pain started to subside after three days - I still staggered to the bathroom while hanging on to the wall when I first woke up, but the walking pain subsided considerably. You should be able to take an over the counter anti-inflammatory or aspirin to ease any remaining pain those first weeks. After the pain goes away continue to wear the gel cup inserts in your shoes as a preventive measure and for comfort.

Believe it or not - this treatment is even more effective than the cortisone shots and preferable to other treatments. I had the cortisone shots the first time I got a spur on my right foot and it took much longer to heal and for the pain to go away than my left foot, which I treated in the manner described above. However, if this treatment doesn't work well for you, you'll want to consult your doctor to see about having special orthopedic cups made ($$$$$) and explore the other alternatives with him.