It takes decades to grow these spurs.
Heel spurs?!
I’m sure plenty of people have heard of heel spurs, but do you know what they are?
Heel spurs are an outgrowth of the heel bone (calcaneus). On a side view x-ray of the foot, a heel spur looks like a ‘spur’ or ‘hook’ that points up or towards the toes(see picture). Chances are, you have a heel spur and don’t even know it! Don’t worry, you’ll be able to walk or run without any issues.
Good news for all the young adults out there; it’s nearly impossible to get a significant heel spur before you are 30 years old. Heel spurs take decades to form. It’s common for kids around 9 – 12 years old to get pain at the back of their heels, but this is due to irritation of a growth plate. When the growth plate closes, this heel pain resolves.
Common heel pain issues like plantar fasciitis and achilles tendinitis can be associated with heel spurs, but I’ve seen hundreds of people with these pain disorders without a trace of any heel spur.
On the flipside, I’ve seen hundreds of people with heel spurs that have no pain at all. If you fracture a heel spur, that causes a lot of pain. Luckily that is not too common. Spurs on the back of the heel can be associated with a bursitis (painful red lump), but they’re not guaranteed to be present.
Moral of the story is to not blame your heel pain on a heel spur. Your pain is real, but the spur likely has little to do with it, or it’s just a consequence of something else going on.
So, if you have heel pain, call Sohl Foot & Ankle at 267-699-3839 for an honest evaluation and explanation that takes the myth out of the dreaded heel spur.