Heel Spurs

Considered a repetitive stress condition in which your fascia experiences wear and tear at the weakest point, where it attaches to your heel bone. Every time your foot strikes the ground your plantar fascia is stretched. Forces in your foot strike can reach 2-3 times your body weight depending on if you are standing, walking, running or jumping.

This extra tension can result in overstretching, inflammation and/or micro-tearing of the fascia at your heel which your body finds difficult to repair. As your body tries to heal itself, a heel spur or osteophyte (bony outgrowth or calcium deposit) develops around the bottom and/or the back of your heel (associated with achilles tendonitis), which protrudes into the soft tissue. It can vary in shape from a flat, shelf-like growth to a hook-shaped, pointy projection, and can extend forward up to a half inch. Your body hopes this extra bone and tissue will help to relieve the pressure on your plantar fascia. Heel spurs can affect your ability to do your usual work and/or activities, and can also trap and irritate the nerves in your heel area. They can change the way you walk, and can lead to knee, hip and low back injuries. If severe, they may require medical intervention.

Heel spurs affect 10-21% of the population, and are most frequently seen in athletes, people who are on their feet all day, are overweight and/or over 40 years of age.

Many people refer to plantar fasciitis and heel spurs as one in the same. Although these are similar, they are not same. Heel spurs can actually be caused by plantar fasciitis; 50% of people with plantar fasciitis have heel spurs, whereas 19% of people have heel spurs without plantar fasciitis.

Alternate names and/or associated conditions:

Pump bump, exostosis, calcaneal spur syndrome, heel spur syndrome, Haglund's deformity