Dr. Neeraj Prasoon

Heel spur occurs when there is a growth or a hook formation under the heel. This is formed by calcium deposits. This process is a long drawn process and it takes time for calcium deposits to cause a heel spur in a person. In fact, such a condition can also be triggered by a sprain or a tear in the ligament. Heel spurs are very common in athletes who regularly run, jog or kick using their heel strength a lot. Heel spurs can be treated with the help of physiotherapy. With sports injuries, the first form of treatment which is tried out is physiotherapy. Though it heals and is very much treatable, the healing period might be a long one and the process might be painful for some.

Symptoms of a Heel Spur:

Interestingly, the excessive calcium growth itself does not cause any pain in the individual suffering from this disease. It is in fact, the inflammation caused in the muscle due to the heel spur, which makes a person experience tremendous pain during this period. One also feels constant irritation along with pain. It has been noticed that the pain is not constant, but rather irregular. It might pain in the morning and subside throughout the day, if less stress is put on the heel. Then again, it might increase when you walk, run or jog for a long time.

Treatments For Heel Spur:

To treat a heel spur, the specific cause and origins need to be known to the medical practitioners of the physiotherapists. Also, if medicines need to be prescribed, then a medical history of the patient including any specific long-term medications or allergies are taken special note of. Most importantly, an X-Ray is taken to rule out all other forms of diseases and to confirm that it is indeed a heel spur.

After properly confirming the cause and the disease, specific treatment is started on the individual. Treatments would include reducing the inflammation to reduce pain, strapping of the heel to reduce movement and pressure, thereby giving time to heal and even prolonged periods of rest with exercises. Insoles are also tried out to provide relief to the heels and make the extra growth diminish its presence. Slow mobilisation of the patient is an absolute must, but care is taken that it does not cause too much stress on the feet.

You probably spend a whole day working at your office when your back remains in the same position. Then when you come back from work, you complain about your back pain, put some medicine and hope it goes away the next day. However, in such cases there are chances that the pain might return after a few days. You may not be aware of the fact, but there are certain fairly simple exercises you can do to strengthen your back and prevent back pain. Here are some of them.

1.Opposite arm leg raises
Lie on your stomach with one arm in the air as your starting position. Then finish the exercise by slowly lifting your leg. Hold this position for two seconds and then repeat this for the other arm and leg as well.

2. Prone hold
Hold a posture where you are holding your entire body weight on just your toes and your elbows for as long as it is pain-free.

3. Supermans
Lie on your belly with your arms above your head. Slowly lift your arms and legs from this position as far as possible and then put it down again. Repeat this as many times as you can do it in a pain free way. Once again, it is imperative to not do this when it is painful as you may get injured.

4. Side holds
To do this, you have to be on your side putting your entire body weight on the side of your foot and your elbow. Hold it for as long as you can maintain the correct posture and it is pain free for you.

5. Resistance band rotation
Stand straight up or on your knees with your back straight up. Then using a resistance band rotate your body back and forth.