Symptoms
Having a heel spur feels like you have a tack stuck to the bottom of your heel. Having healthy and flexible calves and arches will take care of these painful symptoms. Learn the right stretches and all that you can expect to experience when you have heel spurs in the full length PT session at Insight into Injury.
Treatment
Heel spurs are no fun. Traditionally people go out and buy new shoes, insoles, heel cushions… that expensive option might make you feel a little better, but it doesn’t help you GET better. A daily calf stretch is free and has many other beneficial side effects. Loosening up the calf takes the pressure off of the heel bone where it attaches. A tight calf ever so slightly changes the angle of that calcaneus heel bone and changes the exact surface area of contact when you walk. Loosen the calf, and you’ve got your foot in the alignment that it was created to be in – most suitable for impact. Unfortunately those heel cushions lift your heel up that same way a tight calf tugs it in, so you’re not making forward progress in your recovery if you only choose the passive ‘treatments’. Start with this stretch in my free tip video- and then really fix it for good by adding in strengthening exercises as well. By following this program I went from orthotics and pain to a whole night of pain free dancing while barefoot at my wedding.
Related
Video Transcript: Heel Spurs
Heel Spurs can be very painful. I’m not talking about getting kicked by a cowboy, I’m talking about when it feels like you’re stepping on a tack every step you take. A Heel spur is when you have grown extra bone on the bottom part of your heel in the shape of a nail. That bone isn’t going anywhere, BUT you can work to get rid of the tightness and inflammation around it so that your Pain Goes Away. Hi, this is insight into injury free tip video for heel spurs. I’m a physical therapist, my name is Josie, and I have XRAY confirmed ¼ inch heel spurs on Both of my feet. It’s because I didn’t stretch enough as a kid. However, I am in my 40’s and I am Pain Free and I plan to keep it that way. Here’s my favorite stretch that I do daily. The calf wedge stretch. You’ll need something to wedge your foot up against. The cement divider in the parking lot works well. The edge of exercise equipment does too. and so does a wall- but know your shoe will probably leave a mark. Toes go up, heel stays on the floor, knee stays straight, body stays upright, and you should be feeling a good stretch in your calf and your arch. Hold it 20 seconds. Repeat many times a day. This should get you started and help your pain, but there is a lot more that I had to do to get from limping around in my orthotics when in my 20’s, to being able to dance Barefoot all night at my wedding in my 40’s. check out my full length PT session to learn all the exercise progressions, and get all the encouragement you’ll need to stop having pain from your heel spurs! You can do it!