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Heel Spurs Explained

Many people mistakenly think that plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are the same condition, but this is not true.  Plantar fasciitis is a painful condition that develops from stretching and tearing of a tissue along the bottom of the foot.  Heel spurs, on the other hand, are actually a deposit of calcium in the same area.  A heel spur grows right out of the bone around the ligaments that attach the bones of the foot and heel, and right into the flesh, which explains why this condition can be so painful!

There are several factors that increase the risk for a heel spur developing, and one of those is age.  Statistics have shown that most people who suffer from heel spurs are over 40 years old.  Other contributing factors include poor circulation, several types of arthritis, pre-existing plantar fasciitis and any degenerative disorder.

Like a bad tooth, a heel spur does not appear overnight.  It grows slowly, developing over years, and once it has truly announced itself, the pain can be quite unbearable.  In fact, many people describe the pain they feel from a heel spur in the same way they would describe an abcessed tooth. 

The root cause of heel spur pain is not the spur itself, but the swelling of tendons and tissues which surround the spur.  The swelling and pain are worse after a period of rest, and tends to lessen as a person moves around.  This is very similar to the pain felt with regard to plantar fasciitis, which is one reason why so many people confuse the two conditions.

If you are experiencing symptoms that seem to indicate you might have a heel spur, it is important to take corrective action. Once a heel spur is diagnosed, there are a variety of treatment options that your physician may recommend.  They include:

  • Ice.  Applying cold to the area will help to reduce swelling and pain.
  • Elevation.  As with any condition or injury that causes your lower extremities to swell, elevation is always a key treatment recommendation.  Elevating the feet causes blood to move away from the area, limiting swelling and decreasing pain.
  • Exercise.  Simple stretches that will keep the tendons and tissues around the spur relaxed and loose can help reduce the impact of a heel spur.
  • Shoe inserts.  Special inserts Heel Seats can be purchased that will be placed inside your shoe. These inserts will protect the area around the spur, and move the weight from your heel to other areas of the foot.  This relieves pressure on the tendons and tissues immediately surrounding the heel spur.
  • Night Splints can be worn at night to keep the fascia stretched. This has been a very successful therapeutic remedy.
  • Physical therapy.  Physical therapists have a variety of tools that can be used to help alleviate pain from a heel spur.  They can treat the area with ultrasound waves that massage the swollen areas, and can also provide their patients with relief through whirlpool bath treatments by massaging the swollen area with the jets of the whirlpool. 
  • Surgery.  As with most other conditions, surgery as a treatment method for heel spurs is generally considered to be the last resort choice.  Almost all physicians will attempt other treatment methods first, only moving on to surgery if nothing else improves the condition and the pain felt by the patient.  One good thing about surgery as a treatment is that in almost all cases, it permanently removes the heel spur although it can be an extremely painful recovery and is only recommended as an option of last resort.
In regards to shoes, heel "cushions" and arch supports for plantar fasciitis and/or heel spur treatment:

(1) Shoes: Expensive shoes are not the answer for treating plantar fasciitis and/or heel spurs. It's all about the insert in your shoe. Many customers we talk to have spent hundreds of dollars on expensive shoes looking for relief when they could have bought a $50 pair of shoes and purchased a quality after market insert which would make it as good, if not better, then a $300 pair of "orthopedic" shoes. The Heel Seats can be used in ANY closed back shoe and results are usually felt within (2) weeks of everyday use.

(2) Heel "Cushions": Many sufferers of plantar fasciitis and heel spurs think or have been told to use soft "cushions" under their heel. This approach does nothing to attack the actual source of pain and rarely works. The same thing is true for painful Cortizone shots. Cortizone only numbs the inflamed area and makes your body not feel the pain, but again does nothing to actually attack the source of the problem or provide a long term solution.

(3) Arch Supports/Custom Orthotics:  Everyone should wear a quality arch support in their shoes starting as early in life as possible. Having proper support under your arch and keeping the proper bio-mechanical balance will prevent plantar fasciitis and heel spurs from occurring later in life. With the many different types of footwear available such as non supportive flip-flops it is not realistic that everyone will take the preventative approach and this is why 15 million people suffer from plantar fasciitis in the United States alone.  Podiatrists seem to always prescribe custom orthotics for patients with plantar fasciitis and it's no wonder they rarely work to cure the problem as they are just an expensive arch support. Again... the reason they rarely help is because they do not attack the source of the problem which is the plantar fascia contracting, not a lack of arch support. Podiatrists profit hundreds of dollars selling custom orthotics that rarely work and they provide no guarantee.... buyer beware!!

The Heel Seats were designed specifically for Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs.  How they treat Plantar Fasciitis and Heel Spurs is described below:

Plantar Fasciitis:  The Heel Seats have patented acupressure ridge that is just forward of where your heel sits. When your body weight presses down on this acupressure ridge the ridge physically stretches and lengthens the plantar fascia.  This is the true source of heel pain from Plantar Fasciitis, the plantar fascia contracting and becoming inflamed. The Heel Seats are the only product we have found(and we carry a lot of products for foot pain) that actually provide a long term solution to this very common, but very frustrating foot ailment. 

Heel Spurs:  The Heel Seats use the same patented acupressure ridge described above to leverage the weight off of your heel.  The pain from Heel Spurs is not because of the actual bone spur, it's because of the inflamed tissue around the spur that has been pounded by walking on it for too long. The Heel Seats leverage the weight off of the heel and allow the inflamed tissue around the spur to reduce and therefore eliminate the heel pain felt because of Heel Spurs.

Hopefully this section helps you make a more informed and educated decision when purchasing products for both Heel Spurs and Plantar Fasciitis.

Heel Seats correct the problem... not just treat the symptoms.
Dealing with Heel Spurs can be very problematic. People spend billions of dollars a year on hundreds of products with little to no success. Try HTP Heel Seats. Stop the insanity and start the healing. Remember, your results are guaranteed!

After applying HTP Heel Seats, they go to work immediately to treat the pain associated with heel spurs, while also working to heal the spur is itself. When used in combination with a supportive shoe, HTP Heel Seats are guaranteed to relieve heel pain. With a 99.7% success rate and being highly recommended among doctors and professional athletes alike, HTP Heel Seats can provide the necessary relief from intrusive heel spurs. The HTP Heel Seats patented acupressure design works to stop pain quickly. Then, using proven healing technology, they begin to correct problems that actually cause Heel Spurs. It does not matter how severe your pain is, HTP begins to work immediately!




Click here to read more about how HTP Heel Seats work and how Dr. Art Smuckler invented them....