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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....
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