Prevention and Treatment of Heel Spurs

I used to love going barefoot, but mostly just indoors.  I kept my athletic shoes by the door to slip on when going out, but as soon as I was back home, off they came.  Life’s just better without shoes and socks. 

Or so I thought.

Several years ago, as I was taking the future Queen of the Picky Eaters out for a walk in her stroller one day, I was suddenly hit with some pretty serious pain on the bottom of my heel.  It felt like a very bad bruise, though I knew I had done nothing to injure it.  I mentioned it to my mother-in-law shortly thereafter, and she identified the problem immediately.  She called it a bone spur (though heel spur is actually the correct name for it).  Unlike bone spurs, heel spurs are calcium deposits that build up on the underside of the heel bone, usually over the course of a few months.  However, like bone spurs, the pain they produce can be absolutely incapacitating. 

And in case you were wondering, there is absolutely nothing about this condition in any of the half-dozen off-grid medicine books I consult.  And there’s nothing in the herbal medicine books, either. 

The good news is that 90% of heel spurs resolve without surgical intervention.  The bad news is that as heel spurs take some time to develop, they also take some time to resolve.  Prevention is the best way to go here.

My mother-in-law knew about heel spurs from personal experience.  She loved wearing cheap canvas tennis shoes.  I loved going barefoot.  Both contribute to the development of heel spurs. 

Risk factors for developing heel spurs:

• Going barefoot
• Poorly fitted or worn out shoes
• Abnormal walking gait that places excessive stress on the ligaments, bone, and nerves near the heel
• Excess weight
• Running or jogging, particularly on hard surfaces
• Plantar fasciitis

Other risk factors for heel spurs associated with plantar fasciitis include:

• Diabetes
• Spending most of the day on your feet
• Frequent short bursts of physical activity
• Increasing age, which decreases the plantar fascia flexibility and thins the protective fat pad of the heel
• Having either high arches or flat feet
• Wearing high heels

Some people describe the pain as being like a knife or pin stuck in the heel when they arise from bed in the morning or after sitting for a long period. 

Current treatment involves stretching exercises, custom orthotics for the shoes, physical therapy, and taping or strapping to reduce the stress on muscles and ligaments.  These likely won’t be an option in a collapsed society.  Heel spurs that do not respond to these treatments are managed with corticosteroid injections or surgery, which definitely won’t be available.  Fortunately, 90% of heel spurs can be managed with treatment at home. 

Conventional at-home options:

• Advil, Aleve, or Tylenol
• An ice pack applied for 10-15 minutes at the first sign of pain.  A frozen water bottle works great for this. 

Alternative treatments:

• Apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon each raw ACV and honey in a glass of warm water twice a day for two weeks
• Add ½ cup warm ACV to a small basin of warm water.  Soak the affected heel for 10-15 minutes twice a day for two weeks.
• Cut a piece of a washcloth in the shape of your foot.  Soak it in ACV and place it in your shoe, moistening throughout the day as necessary.  Continue for 2 weeks. 
• Baking Soda
• Mix ½ teaspoon of baking soda with a little water to make a paste.  Apply to the affected area and secure with gauze and tape.  Do this twice a day for two weeks.
• Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of ACV in a glass of warm water and drink.  Do this once per day for 2 weeks.
• Coconut Oil
• Massage the afflicted area with coconut oil for 10-15 minutes every evening before going to sleep. 
• Take 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil every morning for 1 week.
• Epsom salt
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of Epsom salts to a tub of warm water.  Soak the afflicted heel for 10-15 minutes.  Gently massage the foot for 10 minutes.  Repeat every evening before bed for 2 weeks.
• Turmeric
• Heat 1 teaspoon turmeric and 1 cup of milk over low heat.  Drink twice per day for 2 weeks.

Links to related posts:

Apple Cider Vinegar

Baking Soda

Coconut Oil

Epsom Salts

References:

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/heel-spurs-pain-causes-symptoms-treatments#2

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