How does one treat a HEEL-SPUR ?
482968
What is the treatment of a heel spur?\nTreatment of heel spurs is the same as treatment of plantar fasciitis. Because these problems are related, the treatment is the same. The first step in the treatment of a heel spur is with short-term rest and controlling the inflammation. Here are the steps patients should take in order to cure their plantar fasciitis and heel spurs: \n\nRest\nAvoiding the precipitating activity; for example, take a few day off jogging or prolonged standing/walking. Just resting usually helps to eliminate the most severe pain, and will allow the inflammation to begin to cool down. \n\nApply Ice Packs\nIcing will help to diminish some of the symptoms and control the heel pain. Icing is especially helpful after an acute exacerbation of symptoms. \n\nExercises and Stretches\nExercises and stretches are designed to relax the tissues that surround the heel bone. Some simple exercises, performed in the morning and evening, often help patients feel better quickly. \n\nAnti-Inflammatory Medications\nAnti-inflammatory medications help to both control pain and decrease inflammation. Over-the-counter medications are usually sufficient, but prescription options are also available. \n\nShoe Inserts\nShoe inserts are often the key to successful treatment of plantar fasciitis. The shoe inserts often permit patients to continue their routine activities without pain. \n\nNight Splints\nNight splints are worn to keep the heel stretched out when you sleep. By doing so, the arch of the foot does not become contracted at night, and is hopefully not as painful in the morning. \n\n\nThese modalities alone will cure the plantar fasciitis pain in most patients. Be forewarned that the symptoms will not resolve quickly. Most patients find relief within about three months, and over 90% within one year. \n\nIf the pain does not resolve, an injection of cortisone can decrease the inflammation of plantar fasciitis. However, many physicians do not like to inject cortisone because there are potentially serious problems with cortisone injections in the heel area. The two problems that cause concern are fat pad atrophy and plantar fascial rupture. Both of these problems occur in a very small percentage of patients, but they can cause a worsening of heel pain symptoms.
744531
all i can offer is to put some antiseptic cream or dissolved salt in water on it and cover it with a strong bandage... it will heal itself... maybe get permission to wear open backed shoes for a few days.\nhope that helps... its just one of those things we cant do anything about
119761
I went through various stages of orthrodontc treatment\nThere is a red wax you can put on. If the pain is worse than a small throbing you can try antibioitics this should sort the pain.Also if you have recnelty had them tightned they will be uncomfortable for a short perioid
774665
You should put some triple antibiotic cream on the affected area.  Don't use vaseline, it is petroleum based and will make a great breeding ground for bacteria. Try and leave the area affected open for short periods of time to let the air help you heal.
588756
Unless you are diabetic, I reckon you have athletes foot. There is a new cream that's just come out that tackles it in just one application but I can't remember the name of it. There are a lot of different treatments that you can get from your pharmacy & they don't cost too much.
979640
You may either have fallen arches or heel spurs.
177704
Hi, I had the same problem before. Use heel cushions with your shoes. You will have a relief for sure.\nGood luck!
477189
Treatment directed at the cause of bone spurs may include weight loss to take some pressure off the joints (especially when osteoarthritis or plantar fasciitis is the cause) and stretching the affected area, such as the heel cord and bottom of the foot. Seeing a physical therapist for ultrasound or deep tissue massage may be helpful for plantar fasciitis or shoulder pain. Treatment directed at symptoms could include rest, ice, stretching, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen. If a bone spur is in your foot, changing footwear or adding padding or a shoe insert such as a heel cup or orthotic may help. If the bone spur is causing corns or calluses, padding the area or wearing different shoes can help. If the bone spur continues to cause symptoms, your health professional may suggest a corticosteroid injection at the painful area to decrease pain and inflammation of the soft tissues next to the bone spur.
182682
Oil 'em up. After soaking and rubbing, use a moisturizing cream to help keep your feet soft, says Dr. Stone. "I like vitamin E cream or vitamin E oil (not vegetable oil), which penetrates the skin very nicely."\n\nCushion the worst offenders. To lessen pain from soft corns between your toes, work a tuft of lamb's wool between your toes, suggests Dr. Stone. Lamb's wool is available at drugstores.\n\nPad 'em. Traditionally, adhesive-backed felt, called moleskin, was used as a doughnut-type pad around corns and calluses to take pressure off them. The women whom Dr. Stone treats seem to prefer a new synthetic material, Cushlin, available at most drugstores in Dr. Scholl's products. The material is thin, soft, resilient and rubbery. It doesn't flatten out and holds up well. Cut sheets of the material to pad around, not over, your corn or callus.\n\nBuy shoes that fit. Narrow shoes can contribute to corns and calluses; shoes with room for the toes are less likely to do so. To size up prospective shoes, says Nancy Elftman, a certified orthotist/pedorthist (a professional shoe fitter) in La Verne, California, trace your foot on a sheet of paper and take the paper with you when you go shopping for shoes. Then place the shoes you like on top of the tracing. If any of your foot tracing shows, the shoe is too short or narrow for your foot.\n\nLace up to save your toes. If you have corns on top of your toes, Elftman suggests lacing your sports shoes so that one lace goes from one bottom eyelet to the top eyelet on the opposite side. The other lace is alternated through the lace holes. Then, by pulling on the single lace, you can lift the toe box and give your toes more room. (This also helps if you have a long second toe.)
1100099
rachael is correct about the molds helping out tremedulously.\n\nIn the meantime, wear comfortable shoes like tennis shoes with good arch support and a thick sole.  Don't go bare foot.  Anti-inflammatories like motrin and aleve could help.  Soak foot in ice water.\n\nSteroid shot.\n\nPeople also use heel boots.  Heel boots have a thick heel insert so you are walking solely on your heels.  When you normally walk, the heal touches down first and then the ball of you foot.  This stretches your arches and the fascia.  When the fascia is stretched, the area with the problem gets irritated and pain result.  Heel boots prevent this normal walking cycle and forces you to just walk on you heels.  That allows the problem area to rest and hopefully heal.  Unfortunately, people sometimes suffer for months on end with this problem.\n\nHope this helps and good luck
416733
Generally speaking, corns are a disease of civilization. If we didn't wear shoes, we wouldn't have them. Potential preventive measures therefore include: \n\nMoving to Tahiti to stroll on the sand in your bare tootsies! This is a pleasant approach, as long as you never have to go back home and walk in shoes again. \nFor the incurably civilized, wearing comfortable shoes is useful. The idea is to avoid having footgear press on the outside of the 5th toe, or pressing the 4th and 5th toes together. \nAnother approach is to pad the potentially affected area. You can buy many sorts of padding at the drugstore:\nCushions to put between the toes; \nFoam or moleskin pads to put over the places where corns form; \nFoam pads with holes in the center (like doughnuts or bagels), which redistribute pressure around the corn instead of right over it; and \nCushioned insoles to pad your feet and alleviate mechanical pressure\n\nYou can buy many types of medicated products to chemically pare down the thickened, dead skin overlying the corn. These products are share the same active ingredient -salicylic acid. \n\nSalicylic acid is a keratolytic, which means it dissolves the protein (keratin) that makes up most of both your corn and the thick layer of dead skin which often tops it. Used once a day as indicated on the package directions, these products are gentle and safe. Salicylic acid treatments are available in different forms including: \n\nApplicators \nDrops \nPads \nPlasters \nAll of these treatment will turn the top of the skin white and allow you to trim or peel away dead tissue, making the corn protrude and hurt less. \n\nIt generally is recommended that salicylic acid not be used in diabetics or when there is poor circulation (because of concern about how normally the skin can heal); however, in practice, salicylic acid is withheld only when there are clear signs of ongoing inflammation of the skin
965446
Evaluation and treatment \n\nHeel pain can have many causes. If your heel hurts, see your doctor right away to determine why and get treatment. Tell him or her exactly where you have pain and how long you've had it. Your doctor will examine your heel, looking and feeling for signs of tenderness and swelling. You may be asked to walk, stand on one foot or do other physical tests that help your doctor pinpoint the cause of your sore heel. Conditions that cause heel pain generally fall into two main categories: pain beneath the heel and pain behind the heel. \n\nPain beneath the heel \n\nIf it hurts under your heel, you may have one or more conditions that inflame the tissues on the bottom of your foot: \n\n\nStone bruise: When you step on a hard object such as a rock or stone, you can bruise the fat pad on the underside of your heel. It may or may not look discolored. The pain goes away gradually with rest. \n\nPlantar fasciitis (subcalcaneal pain): Doing too much running or jumping can inflame the tissue band (fascia) connecting the heel bone to the base of the toes. The pain is centered under your heel and may be mild at first but flares up when you take your first steps after resting overnight. You may need to do special exercises, take medication to reduce swelling and wear a heel pad in your shoe. \n\nHeel spur: When plantar fasciitis continues for a long time, a heel spur (calcium deposit) may form where the fascia tissue band connects to your heel bone. Your doctor may take an X-ray to see the bony protrusion, which can vary in size. Treatment is usually the same as for plantar fasciitis: rest until the pain subsides, do special stretching exercises and wear heel pad shoe inserts. \n\nPain behind the heel \n\nIf you have pain behind your heel, you may have inflamed the area where the Achilles tendon inserts into the heel bone (retrocalcaneal bursitis). People often get this by running too much or wearing shoes that rub or cut into the back of the heel. Pain behind the heel may build slowly over time, causing the skin to thicken, get red and swell. You might develop a bump on the back of your heel that feels tender and warm to the touch. The pain flares up when you first start an activity after resting. It often hurts too much to wear normal shoes. You may need an X-ray to see if you also have a bone spur. \n\nTreatment includes resting from the activities that caused the problem, doing certain stretching exercises, using pain medication and wearing open back shoes. \n\n\n\nYour doctor may want you to use a 3/8" or 1/2" heel insert. \n\nStretch your Achilles tendon by leaning forward against a wall with your foot flat on the floor and heel elevated with the insert. \n\nUse nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications for pain and swelling. \n\nConsider placing ice on the back of the heel to reduce inflammation.
314913
I tried an insert similar to the ones picturted here:\nhttp://store.yahoo.com/archandheel/heelpainrelw.html\nand it seemed to work pretty well for me
956538
Talk more with your doctor and ask him to be more specific.  Tell him you are VERY concerned.\n\nMy daughter, when she was around 7 had osteomyelitis in her heel.  She was put in the hospital, given antibiotics through an IV.  She was in the hospital for around a week and every thing worked out fine.  She got over it.   Medicine was near as good as it is today.  Good luck.  Pops
68830
I had this a few years ago. I wore splints on my feet to bed. The problem is that when you sleep your foot is not at a 90 degree angle as it rests. When you put your feet on the floor the tendon that runs from your heel to your foot bad stretches back to the 90 degree angle. Normally this isn't a problem but when it is irritated it hurts like someone is jabbing an ice pick into your heel. I wore the splints for about four months.\nI also did stretch the tendon a few times a day by standing on a stair, preferably one at the bottom. Edge your feet back until it's mainly your foot pad and toes left on the stair. Lower your weight moving your heels down a little, lift back up, then see if you can lift your weight up some too. Repeat about ten times a session, not if/until it hurts. If it hurts only do one occassionally and build up the stretch. This will increase the flexibility of the tendon. \nIf you need to be on your feet for a long time (like I did for my honeymoon) you can go to a Podiatrist and have steroid shots in each foot. This will help for about a month or maybe more. You could also do that now and still work on stretching and wearing the splints. I didn't wear my pumps during the ordeal but I'm back in them now and have been for quite a while.\nGood luck to you!
447688
Ouch.... good preventative care is the best way to take care of it.  Now that you have them to some extend you'll have to suffer, but try rubbing unscented anti-persperant over the affected area.  It has great moisturizers for shaved parts.
115368
I have finally resolved my 3 year heel pain with 1 1/2" sports tape. I put a 10" strip under my arch and wrap over the top of my foot. Don't pull on the tape, just wrap it. Use during sleep also. I have spent lots of money and the answer is tape. I haven't used it long enough to know if I will heal, but life seems normal again. I couldn't wait to tell someone, I hope this helps a lot of people with plantar faciitis and other foot pain.