A heel spur or a calcaneal spur is an abnormal protrusion of the heel bone. There is a slight growth on the heel bone that protrudes and causes extreme pain in the heel especially while standing or walking. A heel spur is caused by calcium deposits formed due to the plantar fascia deviating from the heel area. The plantar fascia is a broad tissue located at the base of the foot, stretching from the heel to the forefoot. A lot of heel spur cases are associated with inflammation of the plantar fascia, also known as Plantar fasciitis.

Heel spurs are mainly caused by excessive pronation of the foot. This leads to the plantar fascia getting stretched thus leading to calcium deposits on the heel bone. Heel spurs develop over time and do not appear overnight from a high impact sport event or injury. Heel spurs are often caused by footwear that doesn’t support your feet, or using worn out footwear footwear, flip flops, poor gait or excessive body weight.

They are just about a quarter of an inch and not visible to the naked eye. They have to be detected by X-ray. Not all heel spurs are painful. Many people may have heel spurs and feel no pain at all. Some may start experiencing pain eventually. Some who have pain from heel spurs may stop experiencing pain eventually even though the spur might still exist. So heel spurs have to be handled on a case to case basis depending on your individual symptoms. Most common symptoms include pain, swelling or inflammation in the heel, mostly towards the inner side. The affected area may also feel warm to the touch. If not treated, the pain may start spreading to the arch and the forefoot as well.

Footpods’ custom orthotic solutions help bring pain relief in heel spur cases by neutralizing the excessive foot pronation and offloading the spur. This prevents the affected area from bearing too much pressure and prevents the plantar fascia from getting excessively strained. The Noene added to the calcaneal region absorbs shock thus protecting the heels. The heel cup also has a socket for the heel spur to fit into thus reducing its impact with the ground. This reduces or even eliminates the pain associated with the heel spur.