Often mistaken for the cause of patient’s pain because of the often large, sharp appearance of the spur on an x-ray of the feet.
Pain is usually however associated with the condition called Plantar Fasciitis which is micro-tearing of the plantar fascia at the sight of the plantar heel. The heel spur appearance is actually a result of the calcification of the repetitive tearing of the fascia at the sight of insertion into the heel. The most common causes of Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis on the Gold Coast would be from overuse activities such as walking, running and playing sport.
Other factors include excessive pronation, leading a sedentary lifestyle, putting on weight, walking around on flat hard surfaces, bare feet walking and wearing the incorrect type of footwear.
Treatment involves treating the causes of the problem in the first place which usually involves a combination of Podiatry and Physiotherapy.
Podiatry will treat issues such excessive pronation, supporting and offloading the area with foot taping, managing footwear and starting off a home treatment plan. Physiotherapy will usually address soft tissue tightness, weakness, core strength and return to activity management.