You might be suffering from mild heel pain, but ignored it thinking it will subside eventually. However, these are the symptoms of developing a heel spur. If you are lucky, you might not experience pain but when it does, the pain can be excruciating. 

What is a heel spur?

Let’s first understand about a heel spur and gradually we will take you along through the symptoms, causes, and treatment. 

A heel spur is a condition where calcium deposits grow between the heel and the foot arch developing into bone-like growths that is almost half an inch at the bottom of the heel bone. They can cause pain, swelling, and inflammation. The pain usually starts from the front of the heel and can affect other parts of your foot.

Constant jumping, and pounding on hard surfaces can create a heel spur. They cause inflammation to the soft tissues around the bony protrusion that might cause intermittent or chronic pain.

Looking for a podiatrist in Orange County

If you are in Orange County, California, and suffering from such a kind of heel protrusion, whether painful or not, do not ignore it and make it worse. Visit the best Orange County Podiatrist to get it treated on time. Consider making an appointment with the podiatry clinic in Irvine with Dr. Sima Soltani, a renowned podiatrist who specializes in treatments that require no surgery.

With more than an experience of 20 years of treating patients with foot and ankle problems, Dr. Sima Soltani finds surgery as the last way out for treating foot and ankle problems. 

They are dedicated to improving health through preventative care and recommended treatments related to foot trauma.

The podiatry clinic treats its patients using the latest methods, technologies, and most profound patient care. They have an array of services including treatments and surgery of bunions, joints, ankle sprains, hammertoes, diabetic foot care, plantar warts, wounds, neuroma, diabetic shoes, custom orthotics, laser fungal nails, and sports injuries. 

You will be treated with any foot problem right in their podiatry clinic in Orange County, Irvine.

They perform the most complicated ankle and foot surgeries locally in their podiatry clinic in Irvine. They have been proudly serving patients in Tustin, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, and other cities in Orange County, California. 

Just call or write to them for an appointment with Dr. Sima Soltani and get your heel spur problem treated in the best way possible without the need for any surgery.

Causes of a heel spur

You need to understand what causes heel spurs so that they can be prevented. The common causes are:

• Straining of foot muscles and ligaments leads to calcium deposits.
• Frequently walking or jumping or hopping on hard surfaces could wear down your heels.
• Wearing improper footwear for prolonged hours.
• Arthritis.
• Any previous injury like heel bruising.
• Obesity or irregular weight distribution on the feet.
• Flat feet or high arches
• Increasing age and diabetes

Most of these issues are unavoidable therefore, taking precautions to prevent heel spurs is essential.

When you experience the initial heel spur signs like tenderness in the heel or swelling, book an appointment with a podiatrist Irvine for an evaluation. Snubbing these early signs won’t make them go away but most likely it will develop into a larger, more symptomatic, and painful heel spur that would make even normal walking difficult for you.

Heel spur symptoms

This becomes an issue when it starts paining. It is like a piercing pain that can be compared to a knife or pin sticking at the bottom of the heel when you stand in the morning. 

During the day, the pain becomes a dull ache. Pain could also occur when you’ve get up after sitting for a while. 

Sometimes people with heel spurs do not experience any symptoms. The podiatrist may take an X-ray of your foot to understand the problem. You can be sure of a heel spur only when the protrusion becomes clear in the X-ray.

Heel spurs treatments

Treating a heel spur usually involves no surgery. Visiting an Irvine podiatrist will let you know how to feel better by following their treatment procedure.

The common non-surgical treatments for a heel spur are:

• Keep your feet at rest to take off the pressure so that pain and swelling get reduced in the affected area.

• Applying ice packs after walking and exercising to reduce pain and swelling
• Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines that help to reduce swelling
• Take anti-inflammatory injections as prescribed by your podiatrist
• Performing stretching exercises especially before going to bed
• Taking physical therapy
• Wearing orthotic shoe inserts that provide arch support
• These are donut-shaped inserts that go inside the shoes and take the pressure off the heel.
• Wearing cushioned sports shoes that help to relieve pressure and reduces pain.

Surgery is needed only in rare cases to get rid of the heel spur. However, following the above treatment and therapies as advised by your podiatrist are usually effective and give relief.

Therefore, do not ignore a heel spur and contact a podiatrist in Irvine immediately. It will help you avoid long-term pain and discomfort that might hinder your daily activities and also reduce your quality of life.