Heel spurs

It could also be plantar fasciitis. Although both affect the heel, they aren't the same thing. If pain continues in your heels there are many things you can do to help alleviate the pain. Pain will be most prominent in the mornings & get better as the day goes on.

I had it horribly last year, to the point I was falling down stairs in a regular basis. I went thru 8 weeks of PT - helped me tremendously, no surgery required, no shots required either. It does still flare up, losing weight has helped it not flare up as much though.

Things I've learned to help manage it/improve it..

Your heals are inflamed, you need to bring that down, Ice them nightly. Use either a frozen water bottle to roll under your feet or a frozen veggie bag, that will conform to the shape of your foot nicely. The first time I did this, major improvement in just 15min!!! I kept 1 bag of frozen veggies in the freezer strictly for this purpose.

Stretch your heals, daily - sometimes several times a day if possible. Easiest stretch is to stand on a edge of a step & dip down. Hold for 30 seconds. Do at least 3 times a day. Also, try to stretch & strengthen your calf muscles.

Try stretching them before you get out of bed in the morning, that will help alleviate the morning pain, when it's at it's worst.

Another exercise my therapist had me do was calf raises to strengthen those muscles.

Massage your feet/heals. I used a hand held back massager. Don't be afraid to apply a little pressure to your heals. Yes it may be a little sore, but you need to loosen those muscles up.

Good shoes & arch supports are a must!

My therapist & Dr both also mentioned that if I was unable to walk due to pain, that biking was a great alternative! Didn't matter if I used a stationary bike or got outside on a real bike. Biking also helps in the stretching of the calf muscles as well.

Heel spur = plantar fasciitis. A "heel spur" is not the same thing as a bone spur. When people say "heel spur", they mean plantar fasciitis. But if doctors say "plantar fasciitis", people think "Huh?" and ask a bunch of questions. If doctors say, "heel spur", people think, "I've heard of that," and ask fewer questions, lol.

You need a podiatrist to diagnose it. If they do, they'll offer up a bunch of suggestions. Take them all.

Until you get to the doctor, do NOT walk around without shoes on your feet. Don't even stand up when you get out of bed. Tons of damage is done first thing in the morning. STRETCH your leg before getting out of bed. Stretch when you stand, before you walk. You're going to have to hold the pee, lol, but do it.

I'm sure the stretches are on youtube.

If that's what it is, it hurts because the fascia (the stuff that muscle turns into before it turns into bone) that "attach" those calf muscles to the heel are being tugged on by the muscle in your calf. You gotta stretch those muscles and keep them loose so that they don't tighten up. When they're tight, they're pulling on that fascia and trying to "rip it away" from the heel. Hence, pain.

Take Aleve for the pain, but don't let the fact that the pain is gone encourage you to do anything you couldn't do with the pain!

Pain is nature's way of saying, "Stop that, you idiot! You're doing damage!" Heed the warning.

If you have it and they suggest the $400 inserts, buy them. Getting fitted is a heavenly experience and they work wonders.

I used to have Plantar Facsiitis, aka Heel Spur Syndrome. I did the cortizone shots (burningly painful) and got custom orthotic shoe inserts. My doctor said I would eventually outgrow it, and I did outgrow it, but it took ten years.