How to Identify Heel Spurs

You don't have to be an athlete to develop heel spurs. Caused by an excessive bony growth on the heel, spurs can result in the plantar fascia -- a ligament that's attached to the foot -- to pull away from the heel bone. Knowing the symptoms of a heel spur will help prevent further injury to the heel.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Suspect you may have a heel spur if you experience chronic pain in your heel. Especially if the pain occurs in the morning, when your feet first the floor. If heel pain eases after you've walked a bit, this can be a symptom of heel spur.
2. Consider that you've developed a heel spur if you find you're walking on your toes or altering your stride to reduce heel pain. By changing your gait, you are easing the tug of your heel ligament, which, in turn, lessens heel pain.
3. Palpate your heel. A heel spur will feel like a small, bony growth, at least .13 inches or longer, on the underside of your heel. The spur end tends to point towards the toes. If you feel a bony growth, you may have a heel spur.
4. Ask yourself if the pain around your heel is centered in front of the heel, towards the arch. If so, you may have a heel spur.
5. Assess your heel for swelling. If the rest of your foot is not swollen, but your heel is puffy and red, suspect a heel spur.
6. Evaluate yourself for ankle, knee, hip or back pain that has developed since you first experienced the pain in your heel. Because a heel spur will cause you to change the way you walk, the joints in the rest of your leg and into your back may become inflammed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you suffer with heel spurs and find that while you are exercising, your foot flattens or becomes unstable, consider that your heel ligament may have torn away from your heel. Get off of your foot and see a podiatrist.