How to Cope With Bone Spur Pain

Bone spurs are bony projections that grow on the edges of bone. They can cause great pain when they rub against surrounding nerve tissue. Bone spurs commonly grow in joint areas such as feet, knees, elbows and the spine. Treatment of a bone spur depends on the severity of pain and disability it is causing. There are several suggestions for coping with the pain that bone spurs can cause.

Instructions

1. Try non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) first. Your doctor can prescribe a wide variety of medications to help ease the pain, as well as reduce any swelling that is present.

2. Lose weight, if needed. If you are overweight, shedding a few pounds can help reduce the stress on the joint and ease the pain due to a bone spur.

3. Try physical therapy. This can teach you proper stretching and strengthening techniques that may help. They may also be able to control any swelling that is occurring.

4. Change footwear and try orthotics. If the bone spur is in the heel of your foot, it may be aggravated by your footwear and lack of support. As well, you may be walking on the affected area incorrectly. A correctly fitted orthotic may resolve this and cause great relief.

5. Consult your physician. If nothing has helped relieve your pain, then you and your doctor may want to consider surgery to remove the bone spur.

Tips & Warnings

• Seek a podiatrist (foot doctor) if nothing that you have tried has helped.

Resources

• Information about bone spurs is available from the Mayo Clinic.
• Much information about bone spurs can be found here.
• Tips about bone spurs on the foot are available at this site.