It is very common to get bone spurs in our feet. We can get bone spurs on our heel bone called heel spurs, we can get bone spurs on the top of our feet that cause some pain or pressure in the shoes, but the question I often get asked is, is there a way to get rid of bone spurs without surgery?
Hi. I'm Houston podiatrist, Dr. Andrew Schneider. Bone spurs are one of those things that just kind of jump out at you. If I see someone who has this bump on top of their foot and we'll take an X-ray and there it is. Why does a bone spur occur? A bone spur occurs because of extra tension on the bone. You see, bone has a property where when there's tension on it, instead of breaking it lays down new bone. It's called Wolff's law, and that enables the soft tissue to stay intact and attached. What it does is it forms this shelf for this point of bone in the area of that tension.
You also may notice it in areas of a joint that was jammed. Very common on the top of the foot for that reason or even the top of the great toe joint we'll see a bone spur form there. Can you take care of a bone spur without surgery? Well, not every bone spur needs to be operated on. Sometimes we're able to work with anti-inflammatory medication, whether it be a topical medication or whether it be a cortisone injection to take away the pain associated with a bone spur.
It's not going to take away the spur itself but it will take away the pain. If it takes it away for long enough, then that's all you need, but if you find that it keeps coming back then, yes, surgery is the other option for treating a bone spur. The good news is, surgery is not that bad. We go in, identify the bone spur, remove it, and suture you closed and you're able to bear weight immediately after, in most cases, and it's a pretty straightforward recovery.
If you find that you do have a bump on top of your foot or you have a bone spur, no matter where it is on your foot or your ankle, give us a call. We'll take an x-ray, we'll look at it together, and we'll come up with a plan as to what the best course of action is for you.
If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at the office. We'll get you in for an immediate appointment.
