Discussion»Questions»Health and Wellness» How painful are bone spurs in the heel/feet? Would the pain prevent someone from playing tennis/basketball/golf? Is it crippling?
They can become excessively painful. And yes, they can prevent one from doing many things - including walking. Sometimes surgery is required to file down the spur. However, sometimes the surgery is worse than the spur it's trying to fix (result wise)
Does it ever go away? I get arthritic attacks occasionally and the pain is short-term. They go away and come back weeks later. Are bone spurs agonizing 24/7? Thank you for your reply shuak! :)
Usually they don't go away (although sometimes they can). The body may form a thick callous over the spur to try to cushion it (which only makes things worse in the long run). Infrequent foot use or thick socks/shoes may make the spur not hurt at times, but it's still there. Yes, sometimes they can hurt 24/7. A person's weight can make them hurt even more (excess weight is never good for feet). My dad had bad bone spurs when he got older (that's why I know a bit about them). The podiatrist made him some special orthotics to help with the intense pain as surgery wasn't possible (due to other issues). Although he wore them until a week before he died, the spurs still pained him and he walked with a limp.
Boy that would be awful! So if he were sitting down and put no weight on his feet did they hurt then too? I've had a broken toe and I know what that feels like for a few weeks. It doesn't hurt when I'm sitting but walking? Yikes! Having that kind of pain 24/7 would be tough. How do you get any exercise? Thank you for your thoughtful and informative reply shuhak. I appreciate it! Happy Tuesday! :)
My dad had them, not me (at least not yet). Yes, they hurt him constantly, but the pain was much more intense when he stood or walked. His orthotics and his high pain threshold allowed him to work as a clerk until he was in his late 70's (although he leaned on counters to help alleviate some of the foot pain. After he was laid off (for being too old) he tried to walk a bit in the nearby park for exercise, but the foot pain and the cancer pain got to be too much.
Condolences m'dear. It must have been very painful for you to see your dad in that condition. When we're kids we all think our parents are invincible. We grow up and realize they are not. It is a sobering truth. Thank you for your reply shuhak! :)
Shuhak 