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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere's no specific treatment for bone spurs.
If your bone spurs don't cause you any pain or if they don't limit any range of motion in your joints, then you likely won't need treatment. If you need treatment, it's typically directed at the underlying problem to prevent further joint damage.
Medications
If your bone spurs are causing pain, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to ease the pain.
Surgery
Bone spurs that limit your range of motion or cause other problems that limit your ability to go about your day may require surgery. What surgical options you have will depend on where your bone spurs are located and your particular situation. For instance, bone spurs are often removed as part of a more comprehensive surgery for arthritis. If you have arthritis in your elbow, for example, your surgeon may remove bone spurs when he or she is making other repairs to your elbow.
Surgery to remove bone spurs can be done in an open procedure, meaning the surgeon cuts open the skin around your joint to gain access to your joint. Or bone spur removal may be done arthroscopically, meaning the surgeon makes several small incisions to insert special surgical tools. During arthroscopic surgery, your surgeon uses a tiny camera to see inside your joint.
- Spinal stenosis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Spinal_Stenosis/default.asp. Accessed Nov. 12, 2009.
- Cesare PE, et al. Pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/170801601-3/916102101/1807/676.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10089-0--s0140_3295. Accessed Nov. 12, 2009.
- Osteoarthritis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec04/ch034/ch034e.html. Accessed Nov. 12, 2009.
- Mercier LR. Plantar Fasciitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/170801601-7/0/2088/504.html?tocnode=58133755&fromURL=504.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00025-3--sc0175_10381. Accessed Nov. 12, 2009.
- Rotator cuff tears and treatment options. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00406. Accessed Nov. 12, 2009.
- Chang-Miller A (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 27, 2009.
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