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Heel spurs: Do they always cause pain?
By Mayo Clinic staff
- With Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Dr. Edward Laskowski is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and a professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
He has been on the staff of Mayo Clinic since 1990 and specializes in sports medicine, fitness, strength training and stability training. He works with a multidisciplinary team of physical medicine, rehabilitation and orthopedic specialists, physical therapists and sports psychologists.
Dr. Laskowski is an elite-level skier and approaches sports medicine from the perspective of a physician and an athlete. In addition to skiing, he is an avid hiker, cyclist and climber.
In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Laskowski to a two-year term on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Dr. Laskowski was a member of the medical staff of the Olympic Polyclinic at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and was involved in medical coverage for the Chicago Marathon. He serves as a consulting physician to the National Hockey League Players' Association and is a featured lecturer at the American College of Sports Medicine's Team Physician Course.
Dr. Laskowski, a Cary, Ill., native, has contributed to Mayo Clinic's CD-ROM on sports, health and fitness, a Web site guide to self-care, and hundreds of Mayo Clinic articles and booklets in print and online. He is a contributing editor to Mayo Clinic's "Fitness for EveryBody" book.
"There are many myths and misconceptions about exercise and fitness in general, and also many traditions that don't stand up to scientific scrutiny," he says. "My goal is to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information on sports medicine and fitness topics in a way that you can practically incorporate into your life."
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Question
Heel spurs: Do they always cause pain?
Do heel spurs always cause heel pain?
Answer
from Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
No. It's possible to have a heel spur — a bony growth that usually begins on the front of your heel bone and points toward the arch of your foot — without realizing it. Heel spurs don't always cause pain. In fact, heel spurs often show up unexpectedly on X-rays taken for some other problem.
Heel spurs occur in about half the people who have plantar fasciitis (PLAN-tur fas-e-I-tis), a painful condition involving the thick membrane that runs between your heel bone and your toes. In the past, doctors often performed surgery to remove heel spurs, believing them to be the cause of the pain associated with plantar fasciitis. Now, doctors rely more on arch supports, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs to treat plantar fasciitis.
- Noble J, et al. Musculoskeletal disorders. In: Noble J, et al. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2001. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/115839476-3/789283933/959/839.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-00828-3..50135-7--cesec23_4077. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Pasquina PF, et al. Plantar fasciitis. In: Frontera WR, et al. Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/115839476-3/789283933/1678/89.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4007-1..50088-2--cesec4_1414. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
- Sheon RP, et al. Plantar fasciitis and other causes of heel and sole pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 7, 2009.
