What to do when discover you have a Bone Spur.

Bone spur is an extra bone that grows on the normal bone. In medical jargon bone spur is known as osteophytes. It occurs on the joints especially on the joints of the spine, feet, shoulders, hips, hands and knees. Bone spur itself does not cause any pain but it can cause pain when it rubs against other bones and nerves around it. Bone spur is quite common among people above 60 years of age and is an indication of spine degeneration.

Bone spurs are actually quite a
common problem that could afflict most people. Bone spurs are not really preventable and often affect joints and bones like the heel, foot, elbow, knee, neck, shoulder, ankle, and hips, which is why information on bone spur treatment and bone spur removal surgery is so sought after. There are many who chose not to opt for bone spur treatment or surgical procedures, particularly when the symptoms of bone spurs are mild. In such scenarios home treatments and remedies for bone spurs can come in handy to manage and minimize the symptoms.



So What Exactly is a Bone Spur? A bone spur is actually a calcium growth that develops like a deposit on the bone, building up to create pressure on the surrounding tissue and skin. Bone spurs in themselves would not be painful if not for their effects on surrounding tissue, muscle and ligaments. Bone spurs in the joint bones can be particularly painful for this reason. Bone spurs most often develop on the bones in the feet, which is probably why most of us are familiar with heel spurs. Bone spurs can however develop on any bone in the body. Heel spurs are however most easily identified because the symptoms are a lot more severe and pronounced. This is because the heels bear the entire weight of the body, thereby increasing the pressure and intensifying the pain.

Although bone spurs can develop in almost anyone there is a higher incidence of bone spurs developing in the heels among overweight individuals, pregnant women, or athletes whose heels are subjected to high and possibly excessive stress from jumping or running. In the general population however, bone spurs are a lot more likely to develop in individuals over the age of 60, occurring mostly along joints, particularly on the spine, feet, hips, knees and the shoulders. Bone spurs generally indicate some sort of bone degeneration, as they tend to occur when there is surface damage around or in joints.

Symptoms of bone spurs could vary greatly in intensity and frequency depending on the location of the bone spur, with them even going unnoticed in many instances. In cases with observable symptoms bone spurs usually cause pain in the back, shoulders and neck, in the thighs, arms or in the feet and legs. Although there are various possible causes the condition may be attributed to poor nutrition, unhealthy lifestyle, accidents and sporting injuries. Bone spurs are age related, but they are also a lot more prevalent among women as they age, probably because of depleting calcium levels and changes in bone density.

Symptoms of Bone Spur

As indicated bone spurs do not always cause symptoms, making the condition hard to detect at most times. The symptoms only become obvious during routine X-rays or when the condition starts to cause symptoms to appear. Pain in the joints and a loss of mobility in the affected joints is the most prominent symptom of bone spurs.

The presence of bone spur symptoms can also be a good indicator of the area affected as the location of the bone spur determines the presence of symptoms.

Bone spurs that develop in the knees can be extremely painful causing great difficulty in moving or extending the knees and bending the legs. This can severely reduce mobility. Bone spurs can cause friction or obstruct movements and actions of the bones and tendons that would normally ensure smooth functioning of the knee. As with most other cases knee bone spurs would also probably require treatment with exercises and possibly surgery.

Bone spurs that develop along the spine are again extremely painful and should not be neglected. Bone spurs exert pressure on the nerves or on the spinal cord and this can cause pain to occur not just in the back but in other parts of the body. You may also feel numbness in other body parts. These symptoms may be mistaken for a slipped disc, and an X-ray would help with an accurate diagnosis. Treatment for bone spurs on the spine would in most cases involve surgery.

The development of bone spurs in the neck or cervical bone may often display an inward protrusion and may require treatment with surgery. Neck or cervical bone spurs may therefore cause symptoms like problems with breathing and swallowing and the main aim of treatment is to control the pain. A more serious symptom or possibility from a bone spur in the region would be that the bone spur exerts pressure on the veins in the region, restricting the flow of blood to and from the brain.

The development of bone spurs in the shoulders will severely restrict the full range of motion of the arm, but treatment with surgery and recuperative exercises should help. Friction caused by bone spurs against the rotator cuff could cause severe swelling and possibly even tears in the rotator cuff.

Bone spurs that develop on the fingers could be noticeable as hard lumps beneath the skin, giving your fingers a disfigured appearance. Bone spurs on the fingers would cause intermittent pain and make finer tasks like painting, playing a guitar or piano, or sculpting almost impossible.

Ankle bone spurs are also likely to cause severe pain and the treatment will depend on the severity of symptoms, with surgery often being necessary.

If bone spur is developed in the cervical spine then the patient will experience pain in the shoulders and headache in some cases.

Back pain and neck pain are the most common symptoms of bone spur. Patients could experience mild pain in the neck and the lower back while standing and walking.

Patient will experience pain in thigh if bone spur is developed in lumbar spine. Numbness, tingling, progressive weakness and pain in arms and legs are some other symptoms of bone spur due to compression of the nerves.

In cases where symptoms of bone spurs are not present there may be no need for bone spur treatment and simple lifestyle modifications and precautions would suffice to control the problem. If the pain or swelling is present in any of your joints or if there is any difficulty or restricted range of movement in any of the joints then it would be advisable to visit a doctor before the condition deteriorates further. If the cause is some other underlying condition it may even be possible to halt or restrict any further damage to the joints.

Causes of Bone Spur

Bone spurs are usually a result of some underlying condition, most often osteoarthritis. The cartilage loss and degradation causes your body to attempt to fix the situation by generating new bone structures along the edges of existing bone. Some diseases and condition that could cause the development of bones spurs include diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. This causes the development of bony growths on the spinal ligaments. Conditions like plantar fasciitis, spondylosis and spinal stenosis are some other common causes of bone spurs. Bone spurs could also develop as part of the natural aging process, independently and irrespective of any other health conditions.

Bone spur is mainly found in people suffering from osteoarthritis. Body of an osteoarthritis patient always attempts to cover up the loss done by osteoarthritis by breaking down the cartilage in bone joints. To cover up this loss, the body creates new bones along the affected bones. In the elderly, the reason for bone spur is that their body creates extra bone to provide stability to their aging joints. Bone spur is also a symptom of diseases like spondylosis, plantar fasciitis, spondylosis and spinal stenosis. Nutrition, lifestyle, accidents and sport injuries are some factors that can accelerate bone spur.

In some situations bone spurs may actually be beneficial as they could lend support and stability to aging joints and bones, redistributing weight and protecting areas of cartridge.

Remedies for Bone Spur

First step for treating bone spur through home remedies is to reduce inflammation. Apply an ice pack to the inflamed area 4 to 5 times in a day. This will help to reduce the inflammation. If the problem is more severe then apply heating pad on the inflamed area.

Curcumin, the yellow pigment of turmeric is effective in treating bone spur. Take 500 to 1000 mg of curcumin 3 to 4 times a day on an empty stomach. Try this remedy daily for about 6 weeks. To relieve pain, apply flaxseed hot pack to the affected area. Take alternate hot and cold foot baths.

Dip a piece of cheese cloth in warm linseed oil and keep the cloth on the affected area. Cover the cloth with plastic and keep a heating pad on the plastic for 2 hours.

Diet for Bone Spur

There is no particular diet to be followed for bone spur.

Suggestion for Bone Spur

Strenuous activity aggravates the pain. It is advisable to take rest to ease the pain. Avoid wearing flat shoes.