Heel spur and orthotic are terms that foot care professionals often mention in the same sentence when consulted for heel pain. The relief provided by an orthotic for a heel spur is proven in the treatment of this type of foot pathology. But beware! In terms of effectiveness, only a well-fitted, custom-made orthotic works for a heel spur. Let’s clear things up a bit.
You said… “heel spur”?
For those who suffer from heel inflammation, the term “heel spur” is probably well-known. The term is vivid, certainly, but it can cause some confusion, especially regarding how to control this issue. However, living with a heel spur is possible; the orthotic allows you to “remove such a spur from your foot”! But first, a little anatomy…
The unpleasant sensation of having something in your shoe, and then actually feeling sharp pain under the heel while walking or when touched, is symptomatic of this condition commonly known as a “heel spur.” Scientifically, it is an osteophyte on the calcaneus. This can be translated as… a small bony protrusion shaped like a spur that has developed too much under the largest bone of the heel (called the calcaneus), hence the other name: calcaneal spur, for this potentially problematic anatomical condition.
Putting aside Haglund’s disease, a localized inflammation at the back of the heel caused by a particular morphology already showing a bony prominence (exostosis), the presence of a small bone growth at this location is not in itself unhealthy. It is a normal physiological process, in fact, a calcium build-up — which is generally harmless for most people — that serves to reinforce the posterior attachment of the fascia, this elastic connective tissue band that maintains the foot’s arch and plays a crucial role in the foot’s shock-absorbing capacity.
However, when the fascia is overused, subjected to excessive or prolonged stress (sports, injury, atypical pronation, aging, excess weight, improper shoes, etc.), not only is there a risk of inflammation of the fascia itself (up to the heel), but also a constant strain on its posterior attachment, the heel spur, which thus tends to grow excessively. As this area is usually the point of contact with the ground when walking, such a protrusion (although not painful at first) eventually damages the tissues at the insertion point of the fascia on the calcaneus. It is these microtears that cause the pain, inflammation… and lead to the diagnosis of a problematic heel spur.
Is there an orthotic to relieve a heel spur? Of course!
It can never be stressed enough that untreated painful plantar fasciitis is a precursor to a calcaneal spur. Furthermore, without any podiatric intervention, the heel spur progresses to the point where the condition can become disabling. That said, by considering all aspects of your condition, your foot care professional will prevent you from reaching that stage. There are various curative and preventive approaches, and one of them is the use of orthotics for a heel spur.
Treating a heel spur should be a serious and consistent therapeutic process. Right from the start, a radiographic exam may be required. The severity of the condition will determine whether special treatments (such as surgery) need to be considered. However, generally speaking, since the cause of the microtears and inflammation in the heel is undue tension on the fascia, the key is to reduce this tension by wearing a custom-made orthotic for the heel spur and plantar fascia and performing certain calf stretching exercises.
An orthotic for a heel spur, imperatively a technological orthotic, meaning one made using a digital scan of the foot’s plantar surface and 3D printing, has dimensional characteristics ad hoc. Its shape increases the support of the foot’s transverse arch, which slightly shifts the stress forward, thereby reducing the pressure on the tarsus. It is also common for the orthotic for a heel spur to be paired with a specially adapted orthopedic shoe whose role is to enhance foot stability, shock absorption, and pronation corrections.
Foot care professionals know custom orthotics, Skeltec makes them!
Whether they are orthotics for healing, or at least for relieving pain, or orthotics for preventing a heel spur, the qualitative and technological leap was made when portable foot scanning allowed the production of 100% custom orthotics and was completed by a 3D printing manufacturing process involving superior and memory-enhanced materials. Skeltec embodies such innovation. Talk to your foot care professional about it.
