Okay so that was a lame title, but was anyone truly surprised? No, exactly! Moving on...
I'd like to talk about calcaneal spurs, what it is and what causes them.
Firstly, lets break up that word: Calcaneus is heel
Spur is a bony growth typically in the shape of a hook(See! look at us learning new words! I'm so proud) also, it looks pretty cool in X-rays.
So if we use our brain cells, (sorry, I've never had any, tricked yew) a calcaneal spur is essentially a bony growth from the heel portion of our foot and its shaped like a hook.
I know what you're thinking.. "If there is a hook under my heel, wouldn't it hurt when I walk?" well, yes and no.
It's confusing, and I'm about to confuse you some more so strap yourself in. More often than not heel spurs won't cause you any pain. Don't quote me on it though, there are different diagnosis for heel pain, but commonly a heel spur won't be the likely diagnosis.
In the case where a heel spur would hurt, it's most likely torn through a nearby structure. But, in any case an X-ray would be needed as each heel pain case is unique at the next.
So what causes a calcaneal spur?
Well, we don't know, but I'd like to take a stab at it.... (get it? I'll show myself out now)
See, our bones are in a constant cycle of remodeling as in, breaking down and creating new bone material. Now, in a cycle like this, if there is a bony area that is experiencing excessive pressure, then that pressure point is leading new bone growth which results in forming a hook. There is a high chance, that what I've just said is utter nonsense, so don't quote me on it. This theory is based on Wolffs Law. (I'll go into detail with this law properly, when my brain cells return to their day jobs) for now, Wolff's law is a law that states that bony area's that experience load increases on a particular bone then the bone will remodel itself over time in order to compensate (in a healthy person)
Glad we got this out of the way, I know heel pain keeps you up at night!
Comments