Ways To Treat Heel Spurs Naturally
Not many people know what heel spurs are much less recognize its symptoms. This is why it is often confused with or assumed to be the same as plantar fasciitis. But in actuality, they’re different although they both happen to your feet.
Plantar fasciitis means your plantar fascia is inflamed. That’s the thick band of tissue in the bottom of the foot that extends from the heel to the toes. People with tight calf muscles and a high arch are more prone to plantar fasciitis. Although it may be linked to adding activity, plantar fasciitis can also happen without any obvious reason.
Prevention
- Learn to relax your lower legs, especially your ankles and calves, whenever you’re walking, running, sitting or standing.
- Land with a midfoot strike.
- Don’t pull yourself forward with your legs when walking or running. Engage gravity by letting your upper body lead and your legs follow.
Treatment
- Calf stretches
- Rest
- Icing the bottom of the foot
On the other hand, a heel spur is caused by the displacement of calcium on the bone that forms on the underside of the heel; it may be one small bony protrusion or a collection of tiny, irregularly shaped growths on the bone of the heel, which is called the calcaneum. Heel spurs are sometimes painful — described as a knife digging into the heel — and other times, a heel spur goes unnoticed and is only detected by an X-ray. In short, heel spur is simply the presence of an extra protrusion on the bony surface of the heel, while plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here are some tips for you to treat heel spurs naturally.
Warm Bath With Epsom Salt
This may seem like a normal relaxation activity but it can actually help with your heel spurs. Because Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, where magnesium is an essential mineral for bone formation and utilizing calcium. Aside from that Epsom salt also has many properties that can relieve pain and inflammation. Moreover, you can also get magnesium from foods like avocado, spinach, banana, black beans and many more. So try to incorporate those into your diet.
Vitamin B5
A good source of vitamin B5 are foods like avocado, sunflower seeds, eggs, salmon and lentils. Eating more of these foods is not only going to guarantee you to be healthier but it can also specifically decrease joint pains, enhance muscle strength, and lessen symptoms that comes with muscle or joint fatigue. This is why if you’re suffering from heel spurs, it would be good if you go out of your way to search foods that are high in vitamin B5 and include them in your daily meals.
Proteolytic Enzymes
Inflammation is naturally reduced with proteolytic enzymes — a group of enzymes that breaks the long chain-like molecules of proteins into shorter fragments and then into amino acids. Research shows that proteolytic enzymes cut down on remission time and increase response rates; it’s used for therapy on patients suffering from intense joint and muscle pain, cancer and age-related diseases.
Alkaline Diet
It’s no longer enough that you’re drinking 8 glasses of water every day. You also have to ensure that you’re drinking alkaline water, not because it seems posh but because it actually has health benefits. Alkaline water soothes acid reflux; helps neutralize acid in the bloodstream which leads to increased oxygen level and improved energy and metabolism. But aside from alkaline water, you can also eat alkaline-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, raw foods, green drinks, water with lemon or lime. This helps your body have a proper pH balance which is important in avoiding inflammation and calcium buildup both of which causes heel spurs.
Fish Oil
Since inflammation is one of the biggest factors in those with heel spurs, upping your intake of foods that fight against it like omega-3 foods is a must! You can either go for goods high in said fish oil or take dietary supplements. For most people, a 1,000-milligram dose of fish oil daily is an effective and safe amount. Remember, not all fish oils are created equal. Most fish oils are highly processed and can oxidize easily because omega-3 fats are polyunsaturated, have a low heat threshold and can easily go rancid. For that reason, you want to buy fish oil in triglyceride form that also contains antioxidants to preserve them, like astaxanthin or essential oils.
Rollout Area Or Massage
Stimulating the part of your body that hurts always help relieve pain. Since heel spurs your feet, you now have a reason to enjoy frequent foot massages. You can go to a spa for this, especially if you don’t know how to do it yourself. But after a couple of visits, you’ll probably learn how to do this so you can just do it at home. You can use coconut oil if that’s more available for you or essential oils like rosemary, thyme, rose oil and lavender oil. This will increase fluid flow, speed up the healing process and break up scar tissue.
Wear Minimalist Shoes
Again, since this condition affects your feet, you need to be more considerate with what you put it through. So wear shoes that won’t aggravate it. Choose a pair that is well-fitting with shock-absorbent soles, firm shanks, and supportive heel counters. In fact, even people who don’t have heel spurs should consider opting for shoes like this to not only avoid the condition but to also lessen stress on your feet especially if you’re on it majority of the day.
So have you been suffering from sharp stabbing pain at the bottom of your foot near the heel which is usually worst in the morning? It’s also triggered by long periods of standing or getting up from a seated position. You might be suffering from heel spurs! If you’ve tried all DIY approach or other forms of treatment and therapy without success and think there’s no other way except surgery, think again! These tips above can really help alongside chiropractic care which is a non-invasive and drug-free alternative treatment for musculoskeletal conditions like heel spurs.
