What can be done for heel spurs and still cant run or jog?
Its a tough injury to get rid of. I had one in each foot. It hurt so much every time I walked I wanted to cry.
Ok there are two approaches. One, figure out a way to get rid of the heel spur or dissolve it. Or option two strengthen the plantar muscle as it holds on for dear life.
Option one you could try surgery. I would highly recommend against this. Its as good as a placebo effect, if you look at studies conducted for it.
You could also try ESWT to try and dissolve it. Otherwise known as shock wave therapy. Its pricy, Mass General one of the more respected hospitals in the world and nationwide does this type of therapy. There are studies to back it up, however it doesnt always work. Your looking at 1-3 grand for this type of procedure. Harvard did several studies finding favorable results. I have talked to the guy who ran these studies he is impressive, but ESWT could also actually make it worse. I would not recommend it.
Option two, strengthen the plantar. I did this by having prolotherapy done by a world reknown expert. Harvard backs prolotherapy with an almost 90% cure rate. It is reasonably priced at around 200 dollars per session. Unfortanely this is all out of the pocket expenses.
Or a weaker option you could also do things to mask the pain. Maybe custom orthotics, taping the foot ect. I highly reccomend prolotherapy if it is at the advanced stage. I recommend Ross Hausser in Chicago if you can get out there for it.
http://www.caringmedical.com/sports_injury/heel_spurs.asp
Good Luck its a tough injury to get rid of. Was your injury confirmed by X-RAY? What did your doc say?
Probably the best source on the web is here:
I developed a case a few years ago while spending quite a bit of time at my inlaws and doing too much sprinting on an old, hard track (what was available at the time). The condition is long gone (back to training in JSCs). You CAN run, and sprint (at least I could) if you use some common sense procedures. I used no fancy equipment, no tapeing, and spent nothing. These are the things I did:
(1) Realize that getting over this takes A LONG time. It seems to take a year or so no matter what you do, so get used to this. It doesn’t mean no running; It means LESS training. You have to give your body enough of a break so it can heal itself.
(2) For several months, don’t walk around barefoot at all, even indoors. This comes from Dr. Pribut and it seems to be the most important thing. Walk around in normal shoes with a relatively high heel lift, and add a heel lift or cushioning inserts if you need them. More stable (not running) shoes seem to work better. I used true tennis shoes.
(3) Squats exacerbate the condition, so you have to give them up for some time, also plyos. Not good for sprinting, but you have to get healthy first.
(4) Stay out of sprint spikes whenever possible. Sprint spikes for 0-60m basically accelerations only and minimize the number. Longer stuff like SE in middle distance spikes (I used zoom Kennedy which has an air unit in the heel) and special endurance in trainers.
(5) Don’t walk around at all in spikes of any kind. If you’re doing a CF type workout like 4X80 or 4X120 with, say, 15 minute rest, sit down, change out of the spikes, walk around in trainers, change back to spikes for 1 sprint then take them off again.
(6) Stay off the track whenever possible. Warmups, drills, and tempo on grass and work out on a softer track if possible. Consider things like tempo on an exercise bike instead of running it all the time.
These sound like very simple things, but if you do them you should be able to sprint while your body is healing. You can even race if you’re careful. You just won’t be able to do as much as you might like.
They have a great message board! Very good info on heel spurs!
Actually there are many centers and places that perform “shock wave therapy” around the country. Unfortunately, the insurance plans have latched onto the bad results and have, by and large, refused to cover this therapy. If done properly and in the right circumstances, could be an effective treatment. It is basically a quicker form of prolotherapy.
I recommend to my patients (especially in the early phase) the usual icing, rest and immobilization. Sometimes for people on the go a steriod injection too. If this has been a long-term problems (two to three months) then you should be looking at prolotherapy, shock wave and other procedures to turn the long-term problem into a short-term (chronic to acute). Orthotics can be beneficial for both phases.
My suggestion is see a physician which understands heel pain and then can give you a better treatment plan.