Our bodies have an incredible ability to heal themselves and recover after being subjected to many forms of bodily harm. In the majority of cases, this is a benefit to the body and necessary for overcoming an injury, such as an ankle sprain or scraped elbow. But rarely, this tendency of the body to repair itself can fail to address the problem and may actually cause more damage in the process. One example is a bone spur, which is a growth of bone that forms in response to certain injuries. In some cases, a bone spur will lead to additional symptoms on top of those from the initial injury, but a course of Bowie physical therapy can help identify the root of the problem and manage it appropriately.

A bone spur, or osteophyte, is essentially an abnormal growth of extra bone that develops when the body tries to repair a problem that affects a bone. They can form in just about any bone after it is damaged by an injury, but two areas in which they are particularly common are the foot and the shoulder.

In the foot, bone spurs are most frequently seen in the back of the heel, where they are called heel spurs. Heel spurs develop from repeated trauma to the foot, especially from a condition called plantar fasciitis. This occurs when a ligament called the plantar fascia—which connects the back of the heel bone to the front of the toes—becomes inflamed or irritated, usually from too much activity and pressure on the foot. This causes a stabbing pain on the bottom of the heel that often gets worse with activity.

According to one study, individuals with plantar fasciitis have about a 50% chance of developing a heel spur in the future. The reason is that when the plantar fascia becomes too damaged, the body makes a heel spur to try to provide extra support for the heel. Unfortunately, this does not fix the problem of plantar fasciitis, and many patients will continue to have pain in their heel. But it’s important to realize that in this case, only the plantar fasciitis is causing symptoms, not the bone spur.

Shoulder impingement syndrome is a condition caused by irritation or inflammation of the tendons that are attached to the rotator cuff, which is itself a group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder. It usually occurs when these tendons are caught between two of the bones of the shoulder—the humerus and the acromion—which is almost always due to a bone spur. Bone spurs develop after repeated rubbing or pressure on the rotator cuff tendons, which is especially common in sports with lots of overhead movements like swimming, tennis, and baseball. In these cases, the bone spur is the actual cause of the problem—shoulder impingement syndrome—and this leads to pain, weakness, and other debilitating shoulder symptoms.

Bowie physical therapy to the rescue for any type of bone spur-related issue

Bone spurs don’t always cause symptoms, and some patients have a bone spur without even realizing it. But for many others, the bone spur is either associated with an injury that causes symptoms or is responsible for the symptoms itself. When this occurs, the best way to alleviate the problem is through a course of Bowie physical therapy. The contents of each treatment program will depend on the location of the bone spur and the underlying condition, but most will consist of some variation of the following:

• Ice therapy
• Deep tissue massage
• Ultrasound
• Stretching exercises
• Strengthening exercises
• Footwear modifications and/or orthotics (for heel spurs)
• Movement correction exercises
• Posture control exercises

Although the body usually does a pretty good job at repairing itself, just like everything else, there are limitations to this process. Bone spurs are one of these limitations, but that doesn’t mean the problem can’t be overcome. So if you’re dealing with a bone spur-related problem, contact CAM Physical Therapy and Wellness Services at 301-464-7390 to schedule an appointment at any of our three clinics in Glenn Dale/Bowie, Laurel, or Hyattsville, or click here for more information on bone spurs and physical therapy.