Common Causes And Risk Factors Of A Heel Spur

Tearing The Membrane Covering The Heel Bone

The heel bone is covered by a protective membrane. While tearing through the membrane once usually isn't enough to cause a heel spur, since heel spurs develop slowly over multiple months, if individuals repeatedly suffer injuries to this membrane, they're more likely to develop a heel spur. There are twenty-six total bones in the foot, and the heel bone is the largest.

The foot also has thirty-three joints and over one hundred ligaments, muscles, and tendons. When individuals tear away the lining that protects the heel, they open it to calcium deposits that can develop into a heel spur. If individuals also have repeated muscle strains or ligament sprains alongside the lining tears, they're even more likely to develop a heel spur.

Poorly Fitting Shoes

Poorly fitting shoes are a major factor in heel spurs. Improper footwear can cause the types of foot injury that lead to unchecked calcium deposits. Wearing improper footwear once or twice won't generally pose a problem, but badly-fitting shoes can cause heel spurs to develop over months. Proper footwear is imperative, especially if individuals exercise a lot or are on their feet all day. Athletes, manual laborers, food service workers, and retail workers should all prioritize supportive footwear.

Good shoes provide both arch support and heel cushioning, which helps prevent injury from high impacts, so it's very important for runners and individuals who partake in high-impact exercise. Arch support cushions the arch of the foot. The right arch support can prevent gait abnormalities like overpronating and under pronating. Overpronation occurs when an individual's foot rolls too far outward with each stride. This distributes weight unevenly and increases their chances of injury.