Welcome to the Heel Spur Clinic!

With over 25 years of foot health experience, and biomechanical research, we can guarantee relief from heel spur pain in over 80% of cases. Before going into detail about our treatment methods, let's first have a look at the symptoms and causes of heel spurs and heel pain. It's important to understand that heel spurs are often misdiagnosed and the actual cause of pain and discomfort during walking is not the spur itself, but a more common condition called Plantar Fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis is the most common foot condition in the UK with thousands of sufferers in all age groups, but in particular the over 50’s. It is latin for inflammation of the plantar fascia and it is the main cause for the formation of calcaneal spurs, or heel spurs and pain in the heel area. Plantar Fasciitis is a weight bearing functional gait problem and can only be treated accordingly ie. by correcting poor gait pattern. Patients are usually referred for X-Ray scans to determine calcaneal spur growth and inflammation in the heel area. In some cases spur development is clearly visible, however it paramount to understand the spur itself is not the problem, but rather a mere symptom of Plantar Fasciitis A typical clinical sign associated with Plantar Fasciitis is soreness to palpation of the medial calcaneal tuberosity and the medial aspect of the proximal longitudinal arch. Fat-pad degeneration under the heel is common in elderly patients, causing tenderness and contributing to heel pain. In most cases, Plantar Fasciitis has to be attributed to poor foot biomechanics. A poor gait is quite common and is caused by a factors like excess pronation at the Subtalar Joint, tightness of the calf muscles, short and tightened plantar fascia and achilles tendons. In addition weakened foot and ankle muscles and also weight gain can play a role.

As a result of faulty foot biomechanics the longitudinal arch height is decreased, forcing the plantar fascia to lengthen on weight-bearing. This increased tensile stress is imposed on the medial calcaneal tuberosity where the plantar fascia attach to the heel bone. Repetitive excess stress on the plantar fascia then leads to inflammation of the plantar aponeurosis and micro-tearing of the ligament. Over a period of time a calceneal spur may develop. Calceneal spurs however a far less common that general heel pain. More often Plantar Fasciitis will cause pain under the heel or at the back of the heel. Some people may experience arch pain as a result of stress on the plantar fascia. The calcaneus (or heel bone) is the largest bone in the foot, and when walking the heel touches the ground first and therefore always a constant pressure is exerted on the heel. This is why heel pain is a condition most seen by podiatrists and other foot specialists, compared to other medical complaints.

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