Healing period: Non invasive surgeries do not require hospitalization and the patient can go back home after resting for three hours. Most of them can also resume normal work the following day though they are advised to give as much rest to their feet as possible, especially during the first three weeks.
The rate of success of heel spur surgery would depend upon how meticulously the patient follows his doctor’s instructions during the post recovery period. Putting on too much weight, lifting heavy loads and excessive pressure exerted on the heel may cause recurring pain.

Flexible dress heel spur pads: They are thin heel wraps made of silicone. Once they are placed in the heel area of the shoe, they keep the heel securely in one place and most of them can be trimmed according to the shape of the shoe worn by the patient or his foot-size.
Waffle-designed low profile pads: These low profile heel spur pads are thin and can, therefore, be worn comfortably with most types of shoes. Their waffle design maximizes shock absorption and they are ideal for activities which cause high stress to the plantar fascia. Most waffle designed pads are again washable and can be put to use for long periods.
Inspite of the easy availability of a variety of  heel spur pads in the market under various brand names, people suffering from this problem should not make the mistake of randomly picking up orthotics without consulting a podiatrist. Heel spur pads should be chosen only after carefully studying the causes of the spur and the specific needs of the patient that need to be addressed.

The largest bone in the human foot, the heel bone, is constantly subject to shock and pressure. If the plantar fascia (a layer of tissues in the arch of the foot) is made to withstand stress and strain over a prolonged period of time, small, hook like bony protrusions (called heel spurs) begin to form on the undersurface of the heel bone because of deposition of calcium.

Heel spurs are formed around tendons and ligaments and act as sheaths that provide protection from swelling and pain. Infact, one of the main heel spur symptoms i.e. pain is not caused by the spur at all, but by the culprit behind heel spur- plantar fasciitis. Only 30% of such cases are confirmed without an x-ray, because the deformity or protrusion is not too pronounced to be noticeable. However, in extreme cases where the protrusion is upto half an inch in size can be seen without an x-ray as well.
Here is a list of heel spur symptoms which can help you in the timely detection of spurs and enable you to initiate timely action. Watch out for these symptoms to get timely treatment before heel pain makes life miserable for you.

The main symptom through which heel spurs manifest themselves is a chronic pain in the foot. This pain might be continuous or intermittent and is usually bearable. In extreme cases, however, the pain can become debilitating and can even hamper movement or day-to-day activities. This pain is usually very intense when the patient puts the foot back into action after a period of rest. The affected person might also limp for a step or two before he can walk properly because of the pain he experiences when the foot touches the ground. In most cases, the pain is considered to have been caused by fatigue and ignored.
To be able to know if the pain has actually been caused by a heel spur, the affected person needs to observe carefully WHEN the pain begins. The agony caused by a heel spur is at its worst when the foot touches the ground after a period of rest. There is a sudden stinging sensation in the heel area, as if poked with a sharp knife. The reason behind this is that when we rest or relax, all the muscles, nerves and tissues of our body also relax. When we put the foot back into action after a period of rest, the nerves which are in a state of rest take some time (a few seconds) to adapt to the needs of the body and resume normal blood supply. Once normal blood circulation resumes, the pain eases or takes the form of a dull ache that lingers on through out the day but is forgotten because of work.
Athletes, sprinters and gymnasts might experience a pain in the heel during the course of their exercise regime i.e. while jogging, running, jumping, etc. This is due to the stress caused to the plantar fascia when they undertake such rigorous activity.

Pain in the heel might be the most noticeable heel spur symptom, but it surely is not the only problem that can be brought forth by a troublesome heel! Heel spurs might also cause reddishness and inflammation in the heel area. Extreme cases might also be accompanied by minor bruises along the heel. These are caused by regular strain to the heel and are usually seen when heel spurs remain undetected and hence, unattended for a long period of time.
To make sure that a heel spur does not make life nightmarish for you, look out for early heel spur symptoms and consult your orthopedist before it is too late!

• Determine the exact cause: Heel spurs do not occur without any reason but since they are not caused by a serious injury, the patient may find it difficult to recall why he started developing a spur in the first place. Try to pinpoint the exact cause after which the pain appeared- it could be a new exercise regime, change in the existing program, jogging or exercising on a hard surface, trying a new pair of shoes, persisting with a worn out pair of shoes or a new and more strenuous job. Identify the exact cause that has led to a deformity in your bone and once you know the exact cause, make an effort to discontinue the activity which is causing discomfort. If you can not discontinue it altogether, try to modify it after consulting your doctor.

• Keep off activities which aggravate the condition: Climbing the stairs frequently, lifting heavy items, squatting for long periods of time at a stretch, walking or running on hard or uneven surfaces intensifies the pain. For an effective heel spur treatment, desist from such activities as far as possible. Try to bring down the number of times you climb your staircase, try running on softer surfaces like grass or a muddy track. Avoid carrying heavy loads and if you must squat, keep the affected foot in front and place it flat.

• Change your exercise regime: Instead of running the tread mill, try the cross trainer. Try cycling or swimming till your heel gets better. While cycling also, take care to avoid dropping the heel, standing posture while cycling and taking to the hills. Most walkers scoff at the idea of a stationery bike at the gym, but this might be necessary to cure the heel spur. Anyways, your heel spur is not going to last forever! Once your heel gets better, you can get back to life as usual.

• Shed weight: If you are overweight, shedding a few extra pounds will benefit you immensely, since a heavier body exerts more weight on the feet and getting rod of the flab will lessen the stress caused to plantar fascia and thereby provide relief from heel spur.

• Ice pack: Freeze a can of juice or any rounded water bottle and keep it on the floor. Roll your foot over the frozen bottle or can for at least twenty minutes. Repeat this two times a day.

• Contrast bath for the foot: If the inflammation in the foot is chronic, try a contrasting hot and cold bath. Begin with applying an ice pack on the heel and the arch of the foot for five minutes and then dip it in hot water for five minutes. Alternate between the two for half an hour and repeat this every alternate day. This helps improve blood circulation to the affected area and has been known to benefit lots of people with heel spurs.

• Stretching exercises: If the pain is more acute in the mornings, keep a towel or a belt next to you while sleeping. Before stepping out of the bed, wrap the belt/ towel around your heel and pull the foot towards yourself, keeping the leg straight. The pull thus exerted on the back of the calf extends right down to the arch of the foot and helps in heel spur treatment.

• Rolling a ball: Roll any soft ball (e.g. tennis or rubber ball) and roll your foot over it for some time. This helps to stretch out the plantar fascia. However, do not carry on with this if it causes pain.

• Wearing supportive shoes: A good pair of shoes should not bend into half when folded from the toe. If it does, the shoes are not supportive. A good pair of shoes should only bend at the toes. Wear only supportive shoes while running to get rid of heel spurs.

• Wearing orthotics: Wearing orthotics can also help in heel spur treatment. Semi-rigid pre-fabricated orthotics available in the market under various brand names can help lessen the stress caused on plantar fascia, and thus help in curing pain caused by heel spurs. Semi-rigid orthotics fit snugly into the shoe and control the motion of the feet, thereby bringing down the strain on the over-worked muscles. Though softer inserts are also available, they might not be as helpful since they will not be able to control the abnormal motion in the feet.

• Night splints: Try keeping your foot tied up in a splint all night such that it holds the foot at an angle of 90o. Doing so keeps the calf muscles stretched all night long and though you might not be able to sleep comfortably while wearing such splints, they can prove quite helpful in treating heel spurs.
Besides the above, simple exercises which help to strengthen the muscles of the feet can also prove very beneficial. If none of the above helps, surgery might be required for heel spur treatment.

Called calcaneal spur in medical parlance, a heel spur is a small protrusion (or osteophyte) that occurs on the heel bone.

Types

Heel spurs can be of two types:
• Inferior calcaneal spur - These spurs are located on the inferior side of the heel bone and are usually caused by ankylosing spondylitis (a hereditary disease which causes painful inflammation in the joints around the spine), especially in children. They consist of calcium deposits along the heel bone, which is located superior to the plantar fascia.
• Posterior calcaneal spur - These bony projections develop on the back side of the heel, at the insertion of the Achilles tendon. Posterior spurs are usually larger and are usually visible to the naked eye.

Causes:

When the muscles and ligaments of the foot are subject to constant stress and strain, calcium deposits start building up on the undersurface of the heel bone.
Stretching of plantar fascia (Plantar fascia, for a layman, is the layer of thick tissue that supports the arch at the base of the foot) over a period of time or repeated damage caused to the membrane covering the heel bone results in the building up of these deposits and causes a hook shaped deformity in the bone. Deposit building is a long and gradual process that takes place over a period of several months. These deposits eventually cause heel spurs.
Who can get heel spurs?
People who are more likely to get heel spurs include:
• Women- Since most women wear high heels, greater pressure is exerted on their tissues and this makes them more vulnerable to heel spur than men.
• Flat-footed people- People ho have flat-feet are more likely to get heel spurs.
• Athletes and sports persons- Since the activities of athletes and sports persons include a lot of jumping and running, their tissues are subject to constant stress. Running regularly on hard surfaces is likely to make matters worse.
• Over-weight people- Obese and over-weight people are also more likely to develop heel spur.
• People with gait abnormalities- Irregularities in gait may, at times, cause excessive stress on the heel bone and the tissues of the heel and cause spurs over a period of time.
• People wearing poor fitting shoes- Uncomfortable shoes which lack proper arch support or shoes worn improperly also cause stress to the plantar fascia.
Symptoms associated with heel spurs
Heel spurs usually cause no symptoms to appear. As such, they can be detected only by an X-ray of the affected area though the larger ones where the protrusion in the bone is almost half an inch in size are visible to the naked eye.
Most heel spurs are painless, though they might be accompanied by pain and discomfort in some cases. Such painful spur often get mistaken with plantar fasciitis (a swelling in plantar fascia characterized by acute pain).
The pain associated with heel spurs might be intermittent or continuous. Most people with spurs experience pain while jogging, jumping or running, if the area along the heel spur has an inflammation. In most cases, the cause of the pain is not the spur itself, but the injury caused to the soft tissue(s).
Usually, people with heel spur complain of a sharp pain in the heel when they get up in the morning- something like a pin prick. This pain turns into a dull ache as the day progresses.

Treatment and prevention of heel spurs

To treat heel spur, we need to pinpoint the exact cause of strain to the muscles of the affected area. Flat-footed people can try longitudinal arch supports or orthotics with rearfoot posting. Athletes could refrain from running and jogging for a few days, especially on hard surfaces. People who, because of the nature of their work, are required to stand for long periods at a stretch could try sitting intermittently to give rest to the affected muscles.
Avoiding high heels and wearing well-cushioned shoes that absorb shock also helps in the treatment of heel spur. Various types of heel cradles, heel cups and orthotics are also available these days. Besides these, stretching exercises are also known to help, though one must consult a physiotherapist before starting an exercise regime. Overweight people could try shedding a few extra pounds, though that is easier said than done.
Extreme cases might need anti-inflammatory medicines and cortisone injections. And, God forbid, if nothing works, surgery might be required

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