Have you been diagnosed with heel spur problems and are you wondering how long it lasts and the treatment options available.
In this article I will try to give you some reassurance and what we know about the heel spur treatment and recovery timeline.
⚫They are taken from my extensive research and reading in published studies on the subject.
⚫And my experience as a diagnostic radiographer.
Happy reading😀 and feel free to ask questions in the comments or share your own experience.🙏
Last updated: Sept, 2025. Written by Juliet Semakula, a diagnostic radiographer.
▶️What is a heel spur?
A heel spur, also known as osteophyte, is a bony growth that pokes out below your back heel bone inside your foot.
The fun thing is, you may not know that you have one until it starts causing you pain.
When your foot ligament is stressed, you heel will be inflamed causing you pain and other symptoms such as:
🟣Pain in the heel, which can be sharp or dull, and may be worse in the morning or after periods of rest.
🟣Tenderness when you touch the affected area, especially on the bottom of the heel.
🟣Swelling and Inflammation: Some individuals may experience swelling and inflammation around the heel.
🟣 Pain with Weight Bearing on the heel, such as when standing or walking.
🟣Visible Bump in some cases, may be visible or palpable on the heel.
Although X-ray evidence suggests that about 10% of the general population has heels spurs but most of these people do not have any symptoms.
Most x-ray I have seen with heel spurs; patients normally have no symptoms and those who have symptoms appear to be the same as those of plantar fasciitis.
It has been suggested that the inflammation process results in a localized proliferation around the planter fasciitis origin leading to irregular spur formation (Duvries,1957)
Several authors believe inflammation is important in heel spur formation, either occurring secondary to a stress injury or as the natural progression of plantar fasciitis (Mason et al 1959)
MRI analysis in a study, however, showed inflammatory changes in only 8% of cases scanned for heel pain (Abreu et al 2003)
▶️What is the location of the heel spur?
The plantar calcaneal spur originates from the calcaneal tuberosity located on the posterior plantar surface of the calcaneus on your foot.
The images below demonstrate different imaging showing arrows of heel spur.
Images showing x-rays and MRI lateral foot of irregular spur (image from Kirkpatrick.2017)
The big bone at the bottom left is the calcaneus. You can see that at the bottom, there’s like a small point where the arrows are, it’s a bony outgrowth, and that’s what we call a heel spur.
Heel spurs may not be the cause of heel pain even when it shows on an X-ray. They may develop as a reaction to plantar fasciitis.
▶️What is the main cause of heel spurs?
According to research studies, anything that exacerbates the pulling and stress on the heel bone from the plantar fascia will contribute to the development of a heel spur, including:
⚪Overusing the fascia, often from overtraining
⚪Wearing unsupportive or worn-down shoes, which places more stress on the fascia
⚪Muscle imbalances and dysfunction, which can lead to overuse
⚪ Rigid feet with poor mobility and flexibility that are inadequate to absorb shock
⚪Excessive pronation of the ankle and feet, as well as other biomechanical issues
⚪Having a leg length difference
⚪Bowed or knocked knees
⚪Abnormal walking and running patterns that place extra stress on the heel bone and ligaments
Mohseni, 2023
▶️Heel spur vs plantar fasciitis: Are they the same thing?
No, heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are not the same thing, although they are related and often confused because they have the same symptoms.
A heel spur is a bony growth on the heel bone, often a consequence of plantar fasciitis.
Plantar fasciitis is the inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of your foot.
When stress is put on the plantar fascia ligament, it does not cause only plantar fasciitis, but can cause a heel spur to where the plantar fascia attaches to the heel bone (Agyekum,2015)
While many people with plantar fasciitis also have a heel spur, the spur itself is not always the source of pain
The difference is only visible in imaging, which is often useless, because the treatment follows the same broad guidelines.
| Both conditions can often be treated with similar methods such as rest, ice, stretching, and orthotics. Surgery is rarely needed for either condition. |
▶️Can you have a heel spur without plantar fasciitis?
Yes, it is possible to have a heel spur without plantar fasciitis.
While heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are often related, with many people experiencing both conditions, it’s not a requirement for one to cause the other.
It is possible to have a heel spur without having plantar fasciitis,
⚪If you have pain in the heel and x-ray shows a heel spur, in this case your doctor may identify it as plantar fasciitis because it is not possible to be certain of the structure causing the pain, the fascia or bony outgrowth.
Many people with heel spurs do not experience any pain or symptoms related to the spur itself.
▶️How long does a heel spur develop?
The stimulating factor for the development of heel spur (calcaneal exostosis) is controversial in most research studies.
A research team investigated this topic using studies on X-rays and tissues from human cadavers (Li, 2007).
⚪Heel spurs are generally not found in the trajectory of traction from the plantar aponeurosis enthesis or plantar muscles.
⚪But are variably associated with soft tissues including loose connective tissue, fibrocartilage, muscle, and aponeurosis.
⚪The bony trabeculae of the spur are not aligned in the direction of soft tissue traction but rather in the direction of the stress exerted on the calcaneus during walking and standing.
It is likely that the heel spur at the heel serves as a skeletal response to stress and may protect the bone against the development of microfractures.
According to differences between small and large spurs, there are 3 stages in their development:
1️⃣An initial formation of cartilage cell clusters and fissures at the plantar fascia enthesis.
2️⃣Thickening of the subchondral bone plate at the enthesis as small spurs form
3️⃣Development of vertically oriented trabeculae buttressing the proximal end of larger spurs.
Sub calcaneal heel spurs cannot be traction spurs as they do not develop within the plantar fascia itself.
Kumai,2002.
| Take home! Heel spurs don’t appear suddenly; they develop over an extended period as the body reacts to repetitive stress and strain causing calcium deposits that accumulate on the underside of the heel bone. |
▶️How long does a heel spur typically last on average?
A heel spur itself can be a permanent bone growth and doesn’t go away on its own.
However, the pain associated with a heel spur can be managed and typically subsides within a few weeks to several months or even years with proper treatment.
The duration of pain relief will depend on the severity of the spur, how diligently it’s treated, and individual factors like weight and how quickly medical attention is sought.
| People with heel spurs are likely to experience ups and downs during their recovery time. Often, they will think the condition is improving, so they will stop resting and cease treatment, which can cause the pain to return at full force. |
The best course of action is to be extremely gentle when walking or standing until the pain is completely gone at that point, activity can be gradually and carefully increased.
In other words: the healing time for a heel spur is the same as the healing time for plantar fasciitis!
Here is how long a heel spur lasts according to the studies on the subject.
| Number of people followed (studies) | Healing timeline |
| 269 for over 15 years with heel pain and a heel spur(Hansen,2018) | ➡️20% completely healed 1 year later. ➡️50% 5 years later. ➡️46% 10 year later |
| 100 people treated for heel pain (Wolgin,1994) | ➡️82% had no pain 4 years after treatment ➡️82% had symptoms for 6 months before seeing a doctor ➡️Some cured a few weeks a few months without treatment |
| Shea 2002 | ➡️70% of people saw improvement after 8 to 10 weeks after regular stretching. ➡️90 % saw improvement in 6 months |
▶️How do you fix a heel spur? Treatment options:
Accurate diagnosis plays a vital role in the effective treatment of heel spurs.
Proper identification of the underlying cause of heel pain ensures the implementation of appropriate treatment measures.
Here are some of the treatment options I normally see provided to people with heel spur.
Conservative options
Almost all patients respond to conservative nonsurgical therapy; surgery is normally the last treatment option if all other treatments fail.
➡️Resting and applying ice packs can help decrease inflammation and pain.
➡️Pain relief, your doctor will prescribe you some pain relief to help you manage pain.
➡️A physical therapy can guide you through exercises to strengthen foot muscles and improve flexibility, as well as assess and address any biomechanical issues that may be contributing to the problem.
➡️Stretching the plantar fascia and calf muscles can improve flexibility and reduce pain. Specific exercises include the towel stretch and heel raises.
➡️Wearing supportive shoes with good arch support and cushioning, or using orthotic inserts, can help reduce stress on the plantar fascia
➡️ Anti-inflammatory agents.
➡️ Manual therapy
➡️Shockwave therapy
➡️Local anaesthesia radiotherapy.
Agyekum,2015
Surgery intervention is rarely needed and is usually considered only after conservative treatments have been unsuccessful for an extended period.
Working in fluoroscopy interventional I have been able to see an x-ray guided conventional radiofrequency ablation application to calcaneal spur.
➡️Most patients find this procedure effective, safe, and minimally invasive.
➡️They notice reduced pain severity and improved disability for those with chronic heel spur pain in the short term of 0 to 3 months and the intermediate term of 3 to 6 months.
Therefore, conventional radiofrequency ablation application to calcaneal spur can be an effective treatment option for treating heel spur pain, speak to your doctor if you think your pain is not improving.
X-ray imaging showing a fluoroscopic-guided conventional radiofrequency ablation around the calcaneal spur (image from Yürük,2022)
However most of these treatments are not evaluated in clinical studies that allow us to compare the progress of people who do nothing and/or who have a placebo therapy with people who receive the treatment.
Most often, we simply look at how people are doing before and after the treatment, without being sure that there is an effect of the treatment itself, people could have improved over time regardless of what they do.
▶️Can bone spurs go away naturally? What happens if I ignore the heel spur?
No, bone spurs also called osteophytes do not go away naturally.
Bone spurs are essentially extra bone growth, and the body doesn’t have a mechanism to dissolve or remove this type of bone tissue.
While they can’t disappear on their own, many people manage bone spur symptoms effectively with non-surgical treatments as discussed above.
It is not clear why heel spurs develop in some people with tissue stress on their heel bone and not others.
However, instead of ignoring it, the best way to help prevent heel spurs from developing is to treat any heel pain that arises promptly, without allowing significant stress to continue for prolonged periods.
This is why working with your podiatrist for your heel pain is key because these are trained foot health experts, and they will guide you:
⚪To know how to help prevent your heel pain from recurring in the future.
⚪To be equipped with the information and tools to help you optimise your recovery at home
▶️Is walking good for heel spurs?
Walking with heel spurs can be both helpful and harmful, depending on how severe your condition is.
While walking can improve blood flow and strengthen supporting muscles, it can also exacerbate pain if not managed properly.
But resting, wearing supportive shoes, and stretching are crucial for managing heel spur pain during walking
⚪Listen to your body: If you experience increased pain while walking, stop and rest. Don’t push through the pain.
⚪ Avoiding barefoot walking barefoot on hard surfaces can worsen heel pain.
⚪ Consider alternatives: If walking is too painful, explore other low-impact exercises like swimming or cycling.
⚪You can use crutches to help you avoid putting pressure on the heel when walking.
If you have persistent heel pain, always consult a podiatrist or physical therapist for personalized advice and treatment options.
We have come to the end of this article, wishing you a quick recovery! Your comments are welcome!🙋
You may also like:
⚫How long does plantar fasciitis last and treatment options.
⚫Fractured heal or calcaneus, recovery timeline?
📚Sources:
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Kirkpatrick J, Yassaie O, Mirjalili SA. The plantar calcaneal spur: a review of anatomy, histology, etiology and key associations. J Anat. 2017 Jun;230(6):743-751. doi: 10.1111/joa.12607. Epub 2017 Mar 29. PMID: 28369929; PMCID: PMC5442149.
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