Heel Spur Exercises

Heel spur exercises are meant to provide relief from debilitating heel pain caused by heel spurs. These exercises for heel spurs strengthen the tendons and tissues in the heel and help prevent further injuries cropping up in the heel. There are reported cases where some exercises actually lead to heel spurs, so performing the correct heel spur exercises becomes absolutely crucial.

This is a condition that some people choose to correct by surgical means, but this turns out to be quite an expensive option. In most cases the condition is not so severe so as to require expensive heel spurs surgery, and some useful heel spur exercises can cure the entire problem itself. Some people continue to feel pain in their heels even after investing in a very expensive surgical process, and as such the importance of heel spurs exercises is undoubted. These exercises help in the basic prevention of this condition, which is far easier than the other available options. Performing these exercises twice a day helps an individual immensely.

What is Heel Spur?

Before we delve into heel spur stretching exercises, it is necessary to understand the meaning of heel spurs and what causes it. Knowledge about heel spurs symptoms also helps in the long run. This condition is also known as plantar fasciitis, and it occurs when the tissues that are present below the heel get damaged or hurt. These are very soft tissues, and it does not take much contact or force to rupture these tissues. The inflammation of these tissues, which are in the form of a band, is known as heel spurs syndrome.

It must be noted that these tissues are damaged on a daily basis, as we carry out our routine walking activities and actions. But each night as we sleep, these tissues are repaired and regenerated by the body. When the healing process is unable to carry out enough repairs to compensate for the damage, it ends up in the feeling of immense and continuous pain in the heels. For some people this can be a very painful sensation, and for them heel spur exercises are absolutely critical for strengthening up the tissues in the heel, in order to avoid this condition.

Exercises for Heel Spur

Heel spur physical therapy is meant to strengthen the heel spurs and also facilitate freedom of movement painlessly, thus providing heel spurs relief. Performing these exercises stretches out the tendons and muscles and makes them more resistant to external forces, and also eases the healing process at nights. Here are some common heel spur exercises that you can perform.

Wall Stretch
For this exercise, you need to stand facing a wall. Rest the ball of your feet against the wall, and rest your heel on the ground. Using your hands as support, now you must push yourself towards the wall. You will feel the strain on your heels, and this is a very useful exercise for strengthening the tendons. Now you must repeat this exercise with the other foot.

Stair Stretch
For this exercise you need to stand on a stair, or an elevated platform of some kind. Rest the balls of your feet on the stair, while the remaining portion is outside the area of the step. Using your hands to balance yourself, you must shift your body weight so that you can feel the strain on your calf muscles. Hold the position for a few seconds, ad repeat this exercise 4-5 times a day.

Cross Leg Stretch
To do this exercise you need to be seated on the ground, or on any flat surface. Bend one leg over the thigh of the other leg and hold both the ends of your foot with your hand. Now you need to pull your toes upwards while holding onto the other end of the foot. This is one of the best bone spur exercises.

Towel Pull
This is another exercise that needs to be performed in a seated position. Stretch your leg out straight and do not bend your knees. Now loop a towel around your toes and pull the edges of the towel in order to pull your toes towards you. This exercise should be performed one leg at a time.

Ice Roll
For this exercise you need to get a frozen bottle of water and place it under one foot. Roll your foot over the bottle. The movement and the temperature will help ease any pain that you have in your heels, and also help prevent future injuries. This routine is more widely used as a means of heel spur treatment for injured heels.

In some X-rays you can actually see a small protrusion of bone at the tip of the heel. These are commonly thought to be the cause of pain as they resemble spurs that are found on shoes. In reality, it is the condition of plantar fasciitis that causes a person to feel pain in the heel. Performing heel spur exercises will cure this pain, and surgery should always be the last option. This is a recurring problem that surgery is unlikely to fix, therefore the best option is to go for some rehabilitative and strengthening course of action that can only be achieved by these heel spur exercises.