Bone Spurs-everything one likes to know

What Are Bone Spurs?

Bone spurs commonly occur on the heel.

Facts You Should Know About Bone Spurs

A bone spur is an outgrowth of bone that can occur along the edges of a bone. It is also called an osteophyte.
Seek medical care if you are experiencing persistent pain due to bone spurs.
reatment options depend upon the signs and symptoms that you are experiencing.

Bone spurs can form in any bone but are most commonly found in joints, where two or more bones come together. They also occur where muscles, ligaments, or tendons attach to the bone.

Some of the most common parts of the body affected by bone spurs are the neck (cervical spine), low back (lumbar spine), shoulder, hip, knee, and heel. Other areas may be affected as well, including the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), hands, wrists, and feet (the top of the foot [midfoot], arch of the foot, or toes).

What Causes a Bone Spur?
Bone spurs typically occur because of continued stress or rubbing of a bone for a prolonged period of time. This can be due to osteoarthritis or inflammation such as tendinitis. Normally there is a layer of cartilage along the edges of bones where they come together to form a joint. With osteoarthritis, this cartilage layer becomes worn away, and the bones can rub directly against each other. New bone forms in response to the stress or inflammation. It is the bone's method of trying to stabilize or protect itself.

There are other medical conditions that are commonly associated with bone spurs. These include a condition known as plantar fasciitis. This is an inflammation of the fascia or connective tissue on the bottom of the foot where it attaches to the heel bone or calcaneus. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and ankylosing spondylitis are both inflammatory disorders that affect the body's ligaments and cause bone spurs in the spine.

What Are Risk Factors for Bone Spurs?

Risk factors for bone spurs include trauma to a joint. An accident that injures a joint increases the likelihood of osteoarthritis and bone spurs occurring in that joint later in life. Also, overuse of a joint or tendon can predispose one to bone spurs.

Genetics is also a risk factor for the development of bone spurs. People with many family members with bone spurs are more likely to develop bone spurs themselves.

The conditions ankylosing spondylitis and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) both place a person at high risk for developing bone spurs in the spine.

Diabetes is a risk factor for the development of bone spurs and osteoarthritis. The exact connection between these is unknown.

What Are Signs and Symptoms of a Bone Spur?
Bone spurs do not always cause symptoms. Many people have bone spurs but do not know it. However, if bone spurs rub against other bones or nearby soft tissues they can cause pain or a loss of normal motion in a joint. This is most common in the hips, knees, shoulders, hands, and feet.

If the bone spurs rub against tendons or ligaments, they can cause pain or a tear. This is a common complication in the shoulder and can lead to a rotator cuff tear.

If bone spurs occur in the spine, they can cause pain and loss of motion, but they can also pinch the nerves or spinal cord. When nerves in the spine are pinched, it is known as radiculopathy. It can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs. If the spinal cord is compressed, it is called myelopathy. This can cause problems with balance, weakness, and pain.

When Should Someone Seek Medical Care for a Bone Spur?
If you are having problems with increased pain in your joints or loss of motion, you may have bone spurs. Other conditions can also cause these symptoms. If these symptoms cause significant persistent pain, you should seek medical care to have it evaluated.

What Specialists Treat Bone Spurs?

Specialists who treat people with bone spurs include internists, family medicine doctors, generalists, rheumatologists, orthopedists, and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists. Physical therapists and occupational therapists also treat patients with bone spurs.

How Do Health Care Professionals Diagnose Bone Spurs?
A doctor will likely begin with a medical history and physical examination. The medical history is a series of questions about someone's condition and a review of any other medical problems. The physical examination will include testing the joints that are affected to determine how much motion an individual has, how much pain one experiences with motion, and a check of muscle strength.

Based on the results of the medical history and physical, a physician may recommend obtaining imaging studies to diagnose bone spurs. This often starts with plain radiographs (X-rays). These are typically able to show if bone spurs have formed and if the joint is affected. If there is a question of possible tear of a tendon such as a rotator cuff tear, an MRI may be ordered. An MRI or CT scan may also be ordered in the spine to assess for possible nerve or spinal cord compression.

What Are Treatment Options for a Bone Spur?
Treatment for bone spurs depends on the symptoms one is having. Pain is the most common symptom and is often initially treated with medications. Anti-inflammatory medications are typically used first. These help both to relieve pain and to reduce the inflammation caused by the bone spurs.

A doctor may also recommend physical therapy to help with bone spur symptoms. The physical therapy is not able to remove bone spurs, but it can help with some of the symptoms related to them. If one has a loss of motion in a joint caused by bone spurs, physical therapy can help strengthen the surrounding muscles and increase the motion in the joints. Physical therapy can include ice or cold packs, stretching exercises, ultrasound treatments, or massage.

In some cases, an injection of a steroid such as cortisone into the joint can help reduce pain from bone spurs. These injections can often be performed in a doctor's office, depending on the joint involved. If the hips or spine are involved, the injections usually are performed using an X-ray machine to help guide the placement of the injection.

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can be used to treat pain. A doctor or physical therapist can provide a patient with simple stretching exercises to perform at home. Other home remedies for bone spurs include applying ice to the affected joint.

What Medical Devices Treat Bone Spurs?

If the bone spurs affect the foot or heel, a doctor may recommend special pads or inserts for shoes called orthotics to help take the pressure off the bone spurs.

When Is Surgery Appropriate for Bone Spurs?

In some cases, if symptoms cannot be controlled with more conservative treatment, surgery could be an option. The goal of surgery is to remove the bone spurs to allow for a more normal joint or to remove the pressure on muscles, tendons, ligaments, or nerves. The surgery may simply remove the bone spurs, but in other cases, the removal could be part of a larger surgery such as a joint-replacement surgery.

Is It Possible to Prevent a Bone Spur?

Bone spurs are usually the result of arthritis, so there is no specific way to prevent them. Maintaining an active lifestyle and being physically fit can often help reduce the symptoms related to bone spurs. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces the load on the joints. This may help prevent the formation of bone spurs, especially in the knees.

What Is the Prognosis of a Bone Spur?

The prognosis for the treatment of bone spurs is good. There have been many recent advancements in medications for the treatment of arthritis and other causes of bone spurs. Additionally, newer and less invasive surgical techniques allow for a faster recovery and return to normal activities.

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About the Idea That You're Growing Horns from Looking Down at Your Phone…

You might be hunched over your phone right now, worrying about reports that young people are growing horns on their skulls from spending too much time hunched over smartphones. 

OK, cellphones are making us rude and inattentive, but medical experts don’t totally buy the idea that technology is also warping our skeletons. 

The area of concern is the back of the skull where it meets the neck, a place that already has a slight, normal bump that’s easy to feel. Two Australian researchers say they have found enlargements, or bone spurs in that region, anywhere from 1/3 inch to more than 1 inch long. 

Recent articles have cited a 2018 study saying that these bone growths have been turning up more often than expected in people aged 18 to 30. The study suggests that “sustained aberrant postures associated with the emergence and extensive use of hand-held contemporary technologies, such as smartphones and tablets,” are to blame. The authors are a chiropractor and an associate professor of biomechanics.

Experts give the report mixed reviews, noting that the study is based on looking back at X-rays taken in the past, lacks a control group and cannot prove cause and effect. In addition, the subjects were people who were having enough neck trouble to visit a chiropractic clinic and require X-rays, so it’s not clear what bearing the results have on the rest of the population. 

At the same time, it’s well known that people who spend a lot of time with their necks craned forward can develop neck and back problems that cause stiffness, pain and headaches. 

People who spent their days leaning downward over a laptop or phone sometimes refer to those aches as tech-neck or text-neck. 

Bending the head forward for long periods of time could, in theory, cause a bone spur to form, said an assistant professor and director of physical therapy. In that position, the ligament that helps hold up the head pulls against the skull, and “the bone will adapt by forming a small mound or protuberance,” he said. 

The bone spur itself “is really a big, ‘So what?’ moment,” Johnson said. “The fact that you have this little bony projection in your skull, that means nothing.” 

He said a more worrisome finding of the study, from angles measured on the X-rays, was that some of the subjects’ necks had settled into an abnormally bent posture. 

If technology is causing that postural change across the population he said, “It’s not a small thing. We may see more and younger arthritic changes in the neck and disc degeneration and more tension in the neck. “ 

A director of rehabilitation innovation, said the connection between a bent neck and the bone spurs seemed real. And he said the growing bones of adolescents were more likely than those of adults to change shape or form spurs in response to increased forces. 

“But I don’t think we’re at a point yet where we can blame this on cellphone use,” he said. 

He said disc problems were well known to occur in people who spend a great deal of time looking down with their necks bent, surgeons among them. 

“You’re more likely to get degenerative disc disease or misalignment in your neck than a bone spur growing out of your skull,” the  Dr. said. “I haven’t seen any of these, and I do a lot of X-rays. I hate being a naysayer off the bat, but it seems a little bit far-fetched.
“Head horns? Come on.”

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OSTEOARTHRITIS / OLD-AGE ARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is called old-age arthritis, as basically it happens due to the wear and tear of the bones over the years.Women are usually more affected than men ( gender bias here too !)

Obesity is another cause like for many other diseases. The bulk that we carry puts extra stress on the weight bearing joints- such as your hips and knees. In addition, fat tissue produces proteins that may cause harmful inflammation in and around your joints.

Old Injuries which we feel has healed can flare-up over the years, can increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

For some it is hereditary ( can one choose our genes ?!, we all wish, we can choose all the good ones).

Certain repetitive activities, due to some jobs can also lead to the worsening of that joint.

Those who are affected by hip arthritis will may have difficulty in walking properly. Diagnosis in the early stage is difficult as pain may occur in various locations such as the thigh, groin, knee or buttocks.
Symptoms- 
Pain. Your joint may hurt during or after movement. 
Tenderness. Your joint may feel tender when you apply light pressure to it. 
Stiffness. Joint stiffness may be most noticeable when you wake up in the morning or after a period of inactivity. 
Loss of flexibility. You may not be able to move your joint through its full range of motion. 
Grating sensation. You may hear or feel a grating sensation when you use the joint. 
Bone spurs. These extra bits of bone, which feel like hard lumps, may form around the affected joint.

Treatment
The aim of the treatment is to improve the patient’s ability to move about so that the regular life is not much affected. The function of the hip and pain management are other targets of treatment for this condition. The different treatment plans are as follows:

1. Proper joint care and rest
2. Using a cane while walking for taking weight off your hip
3. Losing excessive weight
4. Non-drug pain relief measures for controlling pain
5. Regular exercise
6. Several medicines, including  prescribed pain medication
7. Surgery
8. Alternative therapies

Replacement surgeries-
Those suffering from severe osteoarthritis of the hip or knee are advised replacement surgery to give relief from pain, so that they can carry on their normal activities. After the replacement surgery, one must have a good physiotherapist to teach you the right type of exercises, so that you can lead a normal life with proper gait. 


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Bone Spurs: What They are and How to Treat Them

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.

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Bone spurs (also known as osteophytes) arise as a result of excess pressure on your joints and develop as an "extra bone" produced by the body in response to this pressure. Apart from your spine, they can appear in other body parts, such as the knees, hips, shoulders, and fingers. Although their symptoms are not always obvious, they can sometimes cause pain and loss of motion in the joints. They can be treated if seen by a doctor, unless a specific case does not require treatment at all. Let's take a closer look at the symptoms, causes, treatments, and prevention of this condition. First of all, what is a bone spur and how does it form? A bone spur is an extra bone that forms in areas of the body where bones meet each other, such as in your joints and in your spine. When these areas experience unusual amounts of pressure and tension, the body naturally reacts by forming bone spurs in order to reduce the excess pressure. Unfortunately this isn't always helpful, and in some cases, spurs can make the situation even worse.
Weight-bearing joints, such as the knees, heels and shoulders, are the most sensitive to the formation of bone spurs, although they may also appear in the spine, hips, hands, and ankles. The risk of this sensitivity increases in people who are overweight (as this puts excess weight on the joints), in athletes (as they use a lot of force in their legs and feet when running), and in people who lift heavy objects on a regular basis (causing spurs in the shoulders). Above all, there are major causes that depend on the presence of other bone conditions. Two of the most common ones are a degenerative joint disease (such as arthritis) and the inflexibility of a tendon. In both of these cases, the body attempts to reinforce the weak area with more bone in a place that it shouldn't be, resulting in bone spurs. These become very painful when there's no more room for the bone to grow, so it pokes into the surrounding tissue, or pulls a tendon too tightly to accommodate it.   What are the symptoms? As a result of the contact of bone spurs with the tissue that surrounds them, the body may suffer from irritation and inflammation in the affected areas. It may appear as swelling and is felt as a sharp ache and pain. Here's how symptoms arise in specific areas: Knees: Difficulty extending or bending your legs Spine: Weakness or numbness in the arms and/or legs (due to the spinal cord or nerve roots being pinched) Hip: Reduction in the range of motion in your hip joints - this may even be felt as pain in the knees Shoulder: Swelling and tearing in the rotator cuff Fingers: Appearance of hard lumps under the skin   If you experience one or more of the above symptoms, or have difficulty moving one or more joints around your body, make an appointment with your doctor, so he can detect the problem as soon as possible. Your doctor is likely to feel the bone spurs externally, or he may recommend getting an X-ray if he feels he needs to investigate further. Early treatment helps to prevent further joint damage.How can they be treated? Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory drugs if your bone spurs are causing pain or inflammation, but there are also other widely-known remedies that treat the problem. Some individuals find applying moist heat, cold packs, or ice massages to be soothing. Others suggest the use of herbs, especially chamomile, which has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Some drug therapies, modalities, stretches, and injections may also work, always if advised by a doctor. If symptoms persist or worsen, a surgical procedure might be necessary to remove the extra bone, lengthen the affected tendon, or replace a joint. Generally, the main focus of the cure should be to tackle underlying bone problems, such as degenerative disease or tendon contracture and inflexibility. If this is not done, the bone spur might re-develop even if it was surgically removed. How can bone spurs be prevented? To reduce the risk of their development, you should try engaging in a stretching and/or weight reduction program, as well as a low-impact maintenance exercise program to strengthen your core and stretch sensitive tendons, including your calves, hamstrings, and quads. Try walking (in supportive shoes), swimming, doing yoga, cycling, or doing any form of exercise that is a great way of keeping fit without creating pressure on the joints and tendons.

Gout- Pain In Big Toe

Gout is a notorious cause of sudden pain in the big toe joint, along with redness and swelling (seen here). Osteoarthritis is another culprit that causes pain and swelling. If the joint is rigid, it may be hallux rigidus, a complication of arthritis where a bone spur develops. Finally, turf toe is an ailment of athletes, particularly those who play on hard surfaces. It's caused by an injury to ligaments surrounding the joint.

Heel Pain

The most common cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis, inflammation where this long ligament attaches to the heel bone. The pain may be sharpest when you first wake up and put pressure on the foot. Arthritis, excessive exercise, and poorly fitting shoes also can cause heel pain, as can tendonitis. Less common causes include a bone spur on the bottom of the heel, a bone infection,  tumor, or  fracture.