Today, heel spurs are more common than they used to be. There are different methods of treating this pathology, and one of them is an injection in the heel with a heel spur. In this article, we will look at what this ailment is, and also find out with what medicines and treatments you can get rid of it. Read the information provided carefully in order to arm and protect yourself as much as possible.
What is a heel spur?
Before you start to figure out how a heel injection is done with a heel spur, you should understand what this ailment is. According to experts, a heel spur is an inflammatory disease that affects the ligaments, muscles and tendons in the heel area and leads to degeneration processes in them. The more this disease progresses, the greater the likelihood of compaction of others.fabrics. This phenomenon is called fibrosis. In this case, the pathology is formed for a very long time. For the first few years, the patient may not even be aware of its presence.
A heel injection for a heel spur is a really effective treatment method. However, it will only make sense if it was done by a highly qualified medical professional.
Mild signs of this disease begin to bother many people after the age of thirty. However, not all of them will complain about the presence of severe pain. At the same time, it is the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity who turn to medical institutions most often with severe pain.
The main causes of this disease
An injection in the heel with a heel spur is the most optimal method of treating this ailment. Let's consider what reasons can provoke its occurrence:
- The presence of longitudinal flat feet. Most often, it is this factor that causes the spur on the heel.
- Various injuries of the lower extremities, the presence of which can lead to the fact that a person will not receive a uniform load on the feet.
- Sprain in foot, knee and ankle.
- The disease can also occur under the systemic influence of factors such as wearing high-heeled shoes, long standing work, excessive physical activity.
- Also, metabolic disorders in the body,which have a negative effect on blood circulation in the lower extremities.
- Another very common cause of this pathology is considered excessively large body weight. Overweight women very often complain of severe pain in the heel area, and all because the feet have a very large load.
What are the symptoms of the disease?
The very first and main symptom of this pathology is severe pain in the heel area. At the same time, in some cases, the pain can be tolerable even during intense physical exertion, or, conversely, terrible even at rest.
If a person suffers from this disease, his gait changes completely. Due to severe pain in the heel area, the patient begins to protect this area and tries not to step on it, transferring the entire load to the socks. And this leads to the fact that discomfort spreads to the entire lower leg.
Do I need a heel injection for a heel spur?
As you know, the plantar part of the foot contains a connective tissue called fascia in medicine. It can be found from the heel bone to the toes on the feet. It is able to become inflamed, and if such processes are not started to be eliminated in time, then the tissues will begin to be actively saturated with calcium s alts, which will lead to the formation of an outgrowth. In medicine, such an outgrowth is called an osteophyte.
Most often, pain in a person in the presence of a spur occurs precisely when walking or when performing any movements,accompanied by a load on the heel region. In fact, this disease is easy to cure. According to reviews, a heel injection with a heel spur is done in very extreme cases, provided that the pathology is so advanced that it simply does not lend itself to other methods of treatment.
Features of the treatment method
In order to get rid of such an unpleasant disease as soon as possible, it is very important to find an integrated approach to treatment. To do this, doctors usually prescribe to their patients the following methods:
- Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs intended for external use. This should include various gels and ointments ("Voltaren", "Diclofenac", "Nise"), as well as patches ("Ketonal Thermo", "Nanoplast").
- It is also very important to undergo regular physiotherapy procedures that can stop inflammation in the right place.
- It is very important to wear special insoles. Such a device will help to significantly minimize the load on the heel area.
Heel injection for heel spurs is usually used only when all conservative methods tried have failed. Injections are able to cope even with the most neglected cases.
Never treat heel spurs on your heels by yourself. This way you can make your situation even worse. Be sure to go to the hospital already in the presence of the first painsensations. The sooner you start treatment, the more likely it is that conservative methods will be enough for you.
Blockade method
Heel blockade with heel spurs is an injection method for treating this pathology, based on the introduction of active drugs into the damaged area. This type of treatment is very effective. It gives positive results in almost all cases. Here, a lot depends on the professionalism of the doctor who will give you this injection.
According to reviews, blockade in the heel with a heel spur is a very painful procedure, since the active substances will be injected into the damaged area through the thick skin on the heel. That is why this manipulation takes much longer than an ordinary injection injected into the soft tissues of the body.
In order for this procedure not to be so painful, the doctor will inject anesthetic components along with the active medicine under your skin. Lidocaine is usually used for this purpose. However, if the patient has allergic reactions to it, another anesthetic will be prescribed. Usually the dosage of the drug is half a milliliter. Before leading it into the heel, the contents of the syringe are shaken well. This must be done in order to mix the active and analgesic substances.
The most effective drugs
According to reviews, injections in the heel with a heel spur are really very effective, but at the same time quite painful. There are several effective drugs that doctorsmost often used in their practice. Moreover, all of them are made on the basis of hormonal components. Consider the most popular of them:
Injection in the heel "Diprospan" with heel spurs is a very effective anti-inflammatory agent of steroid origin. This medicine really very quickly relieves the patient of the symptoms that disturb him. That is why it is so popular. The main feature of this medication is its ability to accumulate in the damaged area, so the drug is able to provide a longer effect
- "Kenalog" is also considered to be quite an effective tool. The drug perfectly stops inflammatory processes, and also stimulates the activity of the immune system and has an anti-allergic effect.
- Another medication is Hydrocortisol. This tool perfectly eliminates inflammation, as well as puffiness.
Most often, it is enough for patients to make only one injection, and after that the inflammatory processes will disappear, and with them the pain. However, for some patients, one injection into the heel with a heel spur is not enough, so doctors perform several procedures. It is impossible to say exactly how many injections you will have to make, since each case is individual, and therefore requires an individual approach to treatment.
Possible development of complications after injections
If you are still prescribed treatmentheel spur injection in the heel, seriously look for a qualified he alth worker who can do this procedure as efficiently as possible. After all, there is a risk of complications after its implementation, namely:
- Inflammatory processes may occur at the injection site of the needle, which will be accompanied by purulent discharge.
- It is also possible that inflammation occurs in the calf muscle.
- If the needle was inserted incorrectly, it can lead to tissue death in the damaged area. This is what doctors fear the most.
What are the disadvantages of using this treatment method
The name of the injection in the heel with a heel spur will be selected by the doctor, taking into account the individual characteristics of your body, as well as the nature of the course of the disease.
Do not forget that injections designed to eliminate inflammatory processes are made on the basis of synthetic hormones, and they, in fact, are not very useful for the human body.
According to the doctor, only two injections of any drug will be effective. Then the body simply gets used to the medicine, which means that there will simply be no sense from subsequent injections. If we use drugs based on cortisol, which is a hormone produced by the human body, then our body will stop producing its own hormone. And this can end in serious consequences.
If a person is worried about a heel spur, then treatmentinjection methods will help to establish his lifestyle. However, given the pain of the procedure, as well as its negative impact on the body, this method is used extremely rarely. This is done only after all the methods of conservative treatment have been tried.
How to continue treatment after injections?
If you want to achieve the maximum therapeutic effect from the use of an injection method of treatment, be sure to take additional measures. Together, it will bring you a wonderful and fast healing effect. Be sure to take advantage of the moment after the injection. Even if you notice that pain and inflammation are receding, do not abandon the treatment process. Use products intended for external use, as well as orthopedic insoles. Choose the most effective drug with your doctor. Only in this case, you can count on positive results.
Features of the procedure
Never ignore a disease such as a heel spur. Pain in the heel with an advanced form of the disease can be so severe that you simply cannot walk normally. The most advanced forms of the disease lead to constant pain that occurs depending on motor activity.
The blockade procedure should only be performed by a highly qualified surgeon or orthopedist. Indeed, in this case, the result will depend on the professionalism of the doctor. Only an experienced specialist will select the most optimal medication for you, as well as determine exactly where you need it.to inject the medicine, and how deep to insert the needle. It is very important to determine all parameters with maximum accuracy.
Before the injection, the affected area is decontaminated with an antibacterial agent, and then the injection itself is made. The drug will be injected into the most painful place on the heel, which is why this procedure will deliver so much pain to the patient. The medicine will be administered under the guidance of an ultrasound machine. This is done in order not to damage the tendons, and to inject the medicinal substance as accurately as possible.
Are there any contraindications to this procedure
Since all preparations are made on the basis of synthetic hormones, it is forbidden to use the injection method of treatment for pregnant and varnishing women, as well as for persons suffering from serious diseases of metabolic processes. In particular, this should include diabetes mellitus. Treatment should be carried out very carefully in the presence of serious pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
Before the procedure, it is necessary to inspect the area where the injection will be injected. If there is damage to the skin, then this procedure will have to be postponed until the skin is fully restored.
Prevention
What injections in the heel with a heel spur are right for you, your doctor will tell you. Once again, it is worth repeating that self-medication in this case can be extremely dangerous. Heel spur is a chronic conditiontherefore, there is a high probability that after a course of treatment it will reappear. However, your he alth is in your hands. Be sure to follow all the recommendations given to you by your doctor. This will be the main path to victory.
Give up heavy stress on the heel. Reduce walking, as well as physical exercises that require a serious load on this area. Use special insoles that help reduce the load on the heels. You can buy them without any problems at any pharmacy.
Good results are provided by foot massage, as well as gymnastics. However, before doing them, consult your doctor.
Reviews on the treatment of heel spurs with injections in the heel are quite contradictory. Of course, the effect after the injection is present. However, after a while, the pain may return again. Therefore, it is necessary to start all the treatment again from the beginning, and it is very painful to give injections.
Take care of your he alth right now so that you do not encounter such an unpleasant pathology as a heel spur. Stay he althy and take care of yourself!