Not a lump, but a bump
Last month I explained to readers what a ganglion cyst looks and feels like. This month I want to talk about a different kind of bump on a foot.
To most readers, it’s simply described as a bone spur. From the outside view, a bone spur just looks like a bump near a joint or sometimes on the back of the heel.
Since they are made of bone, they are hard. The best way to really see the size and shape of a spur is to get an x-ray. They are plain as day.
Bone spurs can form at the edges of a joint(periarticular) or at areas where there is traction (a fancy word for a pulling force). It is important to understand that bone spurs take a long time to form…like years.
Depending on the location of a spur, they may cause no pain at all, but some are associated with painful conditions like arthritis, plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. This association is nuanced.
Usually the spur is not painful unless the spur itself is fractured (broken). Just like any broken bone, a broken bone spur will hurt. Luckily it’s actually rare to see a broken bone spur.
More commonly though, a patient usually starts to have pain at their heel or big toe joint. During their workup, x-rays reveal the size and typical shape of a bone spur in the area of pain.
To make a long story short, not all spurs are bad, but if you have pain near any kind of bump on foot, you should get it looked at by Sohl Foot & Ankle.
Call 267-699-3839 to get your foot bump looked at. We’ll be glad to help and educate you with this common issue.
PHOTO CAP: Left: bone spurs caused by soft tissue traction. Right: bone spurs caused by abnormal joint function.