My friend was diagnosed with something called a heel spur(or policemans heel) about four months ago.She says it just feels like a thorn in her heel,and she has had a lot of trouble walking this summer. Her doctor has booked her in to see a Podiarist(foot doctor) under the health service,to have her feet measured for some heel cradles.Has anyone ever had a heel spur ?

My mother suffers from heel spurs and uses a natural remedy to relieve the symptoms. Try drinking a cup of pure cherry juice once a day. It has really helped her. :)

An ex-boyfriend of mine had operations on both his heels to remove the spurs when he was 18 (I believe another name is something to do with Achilles' Heel")....he was on crutches for a couple of months, and then back to normal. I seem to remember it was something to do with abnormal bone growth in the Achilles' tendon area.

I had one,it is very painful.It lasted for about nine weeks of practice nurse massage,rolling a tennis ball around the soles of the foot, and resting the foot on a bag of frozen peas.
Hope this helps.I also bought a shoe insert to keep the foot straight (about £20).
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/plantar-fasciitis-exercise.html

Yes, i did a few years ago, no treatments helped one bit, it went away the same way it came... for no reason.

Originally posted by Chicago
My mother suffers from heel spurs and uses a natural remedy to relieve the symptoms. Try drinking a cup of pure cherry juice once a day. It has really helped her. :) I will tell my friend about Cherry juice.Will look in the supermarket for it. Thanks.

Originally posted by poppins
Yes, i did a few years ago, no treatments helped one bit, it went away the same way it came... for no reason. Did you have heel cradles ? Is so did they help ? You know if they come back to try cherry juice.:clap:

hi there i hope this doesnt offend but hope itll make you laugh.when i 1st read your post my imagination ran wild! i was thinking hey its calamity jane ridin thru town!! i imagined spurs on the heels of her cowboy boots and her mate wild bill hickok in tow .....having read up what your condition entails i feel for you , it must be very uncomfortable to say the least. i hope this cheered you up a little and made you smile ..:)

I think i'm getting one for the second time, not as bad as the one I had a few years ago (not yet), the pain was unbearable, not much treatment for them either, nothing that seems to work anyhow.:(

What are they???

What are they???

It can be an inflamed tendant or calcium build up around the bone, they just come on for no reason it seems, theres nothing on your heel to see, nothing to feel , it's an inside job :(

It can be an inflamed tendant or calcium build up around the bone, they just come on for no reason it seems, theres nothing on your heel to see, nothing to feel , it's an inside job :(

My neighbour had one, and went to a special foot clinic to have a special insert fitted in her shoes. She could hardly walk last Summer, but it doesnt seem to have returned this year. She said it was actually like walking on a spur.

It can be an inflamed tendant or calcium build up around the bone, they just come on for no reason it seems, theres nothing on your heel to see, nothing to feel , it's an inside job :(

I get random pains in one of my heels that prevent me from moving my foot for a few minutes sometimes. I can't even walk on it when it goes. I end up having to physically pull my heel about until it goes applying loads of pressure etc.

It sounds a bit like that, its awful when it happens.

What causes it??

Sometimes they are caused by running or high impact aerobics or sports like basketball.Also inappropriate, loose or worn out footwear.The pain in the heel is usually worse after sitting or first thing in a morning when getting out of bed.

Sometimes they are caused by running or high impact aerobics or sports like basketball.Also inappropriate, loose or worn out footwear.The pain in the heel is usually worse after sitting or first thing in a morning when getting out of bed.

I don't think thats what I have, but it doesn't sound nice :gag:

I got them in both heels about 2 1/2 years ago and as you say the pain is unbearable, especially when i first got up, i had to literally crawl for the first few minutes. I went to the doctors and all he said was take paracetamol, which was of cause totally useless. Someone suggested those heel pads, so i tried them. These relieved it slightly but is was still very painful to walk.
After a couple of weeks i went back to the doctors and another suggested a cortisone injection. I had this, and i've never had anything as painful in my life and to make matters worse it was 10 times more painful to walk, it virtually crippled me for a week.
After a few weeks i was in Boots and went to look at the feet section and they had some full foot supports that went from the heel and under the arches of your foot. Although expensive at £27 a pair i decided to try them (I'd have paid anything by this time). When i got back to my car i put them straight in my shoes and went for a walk round the car park, i couldn't believe it, the relief was instantaneous. I've was wearing them for nearly 2 years, but stopped about 2 months ago, up to yet the spurs appear to have gone.
I can't praise thes pads highly enough, but as with everything else they may not work for everyone.

Your doctor should have made you an appointment at the special foot clinic in town. They scan your foot on a computer as you walk, and it makes a proper measurement for a shoe insert.

I think i'm getting one for the second time, not as bad as the one I had a few years ago (not yet), the pain was unbearable, not much treatment for them either, nothing that seems to work anyhow.:(
I don't believe it,am I at last fashionable.I have one at the moment and had one 2 yrs ago on the other foot.
I use those full length inserts,and diclofenac and Co-codomal for pain relief.
The first one lasted for about 3 months,this one seems to be easing after only 2 weeks.I also do calf stretching exercises and in the morning I rest my heel on a bag of frozen peas for about 30 minutes and evening time I roll my foot on a tennis ball .This does work,an easy and effective calf exercise is to stand with the balls of your feet on a step then stand straight with your heels hanging over the step edge.You will feel the calf tendons stretching,make sure you don't fall down the stairs though :loopy:

I don't believe it,am I at last fashionable.I have one at the moment and had one 2 yrs ago on the other foot.
I use those full length inserts,and diclofenac and Co-codomal for pain relief.
The first one lasted for about 3 months,this one seems to be easing after only 2 weeks.I also do calf stretching exercises and in the morning I rest my heel on a bag of frozen peas for about 30 minutes and evening time I roll my foot on a tennis ball .This does work,an easy and effective calf exercise is to stand with the balls of your feet on a step then stand straight with your heels hanging over the step edge.You will feel the calf tendons stretching,make sure you don't fall down the stairs though :loopy:

Its best to see a qualified Podiatrist (foot doctor) as they specialise in this type of thing, and make you a shoe insert made specifically for your foot.

I had something like this a few years ago. I had it in both heels and it felt like a needle being pushed into each heel every time I put each foot to the floor. My GP told me it was plantar faschitis ?sp more commonly known as policemans foot.He sent me to see a podiatrist who made me made to measure insoles for my shoes. I haven't had any trouble since.

I had something like this a few years ago. I had it in both heels and it felt like a needle being pushed into each heel every time I put each foot to the floor. My GP told me it was plantar faschitis ?sp and sent me to see a podiatrist who made me made to measure insoles for my shoes. I haven't had any trouble since.

You had a good GP there to do that, Betty.

Its best to see a qualified Podiatrist (foot doctor) as they specialise in this type of thing, and make you a shoe insert made specifically for your foot.
Is all this on the NHS? my doctor will try the easy things first and they do work.

Is all this on the NHS? my doctor will try the easy things first and they do work.

Yes, it should all be under the NHS.

Yes, it should all be under the NHS.
She has already been in trouble the first time for sending me for an x-ray.She received a snotty letter saying not to send people again as you know the problem and the treatment is still the same.

You had a good GP there to do that, Betty.

Well, to be truthful, he referred me but the waiting list for appointments at the podiatrist was so long that I actually paid to see one ( and claimed it all back on the Westfield !) It was worth every penny. I was in agony with the pain and it was always worse first thing in the morning. I found that I had to walk on tip toes for a while first thing - I just couldn't put my feet flat to the floor.

threads merged

I have Plantar Fasciitis in both feet, This was caused by the amount of heavy items I constantly carried as a Postman over twenty five years. It was also the reason for me finishing as a Postman. The pain is excruciating. I don't think it ought to be called 'Policeman's Foot'. I never see a policeman walking the streets. See plenty of post people though. Soaking the feet in Comfrey can help. I had cortisone injections in my heels, but once it had worn off, I was back to square one... I had treatment at the Roundwood Health Clinic in Barnsley, and at the NGH. Trouble is, there is nothing to see - the heels look quite normal. Getting out of bed is an achievement in itself, as you have been off your feet a few hours. Do you know about it when you then stand up!!!

I just wanted to mention about cortisone injections too.

My mum has this condition in one foot. She always said to me that she will never have the injection as shes only heard bad things. For some reason, a couple of years back, I was up here and she randomly decided by herself to have the injection. 2 days later, the area had gone red and then she started seeing yellow underneath. She went back to the GP who said it was infected and tried to cut it out. Unfortunately, it didn't get better and she privately had an operation to cut out the whole infection which went quite deep into her foot. It took her 6 months to recover and still it isn't great now.

I know it was just bad luck that it got infected but it was the worst pain in her life. The worse thing is, now her hips are bad because she couldn't walk on that foot and the strain has gone to the other leg.

Also, spur heel is still there!

My mum had this too, mainly from running/walking. She had cortisone injections which were really painful but took the pain away, I think the GP's prefer not to do this no.
She bought some hard heel inserts from Boots which worked better than the softer ones.

She also tried 'devils claw' from the health food shop, though this can have side effects.

I hava plantar fasciitis in one foot - and its agony - when getting up after periods of inactivity its hard to walk. I have been doing some special exercises to help relieve it and they seem to work - as well as wearing sensible shoes. Ballet type pumps aggravated it last year and took me month to work out why it was worse. Walking long distcanes can mean I can't walk properly for days afterwards (and this year I am doin the race for life!!)

I really feel for anyone who has this as it can be pure agony.