Heel pain is generally caused by the excessive pull of the ligament in the arch of the foot which is called the plantar fascia. This heel pain can be treated quite successfully without the need for any surgery. However, there are some instances where non-surgical heel pain treatment may fail and a surgery may be necessary. Often patients suffering from heel pain will show a heel spur on x-ray. Earlier in the past, many of the heel spur surgeries that were performed to relieve the pain in the heel were designed to completely remove the bone spur. An incision was made on the bottom of the heel or the side of the heel and the spur is identified and removed. Unfortunately, the healing time was very high and continued pain following the heel spur surgery was a common thing. But now that the exact cause of heel pain is better-understood, the success of the surgery is very high and the recovery time is reduced considerably.
Heel spur surgery usually falls into 2 categories, the invasive and the noninvasive. In invasive type of surgery a cut is made into the skin followed by some kind of surgical practice done on the tissues or bones. The noninvasive type of surgery does not entail any incisions in the skin or any part of the heel.
- Invasive Heel Spur Surgery
- endoscopic plantar fasciotomy
Treating heel pain by doing a heel spur surgery can be done in different ways. One method is to cut slits in the heel region. Through these slits in the heel a very small camera is inserted which helps the surgeon to observe the injured parts. He then cuts or detaches the plantar fascia ligament from the heel bone with the help of a small knife. This relieves the stress and pain and helps allow new fascia tissue to develop in that space that was created. The tension that created heel spur or plantar fasciitis is completely eliminated during this procedure.
However the patient should continually keep an eye on his/her weight, use proper shoes and take good care of not putting any excessive stress on the foot that is treated. The recovery period in this type of heel spur surgery is less than 3 weeks. In very few cases, the patient may continue to feel pain in the affected region, which goes off within a week after the surgery.
There are also other heel spur surgeries that are done in a slightly different manner. In these procedures the whole plantar fascia ligament may not be cut. Instead, only a small portion of the ligament is detached.
Surgeries for plantar fasciitis have continuously had a very bad reputation and still with good reason. The surgery to cut the plantar fascia normally disturbs the mechanics of the foot and can often result in its own problems. Another type of heel spur surgery is specially designed to protect the normal foot mechanics and is mainly aimed at dealing with the deteriorating situation of the plantar fascia. This surgery is done under anesthesia in a hospital operating room where a 2-3 cm slit is made over the inner aspect of the heel and off the weight-bearing skin.
Recently researchers have come up with a new tactic of using high-pressure sound wave pulses, for stimulating the healing method of the body. These high pressure sound pulses passes through the skin when focused on the affected area, they are able to stimulate an increase in the new blood vessels in the affected area. This in turn will lead to an additional supply of oxygen and nutrition to the cells in the affected parts. This heel spur treatment also helps in generation of cells in the body and faster healing.
The laser treatment for heel spur is another non-invasive heel spur treatment procedure. This laser treatment replaces other invasive type of surgery in the treatment of heel spurs. This procedure stimulates the growth of new tissues in the affected parts, using the help of low intensity laser beams.
Both the above non-invasive type of surgery procedures takes very less recuperation time. In reality, this course of action can be done with very much ease and the patient does not have to be hospitalized.
Risks and side effects of heel spur surgery:
Like any surgical procedure, heel spur surgery also involves some risks associated with them. The patient has to discuss the potential side effects with their surgeon before undergoing surgery.
Some of the risks and side effects include:
- Infections or other surgical complications, a risk that is common with any surgery
- The recovery period in which the patient must limit weight bearing allowing the tissue some time to heal
- Damages to nerve tissue that may cause numbness in certain regions of the heel after surgery
- Pain in heel – the pain may continue after surgery, but in most cases it reduces or stops after a week or so.
- Heel spur can return after the surgery, especially if the exact cause of heel pain is due to foot position while it is not addressed
Heel spur surgery is often the final resort for many people who suffer from heel spur. Surgery is only considered after all conservative treatment choices have been used to treat heel spurs with no success. Severe heel pain from a heel spur can often be very difficult for the patient to tolerate, and every movement can be almost unbearable. It is a good idea to chat to the orthopedic surgeon to learn about the various individual procedures that are available for one’s situation and to select the most appropriate one for them. The success of the surgery highly depends on, how strictly the patients follow their doctors instructions regarding resting their treated heel during the period of post-surgery. Sudden weight increase may also increases the chances of recurrence of heel spurs. Other chances of recurrence of heel pain due to heel spur includes nature of job and the amount of pressure one exerts on their feet and whether the job involves carrying heavy weight from one place to another
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