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Can stress cause bone spurs?

Author

Sarah Smith

Published Jan 21, 2026

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.

What is the leading cause of bone spurs?

Joint damage from osteoarthritis is the most common cause of bone spurs. As osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage cushioning the ends of your bones, your body attempts to repair the loss by creating bone spurs near the damaged area.

What causes a bone spur to form?

Bone spurs typically develop around areas of joint, cartilage, tendon or ligament inflammation and injury in the body. When the body detects an injury or inflammation, it triggers a cellular response to repair the damage by producing excess bone in the area.

Can bone spurs come from trauma?

Bone spurs are also known as osteophytes. Scientists believe bone spurs occur because of osteoarthritis or when the body tries to heal itself after a trauma by replacing bone.

Do bone spurs ever just go away?

Unfortunately, bone spurs don't go away on their own.

If addressed quickly with a podiatrist, your bone spurs can be treated using non-invasive methods. Some of those methods include: Daily stretching and low-impact exercises.

37 related questions found

What vitamin is good for bone spurs?

Vitamin K2 plays an important role in joint health. When soft tissue or joints are damaged due to injury or stress, the body responds with inflammation and repair. This process can result in scar tissue accumulation and over many years can build up causing bone spurs and permanent damage.

Do bone spurs keep growing?

Although the name “spur” suggests something sharp, bone spurs are usually smooth and may or may not cause any symptoms. Over time, a bone spur may continue to grow, leading to painful irritation of surrounding soft tissue like tendons, ligaments or nerves.

How do you dissolve bone spurs naturally?

How to dissolve bone spurs naturally

  1. 1 – Stretching. Stretching your toes, feet, and ankles can alleviate pressure and strain whether you experience a toe bone spur or a heel bone spur. ...
  2. 2 – Footwear. ...
  3. 3 – Ice packs. ...
  4. 4 – Vitamins and supplements. ...
  5. 5 – Massage therapy.

What does a bone spur feel like?

Symptoms of Bone Spurs

Pain in the affected joint. Pain or stiffness when you try to bend or move the affected joint. Weakness, numbness, or tingling in your arms or legs if the bone spur presses on nerves in your spine. Muscle spasms, cramps, or weakness.

How do you break up a bone spur?

How are bone spurs treated?

  1. Ice to reduce swelling.
  2. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or NSAIDS like ibuprofen.
  3. Rest.
  4. Supportive shoes or shoe inserts.
  5. Weight loss to decrease joint and bone stress.

How common are bone spurs?

Only about 40 percent of people 60 and older will experience bone spur symptoms painful enough to require medical attention. When bone spurs, also called osteophytes, form in the knee, you may find it painful to straighten your leg.

Are bone spurs painful?

Bone spurs are smooth, bony growths that form over a long period of time. They are a growth of normal bone that tends to occur as we age. The spurs themselves are not painful. Their effect on nearby structures, such as nerves and the spinal cord, can cause pain.

What is the most common bone site for osteomyelitis?

In adults, osteomyelitis most often affects the vertebrae of the spine and/or the hips. However, extremities are frequently involved due to skin wounds, trauma and surgeries.

Does vitamin C cause bone spurs?

Cause bone spurs

According to the Arthritis Foundation, one study found that the presence of very high vitamin C levels in the body increased the likelihood of a person developing painful bone spurs.

Does magnesium help with bone spurs?

The researchers suggested that the combination of magnesium and vitamin C could inhibit bone spur formation and reduce inflammation in the knee synovium.

Can you reverse bone spurs?

Steroid injections are often recommended but are toxic to tissue (6) Surgery is often used when conservative options have failed. If the underlying cause of the bone spur is not identified and treated the bone spur typically reoccurs.

Do bone spurs show on MRI?

While bone spurs show up on an MRI scan, X-ray images are the best option for detecting these. MRI is better for looking at soft tissue over bone. Compared to other medical imaging techniques, MRI scans are highly sensitive and provide detailed images.

Can you massage a bone spur?

They can be very painful and will sometimes need surgical intervention to scrape the spur. A theraputic approach such as massage can be a great attempt at healing the spurs before undergoing surgery. Spurs are accumulated calcium deposits on the bones of the heel or anywhere on the foot (or any other part of the body).

Are bone spurs caused by lack of calcium?

Osteopenia and bone spurs have no direct connection. So, taking calcium has no effect on bone spurs. Osteopenia is a condition in which bone density is slightly lower than is considered ideal, but it is not as low as with osteoporosis.

Does exercise help bone spurs?

Although stretching and exercise will not reduce bone spurs, it can shift and alleviate the pressure that typical activity places on them.

Does diet cause bone spurs?

Often, the standard American diet is to blame for the development of weak bones, bone spurs, and kidney stones. Contributing foods and ingredients include high-fructose corn syrup, soda, apple juice, fluoridated water, other refined sugars, and animal protein.

Does osteomyelitis ever go away?

Osteomyelitis is a painful bone infection. It usually goes away if treated early with antibiotics. If not, it can cause permanent damage.

Does osteomyelitis show up on xray?

X-rays. X-rays can reveal damage to your bone. However, damage may not be visible until osteomyelitis has been present for several weeks. More-detailed imaging tests may be necessary if your osteomyelitis has developed more recently.

How fast does osteomyelitis spread?

Acute osteomyelitis develops rapidly over a period of seven to 10 days. The symptoms for acute and chronic osteomyelitis are very similar and include: Fever, irritability, fatigue.

Can you have osteomyelitis without fever?

Diagnosis of Osteomyelitis

For example, doctors may suspect osteomyelitis in a person who has persistent pain in part of a bone, who may or may not have a fever, and who feels tired much of the time.