Will losing weight help heel spurs?
Rachel Ellis
Published Jan 12, 2026
Losing excess body fat might be the simplest, smartest way to lower your risk of developing painful heel spurs. These calcium deposits can form when strain, stress, and pressure bear down on your feet over a long period of time.
How do you dissolve a bone spur in your heel?
The only way to get rid of heel spurs entirely is by having surgery to remove the growths. However, doctors typically reserve surgery for cases that do not respond to any other treatments. According to the AAOS, surgery is a last resort because it can lead to chronic pain.
Does being overweight cause heel spurs?
Excess weight puts extra stress on all of your bones and joints, and your feet are no exception. Being overweight or obese can increase your chances of developing heel spurs due to the increased pressure on your feet. If you're overweight, losing weight may result in experiencing less foot pain.
What is the fastest way to heal a heel spur?
Heel spur treatments
- Ice packs after walking and exercise.
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin.
- Injections of anti-inflammatory medications such as cortisone.
- Stretching exercises, especially before bed.
- Physical therapy.
- Resting your feet.
Will my heel pain go away if I lose weight?
By natural weight loss, the fat in plantar fascia is also reduced, and plantar fascia regains its flexibility, and the heel pain is reduced or completely cured.
20 related questions foundWill losing weight help Plantars?
Plantar fasciitis weight loss can heal your pain
Plantar fasciitis weight loss is highly recommended by pain management specialists and podiatrists alike. Losing weight has shown to greatly improve and significantly reduce the pressure and strain that spreads to the lower extremities.
Will losing weight make plantar fasciitis go away?
According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society (TOS), obese patients suffering from plantar fasciitis can improve their condition if they lose weight by either dieting or undergoing surgery.
How do you dissolve bone spurs naturally?
How to dissolve bone spurs naturally
- 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 – Footwear. ...
- 3 – Ice packs. ...
- 4 – Vitamins and supplements. ...
- 5 – Massage therapy.
What happens if a heel spur goes untreated?
For some patients, these deposits don't cause any discomfort. For many more, however, heel spurs can result in significant, even debilitating, pain. Left untreated, spurs in the heel can limit your activity significantly, with many patients unable to bear any weight on the affected foot.
Can you exercise with heel spurs?
The bottom line
Consistently doing stretches and exercises can help to reduce pain and inflammation from heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. It's a good idea to continue doing the stretches even once your feet feel better in order to prevent a recurrence.
Will running make heel spurs worse?
Running On Pavement Can Also Increase That Risk
Overweight people who try to get into jogging right away are more likely to cause heel spurs than if they start with walking. That is because running on pavement or other hard surfaces greatly increases the chance of developing heel spurs.
What is the main cause of heel spurs?
Heel spurs can happen as a reaction to stress and inflammation caused by plantar fasciitis. Over time your body responds to the stress by building extra bone tissue. This extra tissue becomes a heel spur. Most people don't feel pain from their heel spur, but when they do, the pain is like plantar fasciitis pain.
Does weight affect your feet?
Carrying extra weight weakens the tendons and ligaments that make up the architecture of your feet and ankles. Over time, the arches will collapse, causing flat feet and often significant pain when standing and walking.
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.
What foods cause heel spurs?
Causes of bone spurs in the heel
Contributing foods and ingredients include high-fructose corn syrup, soda, apple juice, fluoridated water, other refined sugars, and animal protein. Virtually any fast-food meal sets the stage for making the body prone to kidney stones.
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.
Will Epsom salt help heel spurs?
One natural solution for healing a heel spur is to soak the foot in a warm bath with Epsom salt, which helps relieve the inflammation and pain associated with the heel spur.
Do bone spurs need to be removed?
Bone spurs don't go away unless you have surgery to remove them.
How long do heel spurs last?
The plantar heel spur is attached to the plantar fascia, and has a short healing time of 3 to 4 weeks. Posterior heel spur recovery can be up to 3 months due to its attachment and surgical repair of the achilles tendon.
Do bone spurs in your feet go away?
Unfortunately, bone spurs don't go away on their own.
Daily stretching and low-impact exercises. Dietary changes. Heat and ice therapy. Properly fitted shoes, shoe inserts, walking boots, or custom foot orthotics to alleviate pressure on your foot.
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.
Can Apple cider vinegar help with bone spurs?
It may be of interest to know that this abnormal bony growth can be effectively and simply treated with a number of home remedies for heel spur. Apple cider vinegar is an effective home remedy. Dip a cotton towel or cotton bandage in apple cider vinegar, fold it up and place it on your heel.
How does losing weight affect your feet?
If you've recently lost weight and your feet look and feel smaller than they used to, it's not your imagination. A reduced amount of overall body fat, plus a reduction in weight-related mechanical foot pressure, may result in your feet noticeably narrowing or shortening.
Can Too Much weight Cause foot pain?
Obesity may cause pain in the majority of the foot. This is caused by extra weight the feet endure while daily activities are being performed. Many patients who are overweight notice they have heel pain, and this can lead to a condition this is known as plantar fasciitis.
What exercises should I avoid with plantar fasciitis?
Worst Exercises for Plantar Fasciitis
- Plyometrics. Plyometric exercises, also called “plyos” or “jump training” is one of the worst exercises for heels and arches that are recovering from plantar fasciitis. ...
- Running or Jogging. ...
- Burpees. ...
- High-Impact Team Sports. ...
- Cardio Dancing and Aerobics.