What are risk factors for heel spurs?

Anyone in Elmwood Park getting back to running or long days on their feet will ask what raises the odds of a heel spur. This page sorts the published answer into what you can act on and what you cannot.

Several risks, some of them yours to change

Cleveland Clinic states that several factors increase your risk of developing heel spurs. Some are things you can change right away or over time, and others you cannot change.

Which risks are yours to change

For people who jog or run, Cleveland Clinic advises choosing soft surfaces like grass and tracks over hard surfaces like sidewalks and pavement. It also advises wearing shoes that fit and support your arches. Both are checks you can run this week before you ask anything more of your heel.

The AAOS OrthoInfo guide to plantar fasciitis and bone spurs is a second published source to hold your routine against.

What a finished routine looks like

A routine is finished when each changeable factor has an answer. Your running surface is chosen on purpose, and your shoes fit and support your arches. If heel pain keeps showing up after you make those changes, treat that as a warning and have a clinician look at it before you add mileage.

What to try before you resume

Write down your last week of running or standing. Mark which surfaces and shoes you used, then change the one that fails the standard above. For a plain overview of the condition that sits next to heel spurs, read Cleveland Clinic's page on plantar fasciitis.

The shortcut to avoid

One shortcut is skipping the shoe check once the pain eases. Done right, the check comes first and the activity follows.