Bone spurs are extra bones that grow on a normal bone due to excessive or repetitive pressure to an area. They can occur on any body part that feels pressure, such as the spine, hands, hips, knees, shoulders and feet, but are most common to the heel. Spurs can be caused by not wearing proper shoes for exercise, exercising without warming up or simply by being overweight. You can help prevent bone spurs by always stretching before strenuous activity. Exercises can also be used once a spur has formed to lessen pain and reduce the size of the bone spur.
Yoga and Pilates
No matter where in your body a bone spur has formed, the key to exercising with a bone spur is to slow down your movement. Whether it is in the spine, heel or knees, rapid exercise will aggravate a bone spur, causing it to grow larger in size. Regular gentle exercise like Yoga and Pilates should replace exercise routines that put a lot of pressure on the joints, such as running and basketball. Slow-moving exercises allow the body to stretch without causing strain on the joints, bones and muscles.
Tai Chi is another slow-moving exercise that can help combat bone spurs, and is recommended by physical therapists for seniors suffering from arthritis, a common cause of bone spurs. Tai Chi increases flexibility and range of motion, and can relieve strain on the joints. The movements in Tai chi are gentle for the whole body, which makes it an ideal way to stretch the area that is affected by a bone spur, eliminating pain and oftentimes the spur itself.
Heel Spurs
Since our feet must support our entire body weight when we are standing, it is no surprise that the heel is the area most commonly affected by bone spurs. If you have a spur in this area, there are a couple of simple exercises that can help reduce the bone spur.
Stand against a wall with one knee bent and the leg with the affected heel straight with the heel pressing into the ground. Lean forward into the wall to stretch your heel. Hold for 10 seconds, then straighten and rest. Do 20 times on each side if both heels are affected.
Another exercise is to lean on a countertop with your feet apart and one foot in front of other. Bend your knees and squat, keeping your heels on the ground as long as possible as you lower down. The arches and heel cords of the feet will stretch. Hold for 10 seconds and then relax. Repeat the movement 20 times.
Tags: bone spur, affected bone, bone spurs, bone spurs, Hold seconds