Heel spur surgery

Surgical therapy of the calcaneal spur

For the vast majority of patients, the conservative therapy of heel spurs achieve a clear symptom relief up to freedom from symptoms. A frequent problem with regard to the success of the therapy is the continuous stress / overload at work, which often cannot be reduced and stands in the way of successful therapy.

Only when fully exhausted conservative therapy the operative intervention comes into play. The goal of surgical therapy does not differ from that of conservative therapy. For strain relief, a Heel spur operation the Plantar fascia (attaching tendon plate) close to the bone Heel bone replaced.

Removal of the calcaneus itself is not generally recommended. Very large heel spurs, on the other hand, should be removed by surgery.
A soft heel bedding after the procedure is necessary. The success rate of the operation is 80-90%. The post-treatment phase extends over months.
During this time there is a gradual calming of the inflammatory region, noticeable in the decreasing stress pain.
As a complication of this surgery will be Fatigue fractures of the calcaneus (Calcaneus) described by the abrupt lack of tension on the heel bone due to the so-called platarapeunorosis as a counterbalance for the body load.

Appointment with an expert in calcaneal spur?

I would be happy to advise you!

Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
But now enough is indicated ;-)

Athletes (joggers) are particularly often affected by the disease of the heel spur. In many cases, the cause of the inflammation of the heel spur cannot be identified at first. Therefore, the treatment requires a lot of experience. I focus on the heel spur.
The aim of every treatment is treatment without surgery with a complete recovery of performance.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

You can find me in:

  • Lumedis - your orthopedic surgeon
    Kaiserstrasse 14
    60311 Frankfurt am Main

Directly to the online appointment arrangement
Unfortunately, it is currently only possible to make an appointment with private health insurers. I hope for your understanding!
Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

How long have you been sick after heel spur surgery?

After heel spur surgery, the affected foot should be around two to three weeks not be loaded with full body weight so that the wound can heal. As far as the pain from the surgical wound allows, there is one Partial load of the foot, however, is quite possible. The wound should be checked regularly in order to detect possible infections at an early stage.A full load on the foot is possible again after the wound has healed, but the end result may only be assessed after months.
In order to achieve complete healing of the heel spur and to prevent the heel pain from recurring after the operation, you should already in the first days after the procedure with a physiotherapy Therapy can be started. After the wound has healed and the surgical sutures have been removed, training to strengthen the foot muscles should be started and the corresponding tendons should be stretched. As a rule, the time after the operation with the measures mentioned lasts about 12 weeksuntil the foot again unrestricted is resilient, but in rare cases the disease phase can last up to a year.

Risks of heel spur surgery

In principle, the general risks apply to an operation on a heel spur as to operations in general. These include risks such as infections and wound healing disorders, bleeding, Embolisms or thrombosis.
The risks involved in a heel spur operation differ depending on how the operation is performed. A standard operation is "open“Performed, the surgical wound and the scar are slightly larger. If the heel spur is used in a minimally invasive "keyhole"Technique performed, the scar is very small, but due to the limited overview there is a risk that, for example, a tendon that has to be split during the operation, the so-called Foot fascia (Plantar fascia) sustains damage.
The risks associated with the operation are generally to be assessed as higher if the person concerned is very overweight than in patients of normal weight. As with all operations, certain pre-existing conditions such as diseases of the cardiovascular system or Diabetes (diabetes mellitus) are associated with an increased risk of complications during or after heel spur surgery.

Figure heel spur

Figure heel spur

Heel spur - calcaneus spur
(bony outgrowth)

  1. Lower (plantar) heel spur
  2. Upper (dorsal) heel spur
  3. Calcaneal tuberosity -
    Calcaneal tuberosity
  4. Heel bone - Calcaneus
  5. Achilles tendon -
    Tendo calcaneus
  6. External calf muscle -
    M. gastrocnemius,
    Caput laterale
  7. Shin - Tibia
  8. Fibula - Fibula
  9. Ankle bone - Talus
  10. Scaphoid bone - Navicular bone
  11. External sphenoid bone -
    Os cuneiform laterale
  12. Cuboid bone - Os cuboideum
  13. Sole tendon plate -
    Plantar aponeurosis

    A - picture of heel with a lower one
    and upper calcaneal spur
    B - Left foot from the outside

You can find an overview of all Dr-Gumpert images at: medical illustrations

complication

The usual ones apply operative complications:

  • Infection, bone infection (Osteomyelitis), Wound healing disorder
  • Nerve injuries
  • Thrombosis / pulmonary embolism
  • Relapse (renewed complaints)
  • Remaining complaints