Bones spurs are nubs that develop on the edges of your bones. Though the spurs are not painful, they can irritate nearby nerves and bones. Bone spurs are most often found near joints, but they can form near ligaments, tendons and along the spine. If a bone spur is not causing pain, it is not usually treated.
Symptoms
While most bone spurs do not cause symptoms, the symptoms of those that do are dependent on where the spur is located. The most common bone spurs, those on your joints, cause pain and limit range of movement. For example, if the bone spur is in the knee, it may be painful to walk or fully extend your leg. If the bone spur is on the spine, it may trap a nerve and or numbness in a different part of the body. Most often, bone spurs are detected on X-rays when you are being examined for some other condition.
Medication
Treatment depends on the location of your spur and the amount of pain it is causing you. If the pain is mild, your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). However, NSAIDs should only be taken temporarily since they can cause problems with digestion such as vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. Long-term use can also result in serious issues such as ulcers and failure of the kidneys and liver.
Surgery
If your bone spurs reduce your range of motion or cause severe pain, surgery may be required. Most often, bone spurs are removed in open surgery, where the physician will open the skin around a joint. If the bone spur is easily accessible, your doctor may perform the procedure arthroscopically, where he will make small incisions and use tiny tools to take out the spur.
If bone spurs are left untreated, they may break off and become loose bodies. These loose bodies can float around the joint or become lodged somewhere, making movement even more painful or difficult.
Tags: bone spurs, , bone spur, bone spur, bone spurs, cause pain