Insoles
Especially in the early stages, insoles can quickly provide relief for heel spurs. Freely available gel cushions can be placed in the shoe under the heel and thus cushion the weight on the heel when walking and standing. Such gel cushions are available for little money and do not have to be prescribed by a doctor.
However, they do not eliminate the trigger of a heel spur like a foot malposition and thus only relieve the symptoms (pain) instead of treating the cause. Alternatively, you can have an insole made by an orthopedic technician according to the specifications of an orthopedist. The insoles often have hollows or padding in the heel area.
Since a buckling foot or a flat foot or a combination of both is often the cause of the heel spur, an orthopedic insole should also treat this malposition. The aim is to support the arch of the foot and to distribute the pressure of the body weight sensibly over the foot. In this way, the heel can be relieved.
The insoles should be worn for as long as possible and can be inserted into various shoes. After 4 to 8 weeks of regular wearing of the insoles, the pain should decrease significantly or even disappear completely. It is important that the insoles continue to be worn regularly even after healing in order to prevent recurrence.
The insoles are therefore not only used for treatment but also for prophylaxis (prevention) of the heel spur. If the heel spur is so pronounced that insoles cannot provide sufficient relief, orthopedic health shoes can be used. Just like the insoles, they can compensate for a foot malposition to a greater extent and alleviate the discomfort caused by the heel spur by relieving the heel.
Both the costs of custom-made insoles and health shoes are covered by statutory and private health insurance, with a small proportion of the costs being borne by the patient. In any case, it should be remembered that insoles and orthopedic footwear are merely a symptomatic therapy, whereas the cause of the heel spur remains unaffected.For this reason, exercises to strengthen the muscles should always be carried out in parallel, first as part of physiotherapy and later independently. In acute pain phases, pain and anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as Diclofenac, Ibuprofen) can be taken. However, as these damage the stomach lining, they should not be used as permanent medication in this case. Furthermore, weight reduction is strongly recommended for overweight patients, as this reduces the weight on the heel.
