Treating Bone Spurs with Acupuncture

When I was in my last year of acupuncture school, I noticed a bump on the palm of my right hand. Curious, I poked around and realized it was a bony protrusion on the joint.

My first patient with a bone spur was me! I needled the area and was greatly relieved when the spur started to shrink almost immediately, being noticeably smaller the next day and eventually going away completely.

In the 11 years since then, I have treated numerous patients for bone spurs, most commonly for heel spurs, as they are most apt to cause pain and discomfort. Heel spurs are growths of extra bone at the heel that may be caused by excessive pulling on the heel bone by tendons or connective tissue called fascia. They usually make their presence known by pain on the bottom of the heel, made worse by walking.

Typically, heel spurs can be diagnosed by an MD during a physical exam, with X-ray confirming the diagnosis. Conventional treatment consists primarily of injecting steroids into the area to relieve pain, with surgery considered a last resort.

In my experience, acupuncture is extremely successful at not only relieving the pain caused by a bone spur, but also dissolving the spur entirely. In one memorable case, I had a 65-year-old male patient with a left heel spur, confirmed by X-ray. After two treatments, the patient had another X-ray, and the heel spur had disappeared entirely!

If you have bone spurs or a health condition that is causing you concern, you are welcome to call me for a free phone consultation at 858/673-1397.

Return To Articles

Rancho Bernardo Sun/ Diamond Gateway Signature
August 2000