Bone Spur (Osteophyte)

What is a bone spur?

Bone spurs, or osteophytes, are extra growths of bone tissue that appear like smooth lumps on the outsides of your bones. They’re common and they often don’t cause any problems. But they may cause symptoms if they irritate your soft tissues, interfere with the movement of a joint or put pressure on a nearby nerve.

Bone spurs tend to occur on bones that take a lot of stress, like your spine or your heels. They also occur at joints and sites where tendons or ligaments attach to the bone. They happen when your body is trying to repair tissue damage near the bone, or as a response to stress. Sometimes, your body creates new bone tissue to replace the damaged tissues — like a bony scar. This process is called osteophytosis.

What causes bone spurs?

In general, bone spurs happen when your bones or the tissues around them are damaged and in need of repair. Bone spurs are a byproduct of the repair process. Your tissues might be damaged for a variety of reasons — often, it’s just age-related wear and tear. Injuries and various diseases can also be the cause.

Some conditions that can lead to bone spurs include:

• Osteoporosis.
• Osteoarthritis.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Lupus.
• Ankylosing spondylitis.
• Degenerative disk disease.
• DISH disease.
• Shoulder impingement (rotator cuff tendinitis).
• Foot tendonitis.
• Spinal stenosis.
• Repetitive strain injuries.
• Accidents or sports injuries.

What are the symptoms of a bone spur?

Bone spurs don’t always cause symptoms. It’s common to have bone spurs without knowing it. But sometimes, bone spurs are the reason for unexplained pain or stiffness when certain bones move. If a bone spur puts pressure on a nerve, it can cause symptoms like pain, tingling, numbness or weakness.

Bone spurs may occur on your:

• Feet, especially your heels.
• Hands, especially your knuckles.
• Shoulder joints.
• Hip joints.
• Knee joints.
• Neck and spine.

You might see a bone spur if it’s close to your skin. It can look like a knob or bump on your knuckles or your knee cap. You might feel it when you bend or extend your joint or when you walk. It might restrict your range of motion or cause pain when you move. Sometimes, you’ll have some swelling around it.

How serious can bone spurs be?

Bone spurs on your spine are more likely than others to cause serious complications, although they don’t very often. One way they can is by interfering with nerves in your spinal cord. Even less commonly, bone spurs in your cervical spine (your neck) may grow big enough to interfere with your swallowing.

Bone spurs on your spine can compress nerves at the openings where they exit your spinal column, called foramina. Sometimes, they grow inward and compress your spinal cord. A compressed or pinched nerve can cause serious pain and other complications, called radiculopathy. These effects can include:

• Paresthesia (tingling, numbness or pins and needles).
• Muscle weakness and loss of muscle control (often in your lower body).
• Incontinence (loss of control of your bladder or bowels).

In rare cases, bone spurs in your neck can grow large enough or cause enough swelling to compress or narrow your esophagus (swallowing tube). They can also get in the way of muscle reflexes that help you swallow. This can be the unsuspected cause of chronic coughing, choking or swallowing difficulties.

How are bone spurs diagnosed?

Bone spurs will show up on X-rays. Often, they’re a surprise discovery when you have an X-ray for another reason. If you have symptoms related to bone spurs, your healthcare provider will physically examine you and then follow up with imaging tests. These might include X-rays, a CT scan (computed tomography) or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

If you have nerve-related symptoms, you’ll have additional tests to assess for nerve damage and determine if bone spurs are the cause. Tests like an EMG (electromyography) or NCS (nerve conduction study) can pinpoint which nerves are affected by sending electrical impulses through your nerves.

How can you fix a bone spur?

Most bone spurs don’t need any treatment. If a bone spur causes pain or difficulties with movement, your healthcare provider can suggest ways to relieve it. If a bone spur causes serious complications or severe symptoms that affect your daily life, your provider might suggest surgery to remove it.

Home treatments to relieve inflammation around your bone spur include:

• Applying ice periodically to reduce swelling.
• Taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
• Taking short periods of rest between periods of activity that cause symptoms.
• Accessories like chair pads and shoe inserts that reduce pressure on your bone spurs.

If home treatments aren’t quite doing enough, your provider might suggest:

• Physical therapy or osteopathic manipulation to adjust your posture and take pressure off your bone spurs.
• Taking prescription muscle relaxers in some cases.
• An injection of anesthesia or cortisone to relieve pain and inflammation on the spot.
• Surgery to remove the bone spur or to create more space around your affected nerve.

Can you dissolve bone spurs naturally?

You can’t dissolve a bone spur. It’s extra bone growth on your bone. There’s no natural treatment or supplement that dissolves bony tissue — which is a good thing, because there’s no real difference between bone spur tissue and the rest of your bone. The only way to remove a bone spur is with surgery.

Internet claims about dissolving your bone spurs might be referring more to the inflammation around them. You can reduce swelling and soreness in the tissues around your bone spur by reducing inflammation. Ice and anti-inflammatory drugs are the most direct ways to treat these symptoms.

What can I do to prevent bone spurs?

You can’t entirely prevent bone spurs. In many cases, they’re a natural result of aging and age-related tissue degeneration. And in many cases, you’ll never notice them anyway. But taking care of your overall health as you age may somewhat reduce or delay tissue degeneration. For example, it might help to:

• Pay attention to your eating habits and make sure you’re getting adequate nutrition. Consult a specialist if you aren’t sure. Your nutritional needs change over time, depending on your age, activity levels and other factors. Inadequate nutrition can lead to weakened tissues and osteoporosis.
• Begin or maintain a basic exercise routine, including stretching. Low-impact exercise that uses many muscles, like swimming, cycling or using an elliptical machine, can help keep your musculoskeletal system strong. When muscles can help carry your weight, it takes stress off your bones and joints.
• Try to lose some weight if overweight is a factor. Too much body weight can be stressful on your joints and contribute to degeneration. One way to determine if you have overweight is to find your body mass index (BMI). This tells you if your weight is proportional to your height.
• Pay attention to your posture and ergonomics. Whatever your body does a lot of — whether that’s standing, performing certain movements or sitting at a desk — it puts extra stress on certain body parts. Good posture and ergonomics can help prevent repetitive stress injuries.

How long do bone spurs last?

Bone spurs don’t go away unless a surgeon removes them. But most people won’t need surgery for their bone spurs. A healthcare provider can discuss nonsurgical ways to relieve the discomfort your bone spur causes. If these don’t work, talk to your provider about minimally invasive surgery for your bone spur.

What can I do for pain and stiffness from bone spurs?

You can relieve pain and stiffness from bone spurs with rest, ice and over-the counter medications. Properly fitting shoes and weight loss also reduce joint stress. If symptoms become severe or unmanageable, call your healthcare provider.

Should I avoid activity?

Even with bone spurs, try to stay active and healthy. Avoid activities and movements that hurt. Choose low-impact activities, like walking instead of running.

When you exercise, take steps to minimize joint damage: Make sure you have good footwear, concentrate on proper techniques, and always warm up and stretch.