As time takes its toll on your joints, you may develop bone spurs. A bone spur (medically known as an osteophyte) is a small growth that forms on normal bone. These are usually smooth, but if they cause pressure or irritation, they can be painful. These bony growths are common, and for many people, they’re a normal part of aging. Not all bone spurs cause symptoms, but you can reduce pain with a wide range of treatment options.
The orthopedic experts at Summit Orthopedics in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area offer comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for bone spurs and many other orthopedic conditions.
Why Do Bone Spurs Form?
With every movement, you experience a small amount of wear and tear on your joints. Inflammation and injury can add to this damage, which triggers a cellular response. This causes healthy bone to build up excess bone material to stabilize the joint.
Unfortunately, that extra bone tissue may do more harm than good. As bone spurs grow, they can rub against nerves, ligaments, tendons and other bones, causing more difficulties.
Most often, it’s just part of wear-and-tear on the body. One common cause of bone spurs is osteoarthritis, which affects 1 in 3 people over age 65. Because bone spurs usually develop on or around joints, you may notice pain in your spine, shoulders, hands, hips, knees or feet.
Bone Spur Symptoms
Small or smooth bone spurs may not cause any problems at all. These bony growths are often a normal part of getting older, and if they’re not bothering you, they don’t need treatment.
If they begin to irritate soft tissue or limit your range of motion, you may notice symptoms like:
- Bumps that may be visible or palpable under the skin
- Numbness if it presses a nerve
- Pain in the affected area
- Stiffness or difficulty moving the joint
- Swelling or inflammation
Spinal bone spurs may pinch the spinal cord or its nerve roots. This can lead to spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis may cause:
- Back and neck pain
- Burning sensation
- Muscle cramps
- Numbness
- Pain radiating through an arm or leg
Bone Spur Diagnosis
The diagnosis of a bone spur begins with a physical examination to determine exactly where your pain is coming from. This is especially important because nerve pain can radiate, making it harder to identify its source. Your doctor will review your full medical history to determine what other causes may be contributing to your pain.
Sometimes, you may be able to feel bone spurs through the skin. Large bony growths on your heels, toes, hands or fingers might be noticeable to the touch. It is unlikely that your doctor will be able to feel a bone spur in your spine.
Your physician may use a variety of diagnostic imaging tools:
- CT scans
- MRI
- X-rays
Nonsurgical Treatment Options for Bone Spurs
Bone spurs only need treatment if they cause symptoms. For most people, the first stage of treatment is nonsurgical. You may be able to minimize inflammation, improve range of motion, and reduce pain with conservative treatment like:
- Injections. Injections of medication directly into the area with the bone spur can reduce inflammation and pain.
- Medications. Over-the-counter pain relievers are typically recommended as a frontline treatment. If those medications don’t work, muscle relaxers or opioids may be prescribed to offer short-term relief.
- Physical therapy. Physical therapy can help with bone spurs by providing targeted exercises and treatments to relieve pain, improve flexibility and reduce pressure on the affected area.
- Self-care. Engaging in activities like stretching, rest, ice and weight loss can help relieve bone spur pain.
Surgical Bone Spurs Treatment
If growths compress the nerves and cause symptoms, especially in your spine, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove them. Surgical treatments for bone spurs include:
Cervical Discectomy and Fusion
Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a surgical procedure that relieves pressure on nerve roots or the spinal cord. This pressure can be caused by a herniated disc or bone spurs in the neck.
During an ACDF procedure, the surgeon removes the disc and accesses compressed nerves. Then, they relieve the pressure by removing the bone spur source and place a bone graft between two vertebrae. In some cases, metal plates or pins can provide extra support.
Disc Replacement Surgery
Disc replacement is most effective when pain is limited to only the spinal disc. If disc replacement is right for you, you must also have a healthy weight, no prior major spine surgery and no spine deformity.
This technique can be used in the cervical (neck) area of the spine to improve function, preserve motion and reduce stress on your body. Compared to fusion, it’s less likely to lead to further spinal degeneration over time.
Laminectomy
A type of spinal decompression surgery, laminectomy relieves pressure on the spine created by bone spurs.
During the procedure, your spine surgeon removes the lamina (or “roof” of the vertebra), any damaged disc material and bone spurs.
Find Bone Spur Relief With Summit Orthopedics
At Summit Orthopedics, we offer comprehensive expertise and patient-centered care. Back specialists diagnose spine problems and design custom treatment plans, whether you need conservative care or surgery from one of our highly skilled surgeons. It’s our goal to improve and restore your quality of life so you can lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
Summit Orthopedics has nearly 30 convenient locations across the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Our state-of-the-art, comprehensive orthopedic centers offer same-day appointments from a team of experts who offer the full scope of orthopedic care.
Find your Summit Orthopedics spine expert, request an appointment or call us at (651) 968-5201 to schedule a consultation.
