Bone spur

A bone spur is a small, smooth projection of extra bone that forms along the edges of a joint or on the surface of a bone, usually in response to pressure, friction, or inflammation over time.

Where bone spurs form and what they feel like

Bone spurs can develop almost anywhere in the body, but they're most common in the spine, heels, shoulders, hips, and knees — places that absorb a lot of load or experience repeated stress. They form gradually as the body attempts to repair or reinforce areas under sustained pressure, and many people have them without knowing it. A bone spur itself isn't always painful. The discomfort comes when it presses on nearby soft tissue, nerves, or other structures. In the heel, this can feel like a sharp, stabbing pain with the first steps of the morning. In the spine, it can contribute to stiffness or nerve-related symptoms down an arm or leg.

Why bone spurs are often misunderstood

It's easy to assume that a bone spur found on an image is the direct cause of your pain — but the relationship is more nuanced than that. Many people with significant spurs have no pain at all, while others with minimal changes feel significant discomfort. The mechanical patterns and muscle imbalances that contributed to the spur forming in the first place are often what drive the pain, and those are addressable even when the spur itself isn't going away.

Why waiting and resting doesn't usually fix it

Rest may quiet things down temporarily, but bone spur-related pain tends to return when activity resumes if the underlying load and movement patterns haven't changed. Physical therapy targets those patterns directly — helping your body distribute stress more evenly so the irritated tissue has a chance to calm down and stay that way.

How Sword Health can help

A physical therapist can assess how you're moving, identify what's putting pressure on the affected area, and build a targeted plan to reduce your pain and improve function — without requiring surgery or time off work. Sword makes that level of care available from home, whenever you're ready to start.