I have been dealing with a heel spur issue since last November. Pain started around then, I thought it was a PF flare-up that I could beat by doing more stretches, sleep with the boot, etc., as I had done during past flare ups. This one lingered though until I literally limped through ‘one last run’ and could barely walk the next day. I took time off of running and just swam and biked a lot. When It never got to feeling any better, finally went in and after xray was diagnosed with a spur. Sent to rehab/PT and it is definitely feeling a lot better. Doing a combo of stretching/strengthening, Iontopherisis and ASTYM. Scared to death to wean off of the PT but that is sort of where I am right now. I am running again- up to 4 miles but they are not consecutive. I’m still adding some walk breaks inbetween chunks of running time. My heel has good days and not-so-good days. I feel like I’m always going to be dealing with it and sometimes I wonder if I should just have surgery to remove the spur. Although that sounds scary to me too. My training this summer isn’t happening- I feel like I’ll be lucky if I can get in a couple of sprints and maybe an Olympic by end if the summer IF my heel gets better and better. Some days I’m optimistic, other days I’m just bummed that I’m probably always going to be noticing some pain in that heel. If anyone has heel spur stories, please share if you don’t mind. Thanks for reading… Kind of long! Happy trails, Carrie
I’m in the exact same boat. I had 3 cortisone shots but they only lasted for a few months. Had custom orthotics made but they are more painful than my superfeet. I took a couple months off of running but recently started again and just stretch and ice afterwards, feels better but not perfect. I also ice it at night before bed.
I’d like to have surgery to know its gone but I don’t think it’s worth the rehab plus I’ve read it’ll more than likely come back.
In most all cases, inferior (not posterior) heel spurs do NOT need to be removed and are not the source of pain you are experiencing. This just happens to be where the plantar fascia attaches and you are dealing with chronic and/or recalcitrant plantar fasciitis/osis.
I had a nasty heel spur that was especially painful in the morning. One morning, as I very gingerly stepped down the stairs in the dark, I misstepped. Time slowed down as I fell forward, with my mind racing, realizing the pain I was about to receive when my afflicted foot would hit the floor hard. I knew I’d be rolling on the ground screaming, waking the wife and kids… and neighbors, etc. Didn’t happen. My foot hit the floor, there was a pop and the pain was instantly gone. Years later, I needed a foot x-ray from something else and my heel was in the picture. Doctor says to me, “You had a broken heel.” Have not had any foot pain since.
I equate this story to getting a tooth pulled out via string and a door knob. Probably not the highest recommended way to deal with it.
I had heel spurs on the back of both feet, where the Achilles attaches to the heel. I had to undergo two separate surgeries to correct them, one surgery per foot. The outcome, other than being terminated from my career do to using up my FML the surgery was a success. I would do it again if necessary. I had asked the surgeon prior if he would do both feet at once but he said no. Since the surgery I have absolutely no issues with the surgery or bone spurs.
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I had PF in both feet several years ago. Had the more painful one radiographed and sure enough there was a bone spur in the heel. I ended up getting some orthotic inserts and used those for about three months and the pain subsided enough to start running. (Doctor was thinking surgery if the orthotics didn’t help). When I went to buy my running shoes the store owner and I talked about PF and bone spurs. He did not think the pain came from the bone spur itself but from overly tight PF. He recommended using a little hard rubber ball called a “Rubz” and massaging the PF on both feet every day, sometimes several times a day. I do that religiously and have not had a problem running or walking in three years now. I do apply a ton of pressure when I use the Rubz. Nowadays I can not remember which foot I had radiographed–the pain just isn’t there like before and I doubt the spur went away on its own.
ETA: I was told I was going to need the special orthotics pretty much the rest of my life. Haven’t worn those in years.
3 things help(ed) me–a brace at night, kicking my calfs ass with a massage stick every damn day and rolling my foot occasionally on a ball. I only used the brace for a while until I got things under control.
Good Luck!
Oops, I read this wrong. You want success stories. I can’t help you there ;-(
I got serious heel spurs from wearing tight racing ski boots for years. I had to get my boots modified to accept what looked like a thumb sticking out the back of my feet!
While they appear to have shrunk slightly in the ensuing 30 years, they are still pretty prominent.
Just last month I was in Thailand and got some custom dress shoes made. I forgot to tell them to put no recurve on the heel, but rather, make them vertical (ie J shape not C shape when looking from the side).
Sure enough I put them on and it felt like my feet were being cut with a knife. They are currently at the cobblers, being stretched so I can actually wear them. Gorgeous hand make, lovely leather shoes, that otherwise, fit like the glove you’d expect. I kick myself if my feet didn’t hurt so bad. 
At least my heel spurs don’t hurt when out of shoes and I can walk normally
You’ll need to look elsewhere for success stories sorry.
suggestions on how to address the plantar fasciitis/osis?
i am almost a year into mine. i missed five complete months of running, was in a boot for six weeks, had two rounds of dextrose injections, have had ART, graston,PT (work on glute med/max, core, thoracic spine, running mechanics), slept in the sock for months, done intrinsic foot strengthening exercises, yoga, slant board for tight calves, foam roll, lacrosse ball etc i am sure there are more things that i have forgotten (or repressed). i am on my way to becoming a world class pool runner.
when i started running again, i increased my mileage glacially slow and never got over 16 miles/week. the bike seems to aggravate it as well. the only things i can think of that haven’t yet been tried are dry needling (appt 6/5) and tenex procedure. my PT, chiro, and ortho have not recommended orthotics but i will ask my ortho when i see him next week. of note, i also have a significant spur in my affected foot. all parties believe that is symptomatic rather than the source of the pain PF has been confirmed by MRI and ultrasound. my ortho ranked it a 7+ on a 10 point scale.
the tightness in the morning has improved but my foot has a stabbing pain near the inner part of my heel on a daily basis. it gets increasing worse as the day goes on.
it has been a super bummer and i’d appreciate any suggestions!
If you have been over 1 year and have failed all that conservative therapy, I’d likely recommend surgery if you were my patient. Highest chance of getting you back to running.
95%+ of plantar fasciosis sufferers get better eventually no matter what they do within 12 months, but someone has to be in that minority. Nothing wrong with waiting more and/or doing more (i.e. Tenex FAST, PRP, etc.) either - but you appear to be a statistical outlier
thank you! i will see what my doc says next week and give it a bit more time. i have done all that insurance will pay for at this point 
i have held off on PRP, as i understand there is a 50/50 chance it will work and it is damn expensive for a social worker
i tend to be a ‘worst case scenario’ type of gal. it took 4.5 years and a slew of surgeries to heal two fractured clavicles. my then orthopedist was top in the country for clavicles. in the beginning, he would always say ‘it could be worse, i once had a patient…’ by the end, i became the person he talked to others about.
again, i appreciate your feedback. and good luck to the OP