Welcome To Iconocast

How to add a URL link from your web site to the Iconocast web sites

Virtual tour of Southern California

Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: bone spurs + bone + spurs  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Chicken Bone Spurs Debate Over Americas' First Visitors National Geographic, DC - Jul 28, 2008 A chicken bone found in Chile dating to AD 1320 to 1410?well before the explorer's arrival?and evidence of a genetic mutation linking that bone to chickens ... National Post Lakers? Luke Walton to have surgery to remove bone spurs. Boston Herald, United States - Jul 16, 2008 By Janis Carr / The Orange County Register Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton will have surgery Friday to remove bone spurs from his right ankle, ... Lakers F Walton needs ankle surgery National Post Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton to undergo right ankle surgery The Canadian Press Luke Walton to have right ankle surgery Inside Hoops all 18 news articles » What a heel! Malaysia Star, Malaysia - Aug 2, 2008 We went to a doctor who x-rayed his left foot and told us he had a heel spur. What is a heel spur? A heel spur is a little outgrowth of bone that looks like ... TSN.ca Surgery will end Chavez's season San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 5 to clean up bone spurs in the shoulder. Chavez also had surgery on his left shoulder and lower back around that time. He had never undergone surgery ... A's Lose Game, Chavez San Francisco Chronicle all 158 news articles »  CPH:SANI B Hanson girl?s cancer diagnosis spurs best friend to charity work Enterprise News, MA - Jul 31, 2008 After undergoing lymph node and bone marrow biopsies at Children?s Hospital in Boston, Jess was diagnosed with anaplastic large T-cell (or fast growing) ... San Diego Union Tribune On-job training part of Clary's first start San Diego Union Tribune, United States - Smith has been bothered for a while by a partially torn labrum and bone spurs. Smith will miss the next three days of camp and return to Chargers Park on ... Net tightening on Olympic cheaters National Post, Canada - What's next, a bone implant in your forehead?") Pound has been a keen observer of the controversies that have plagued the Beijing Games, ... In battling pain, he found strength Stockton Record, CA - Jul 24, 2008 The problem was bone spurs. Something about the accident made his bone tissue go crazy. The spurs grew out through his muscles much like tree roots through ... Chad update Bengals.com, OH - ... jersey next Monday night in Green Bay even though it marks only a week since he's been back on the ankle that was scoped June 18 to remove bone spurs. ... Yahoo! Eurosport Premier League - Rafa right to be keen on Keane Yahoo! Eurosport, UK - Jul 29, 2008 Darren Bent cost Spurs ?16m from Charlton Athletic last summer, and although he didn't start that many games last season, his scoring rate was poor. ...

Bone Spurs (Osteophytes)

In spite of their name, bone spurs are smooth, bony growths that form over a long period of time. They are a growth of normal bone that tends to occur as we age.

The spurs themselves are not painful. Their effect on nearby structures such as nerves and the spinal cord can be.

Our spines are made up of 33 bones (vertebrae) designed to protect the spinal cord. Gel-filled discs between the bones serve as shock absorbers. The discs also allow us to bend forwards and backwards and twist our backs in a variety of directions.

Behind each disc and under each joint are openings that allow a part of nerve roots to leave the spinal cord to go to other parts of the body. The opening (foramen) that encloses the nerve is just large enough for the nerve to go through.

Article continues below and (thank you)

Bone spurs can be a problem if they develop in the openings for the nerve roots. They make the space narrower (foramen stenosis) and press on the nerve.

Back or neck pain is the most common sign of bone spurs. The joint becomes inflamed (swollen and tender) and the back muscles become tender.

Common symptoms are:

• Burning or tingling (pins and needles in the hands or feet)
  
• Dull pain in the neck or lower back when the person stands or walks
  
• Loss of coordination in a part of the body
• Muscle spasms or cramps
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness
• Radiating pain in the buttocks and thighs (if the affected bone is in the back or lower back)
  
• Radiating pain into the shoulders or headaches (if the affected bone is in the neck)
  

Activity tends to make the pain worse. Rest tends to make it better. If the symptoms affect the back, the person may feel better leaning forward and bend at the waist as in leaning over a shopping cart or cane.

If there is severe pressure on the nerves, a person may have problems controlling his or her bladder or bowels.

There is a variety of factors that contribute to bone spurs. These include:

• Aging. As our discs wear down, ligaments get looser and don't hold the joints as stable as they should. The body tries to thicken the ligaments to hold the bones together. Over time, the thickened ligaments start forming flecks of bone. The thickened ligaments and new bone around the spinal cord and the nerve roots cause pressure.
  
• Disc and joint degeneration
• Heredity
• Injuries, including sports-related and motor vehicle accidents
• Nutrition
• Poor posture
• Structural problems that a person is born with

In addition, certain conditions can make it more likely that bone spurs will develop, including:

• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Spinal stenosis

In persons 60 and older, bone spurs are common. Only a little more than 40% of the population will develop symptoms that require medical treatment as a result of bone spurs.

A doctor will first take the patient's medical history and do a physical examination. The process of diagnosing the condition will include consideration of symptoms and ruling out conditions that may have similar symptoms but very different causes.

Tests that a doctor may order include:

• Electroconductive tests. These show the degree and seriousness of the spinal nerve injury.
• Computed tomography (CT) scans
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• X-rays to highlight any bone changes

Several approaches can be taken to treatment depending on the severity of the symptoms.

A conservative approach for persons with mild or moderate pressure on the nerves or spinal cord might include:

• Cortisone shots to help reduce joint swelling and pain. The effects of these are temporary and may need to be repeated.
  
• Drugs to reduce swelling, relieve pain and relax muscles for four to six weeks
  
• Physical therapy and manipulation of joints to restore flexibility and strength, improve posture and reducing the pressure on the nerves
  
• Rest

If this approach isn't successful, surgery may be needed, such as a laminectomy to remove bone spurs.