When to Seek Bone Spur Treatment
The body sometimes creates bone spurs to provide added stability when bones, muscles, ligaments, and other tissues become overused, shift out of place, or begin to deteriorate. While this is the body’s natural way of correcting a problem, bone spurs, also called osteophytes, can sometimes cause more harm than good. When these growths of bone cause the compression of a spinal nerve, bone spur treatment may become necessary.
Symptoms
A bone spur, in and of itself, does not typically cause a patient to experience any uncomfortable symptoms. It is only when an osteophyte pinches a nerve root or the spinal cord that symptoms of pain, muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling may arise. Discomfort may be felt in the neck, back, shoulders, hips, and/or extremities, depending on the location of the bone spur and affected spinal nerve.
Treatment Options
If symptoms begin to affect day-to-day living, bone spur treatment typically becomes necessary. Most doctors will begin treatment for this spinal condition with non-invasive techniques, including one or more of the following:
- Pain medications
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Physical therapy
- Hot/cold compresses
- Spinal injections
- And others
If conservative treatments don’t address a patient’s chronic pain, bone spur surgery may be recommended to help a patient restore his or her quality of life. The orthopedic specialists at Laser Spine Institute have developed safe and effective alternatives to open neck and back surgery. Our minimally invasive procedures have helped tens of thousands of patients find relief from neck and back pain. Laser Spine Institute Scottsdale proudly helps patients in Tempe, Phoenix, Mesa, and worldwide; contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation and to learn more.
