Navigating Healthcare: A Guide to Modern Medicine and Wellness

Tag: bone health

What Is a Bone Spur?

Osteophytes, more commonly referred to as bone spurs, are enlargements that grow on the edge of a bone. Bone spurs can form on any bone in your body, but most often they are outgrowths on joints. Bone spurs can also occur on other areas of the body that are attached to bones, such as on muscle, ligaments, or tendons. Most bone spurs are outgrowths that show up on knees, heels, hips, necks, lower back, wrists, toes, feet, and hands. If there’s anything good to be said about bone spurs it’s that many people who have them don’t even know it, simply because they have no symptoms—no pain, no difficulty moving, etc. Of course, there are those who do know they have bone spurs because they have associated symptoms, such as pain, loss of motion or range of motion, numbness, or tenderness. Following is information from New Jersey spinal surgeons that will help to further explain bone spurs, their symptoms, causes, and treatment options.  Of you think that you may have a bone spur contact a top spinal surgeon near you ASAP!

How to Pick a Spine Surgeon

Patients who are faced with selecting a qualified spine surgeon may have many questions. This is perfectly normal and choosing the right surgeon is a very important step in the treatment process. There are plenty of spine surgeons in the NJ area, but how does one go about narrowing down the search and finding the one that is right for their particular situation and circumstances? There are several areas that should be considered and the answers to these questions will help individuals locate the best spine surgeon for them.

What is Seasonal Joint Pain?

There are a lot of people who claim that they can accurately predict changes in seasons and weather by the nature of their joint pain.  Many of those individuals who have had joint replacement surgery or have a form of arthritis state that they experience substantially more joint pain on days that are cold or rainy while they have less joint pain during the warmer seasons and dry days. Most doctors and orthopedic surgeons Livingston NJ agree that their patients tend to experience worse joint symptoms which are seasonal or change with the weather.

What Are Bone Spurs?

Bone Spurs
Bone Spurs

Osteophytes, or bone spurs, are bony projections that tend to develop right along the bones edge. They often form where two bones come together at your joints. Some excruciatingly painful bone spurs can form on your spine. The main cause of these is the damage the comes from excessive wear and tear that comes from osteoarthritis. Most of the time the bone spur will not bother you at all and can go unnoticed for many years. Bone spurs may not require any treatment at all. Treatment all depends on whether or not they are affecting your health.

There are some cases, however, that these bone spurs can limit your range of motion and cause large amounts of pain. Symptoms will all depend on where they are located on the body. Bone spurs in the knee can cause discomfort when extending and bending your leg. These growths get in the way of the tendons that keep your whole leg working correctly.