Do you have bone spurs? Bone spurs are bony protuberances on bones where the tendon of the muscle attaches to the bone.
Why do bone spurs happen?
They happen because muscle is pulling on bone. The bone ‘grows’ a bit to take the pressure of itself.
Why is the muscle pulling on the bone?
Because the muscle is a little ‘too tight’ or ‘too short’. The muscle is attached to the bone and when the muscle shortens, it just pulls…because it’s attached.
The way we are able to move is when MUSCLES (the movers) pull on BONES (the structure.) But sometimes muscles get ‘out of balance’–too short and tight or too slack.
Who gets these bony growths or bone spurs?
If you have muscles that are too tight and short (strong) in places, like your calves or neck, they might pull on your bones. There are simple reasons for this.
Here’s an article that will explain how bone spurs develop in your neck and spine. It works the same way all over the body.
http://simplepainrelief.com/2012/07/30/what-causes-bone-spurs-in-your-neck-spine/
Most of us have bone spurs. They can happen anywhere a muscle attaches to a bone. In fact, that’s the only place they DO occur.
If you have pain, these spurs may show up on x-rays. If you have pain, the doctor may say, “You have arthritis.”
But just because a spur is visible on a test does not mean that it is the cause of your pain!
The problem is that when a doctor sees something like a spur he or she thinks: “That must be the cause of the pain!”
Unfortunately, most doctors don’t learn much about muscles when they are in med school. They might learn ways to treat bone spurs but they don’t learn about the cause of the bone spur. They just may say you have arthritis.
A small bone spur can be resorbed by the body if you take the pressure (the tight muscle) away.
If a very large spur is causing nerve pain or other pain, it may need surgical treatment.
Go read the article about bone spurs to discover more.
