What Causes Bone Spurs?
A bone spur (also called osteophyte) is a bone growth that forms on bone or near a cartilage or tendon. This extra bone develops as the body repairs itself in response to constant pressure, friction, or stress over a bone, usually in the spine, the shoulder, hand, hip, knee, or foot. What causes bone spurs? Here are the common causes why people develop extra bone over bone.
1. What Causes Bone Spurs?
• Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative bone condition that affects various joints of the body, including the spine. It is a common cause of low back pain, especially in older patients, that causes stiffness and pain. As you age, the cartilage that covers the ends of your bones within the joints wears away. The
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The shoulder joint has a wide range of motion. Over time, the structures in the joint, including the bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons can wear down due to constant friction when they rub against each another. The rotator cuff muscles that allow you to rotate your arm extend from the shoulder blade to the upper arm are connected with tendons, which can rub constantly on their bone attachment. Bone spurs often form in this area, causing pinching of the rotator cuff tendons. This causes irritation, inflammation, pain, stiffness, weakness, and tendon tears. What causes bone spurs? This condition usually occurs with age, but it can also develop with repetitive use of the shoulders, especially among athletes like baseball players, or among painters who use their arms raised above their heads.
2. Do I Have Bone Spurs?
Many people are not even aware that they have bone spurs because they have no symptoms at all. Sometimes, they find out they have an extra bone after an x-ray is taken for another reason such as a routine check-up. Then they wonder, what causes bone spurs?
In some cases, bone spurs cause significant pain and limitation of motion in the involved joints. Some symptoms can give you a clue that you may have bone spurs, such