Bone Spur Causes | Home Remedies For Bone Spurs

Bone spur, technically also known as osteophytes, is the growth of an extra bone over another that already exists normally in the body. Often serious bone ailments like arthritis cause severe local inflammation and deposit of degenerating bone cells in joints, which ultimately leads to the formation of an extra bone. In most cases, this condition affects body joints like the shoulders, knees, ankles, wrists, hips and the spine. It is commonly observed that elderly people are more prone to this condition, as the degeneration of bone and ligament tissue becomes faster and more pronounced with increasing age. This is because the body naturally tries to make up for the loss of bone, tendon and ligament tissues by adding some of these on its own, which then accumulate as bone protrusions. Though bone spurs are not always accompanied by visible symptoms, the most common indicators of this ailment are tenderness and pain in joints, especially in the neck, back and legs, local numbness and occasional irritation. When the “extra” bone comes into contact with the ones adjacent to it, friction between the two arises and causes intense pain, which makes normal movement very difficult for the patient.

Natural Bone Spur Treatment

Though proper medical assistance is required in cases of bone spur, you may follow few simple home remedies to assuage the symptoms.

• One of the most effective ways of dealing with the problem is to reduce the inflammation. You can do this by alternately applying hot and cold packs on the affected areas. At least six times a day, apply ice packs and hot water bags on the swollen area to relieve the pain.


• Turmeric contains a natural yellow pigment called curcumin, which is highly effective in lessening bone spurs. Every morning, eat a few pieces of turmeric on an empty stomach. You should also eat this powder at regular intervals between meals throughout the day. Follow this routine daily for 6 weeks to observe some improvement.


• In case of intense pain, you could apply a hot flaxseed pack locally for some relief.


• Another remedy is to dip cheesecloth in heated linseed oil and then applying this on the affected area. Cover this up with a heating pad for a couple of hours so that the oil seeps through the skin and soothes the inflammation.


• Avoid activities that might exert pressure on joints, such as walking or swimming as this can worsen the condition.