Bizarre calcaneal spur: A case report

A calcaneal spur, also known as enthesophyte, is an abnormal bone outgrowth at the inferior part of the calcaneus, which is the most common site of bony spur occurrence. Although there is consensus that a calcaneal spur is a common cause of heel pain, approximately 20% of calcaneal spurs are asymptomatic and its pathology remains not fully understood.

In this report, we present a rare case of a very large and bizarre calcaneal spur in a young adult man. The calcaneal spur was painful, which affected his foot function and was associated with plantar fasciitis. The spur length was measured in the radiograph and exhibited the longest calcaneal spur reported in the literature. The patient was treated conservatively, and he fully recovered his foot function.

This case was unique because although the patient presented with an extremely large unilateral calcaneal spur, he was young and did not have any chronic disease; hence, he was treated conservatively. The pain subsided and he regained full function of his foot. This case questions the association between calcaneal spur length and plantar fasciitis symptoms.

This case confirms that the length of calcaneal spurs, even extremely long ones, is not associated with the pathology of plantar fasciitis and that surgical treatment is not necessary.