Can Chiropractic Care Help With Heel Spurs?
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By Butler Family Health Center · Published 2026-10-16 · Last updated 2026-10-16
Yes, chiropractic care can help with heel spurs by easing the heel pain a spur is linked to, but it cannot remove the bony growth itself. Care works on the strained tissue and stiff joints around the heel, since the spur often causes no pain on its own. At Butler Family Health Center, a chiropractor in Centennial in Peakview Center on S Quebec St, Dr. Chris Butler has practiced since 1996 and offers shockwave and Class IV laser therapy in the same office as your adjustments.
How much care helps depends on how long your heel has hurt, how you stand and walk, and how many hours you spend on your feet. A heel that aches after a long workday in the Denver Tech Center needs a different plan than one sore from weekend miles on local trails.
How Chiropractic Care Can Help With Heel Spurs in Centennial
Chiropractic care can help with heel spurs in Centennial by easing the pain and strain around the spur. It does not shrink the bone. A heel spur is a bony growth on the bottom of the heel where the heel bone meets the plantar fascia, the thick band of tissue along the sole. According to the Cleveland Clinic, most people feel no pain from their spur, and when they do, it feels like plantar fasciitis. That is why care targets the soft tissue and the joints of the foot and ankle.
Colorado law defines chiropractic to include adjustment or manipulation, by hand or instrument, of the joints and adjacent tissue, along with physical remedial measures. For a sore heel, that can mean gentle adjustments to the foot and ankle, soft tissue work on the arch and calf, and drug-free therapies such as shockwave.
The research is thin. One small 1995 report followed 3 patients with plantar fasciitis and heel spurs confirmed on X-ray, treated with instrument adjustments to the foot, ankle and heel bone. The author reported their symptoms resolved and called for larger studies. That is an encouraging sign, though it falls well short of proof. The honest goal is less pain with each step and a foot that moves better.
Will a Chiropractic Adjustment in Centennial Make a Heel Spur Go Away?
A chiropractic adjustment in Centennial will not make a heel spur go away. A spur is a calcium deposit that develops over time and can reach about half an inch long. No adjustment dissolves bone, and even surgery to remove a spur is rarely done. What adjustments can address is stiffness in the heel, ankle and midfoot. The realistic aim is a heel that stops hurting, with the spur still visible on an X-ray.
How Heel Spurs and Plantar Fasciitis Are Related for Centennial Patients
Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis are closely related for Centennial patients, because a spur under the heel typically forms in response to long term stress on the plantar fascia where it attaches. According to the Cleveland Clinic, heel spurs are treated the same way as plantar fasciitis.
About 15% of people have heel spurs. Listed risk factors include unsupportive shoes, the way you walk, age related changes in the plantar fascia, loss of the heel's fat pads, and foot shape. The Cleveland Clinic's plantar fasciitis guide adds standing or working on your feet all day, sports, hard surfaces, flip-flops, going barefoot at home, and gaining more than 15 pounds in a few months.
Those risks show up in everyday routines here, from teachers standing through the day in Cherry Creek School District classrooms to the roughly 35,000 people who worked in the Denver Tech Center in 2023.
Can You Have a Heel Spur in Centennial and Feel Nothing?
Yes, you can have a heel spur in Centennial and feel nothing. Most people with a spur have no pain from it, and not all heel pain comes from a spur. When the area does hurt, the pain is often worst with the first steps after sleep or a long rest. Tell Dr. Butler about that pattern in detail at your first visit.
What Happens at a Chiropractic Heel Pain Visit in Centennial
A chiropractic heel pain visit in Centennial starts with questions and a hands-on exam before any treatment. A first visit generally covers these steps:
- History. When the pain started, when it is worst, your shoes, your work and training, and any X-ray results you already have.
- Foot and ankle exam. Pressing along the heel and arch and checking how the heel, ankle and toes move.
- Standing and walking. How your foot lands and carries weight, since gait is a listed risk factor for spurs.
- The whole leg. How the hips, knees and low back move.
- A plan. What care aims to do, which therapies fit, how often to come in, and what to do at home.
- A safety check. If anything points to a problem that needs a medical doctor, you hear that first.
Can You Walk In for a Same-Day Heel Pain Visit in Centennial?
Yes, you can get a same-day heel pain visit in Centennial, because Butler Family Health Center offers same-day appointments and accepts walk-ins. Call or text (303) 741-2444 to check the day's openings before you drive over.
Shockwave and Laser Therapy for Heel Spur Pain in Centennial
Shockwave therapy for heel spur pain in Centennial is worth asking about, because spur pain feels like plantar fasciitis pain. The Cleveland Clinic lists shockwave therapy among plantar fasciitis treatments and describes it as using concentrated sound waves to increase blood flow to the plantar fascia. Dr. Butler offers shockwave in the office, so it can join your adjustments and soft tissue work when the exam supports it. Results vary from heel to heel, and no therapy is a sure thing.
Sports are a listed risk factor for plantar fasciitis, which matters for student athletes at Kent Denver School and St. Mary's Academy and for active families near Dove Valley and the Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse.
What Should You Know About Laser Therapy for Heel Pain in Centennial?
Laser therapy for heel pain in Centennial is an option to discuss, but the evidence behind it is weak. A summary of heel spur research notes that laser therapy, dry needling and taping are used, yet no high quality evidence shows they reduce pain. Our office uses the Remy Class IV laser, and Dr. Butler can explain whether it makes sense alongside the rest of your care.
How Long Heel Spur Pain Takes to Settle With Care in Centennial
Heel spur pain often takes a few weeks to a few months to settle with care in Centennial, and your exam sets the real timeline. The Cleveland Clinic gives that range for plantar fasciitis healing. In studies of plantar fasciitis with a spur, 20% to 75% of people had no symptoms within a year of onset.
The number of visits depends on how long the heel has hurt and how you respond in the first weeks. Dr. Butler sets the schedule after your exam and adjusts it as you improve.
| Your situation | What we look at | Typical next step |
|---|---|---|
| Heel pain that started in the last few weeks | Heel, arch and ankle motion, your shoes | Exam, a short course of care, home steps |
| Months of pain, worst on the first steps of the day | Foot and ankle joints, calf and arch tension, gait | Adjustments and soft tissue work, shockwave if the exam supports it |
| Spur seen on an X-ray, little or no pain | Whether the pain comes from the spur area at all | Exam, then care only if your foot needs it |
| Heel pain while training or golfing | Training load, footwear, foot mechanics | A plan built around your schedule |
- If your heel has not improved within a week, book an exam instead of waiting it out.
- If you already have an X-ray showing a spur, bring the report to your first visit.
Should You Keep Walking the High Line Canal Trail With a Heel Spur?
Walking the High Line Canal Trail with a heel spur calls for care: cut back while the heel is sore and never push through heel pain. The trail's surface ranges from hard packed dirt to concrete, and hard surfaces are a risk factor for plantar fasciitis. At home, ice the heel 10 to 15 minutes twice a day, wear supportive cushioned shoes, and skip flip-flops and bare feet.
When Heel Pain Needs a Medical Doctor in Centennial
Heel pain needs a closer look when it does not improve on its own within a week, or does not improve after two weeks of treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In Colorado, a chiropractic license does not include surgery or prescribing drugs, so steroid injections or spur surgery are decisions for your medical doctor.
Get prompt medical care for heel pain after a fall or injury, a foot you cannot stand on, or a heel that is red, hot and swollen, especially with a fever. If symptoms are sudden and severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Why Centennial Patients Choose Butler Family Health Center for Heel Pain
Centennial patients choose Butler Family Health Center for heel pain because the exam, hands-on care and shockwave or laser therapy all happen in one office, with one doctor. What you get:
- Dr. Chris Butler, D.C., a Cleveland Chiropractic College graduate and chiropractor since 1996
- Same-day appointments and walk-ins
- Shockwave therapy and Remy Class IV laser therapy on site
- Preferred provider for Anthem, Blue Cross, Aetna, Cofinity, Humana, Cigna, United Healthcare and others
- Cash plans for patients without insurance or with high deductibles, and HSA debit cards accepted
- Care for every age, from newborns to seniors
- 4.9 stars on Google from more than 70 reviews
Coverage for heel care depends on your plan, so bring your insurance card to your first visit. Reviewers often say Dr. Butler takes his time. Melanie H. wrote, "From the very beginning, I felt listened to, cared for, and never rushed."
The Bottom Line
Chiropractic care can help with heel spurs by easing the pain around the spur, though the bony growth itself stays. Care aims at the soft tissue and joints of the foot and ankle, with shockwave when the exam supports it. Relief often takes a few weeks to a few months. If your heel still hurts after a week, have it checked. For a chiropractor in Centennial who listens first, call or text Butler Family Health Center at (303) 741-2444 to book a same-day visit.