Ms Chan, 65, went to see a doctor for her knee pain. Through X-rays, the doctor found that she has developed some bone spurs at the knee joint. Ms Chan believes that her pain comes from the spurs because in her mind, they are similar to thorns of roses, piercing through the flesh and causing pain. Therefore, she asked the doctor to get rid of the spurs, thinking that this would get rid of the pain as well. This is a common misconception.
Bone spurs are known medically as osteophyte. They are bony outgrowths developed around a degenerated joint and can be easily detected by X-rays. The body’s functions deteriorate as one ages; therefore, joint degeneration is a common physiological phenomenon when one enters middle age. As the cartilage covering the joint surfaces experiences wear and tear, the underlying bone ends are exposed and grind against each other. This results in joint inflammation and pain.
Many people would associate the word “spur” with sharp objects; but in reality, bone spurs are not sharp and won’t pierce through the flesh. The pain in a degenerated joint is not caused by the bone spur. Apart from a small proportion of cases involving bone spurs in a degenerated spine, which causes compression on nerve tissues, most bone spurs do not require any treatment. They do not need to be removed surgically, nor are there any drugs to “dissolve” it.