Also called osteophytes, bone spurs are seen on X-rays, particularly at the heel bone and in the spine. They are an indication of a degenerative process but are looked upon by some as normal findings, especially with advancing years. Osteophytes by themselves rarely cause pain. However, they are often confused with the actual diagnosis by some practitioners. A typical story is that a patient will go to the doctor with heel pain, an X-ray will reveal a bony spur, and both the doctor and the patient will conclude together that the bony spur is causing the pain. This is rarely true. Bony spurs are most often incidental and unharmful, and rarely need to be treated