Bone spur

Bone spurs, also known as osteophytes, are bony projections that form along joints. Bone spurs form due to the body's increase of a damaged (usually due to arthritis) joint's surface area in an futile attempt to improve weight distribution. However, they usually limit joint movement and typically cause pain.

Bone spurs form naturally on the spine as a person ages and are a sign of degeneration in the spine. In this case the spurs are not the source of back pains, but instead a common sympton of the problem.

Spurs can also appear on the feet, either along toes or the heel.