What Are Bone Spurs (Osteophytes), and Do They Need Treatment?
Osteophytes, usually called bone spurs, are small bony growths that form along the edges of joints. They are usually a sign of normal wear that comes with age, not a disease. Most osteophytes cause no symptoms at all. They do not need treatment. When they do cause problems, it is usually because they press on a nerve or limit movement in the spine.
Key points
- Osteophytes are extremely common. They are often found by chance on scan reports.
- Most bone spurs are painless and need no treatment at all.
- They form because the body is trying to steady a joint that has worn over time.
- Symptoms only arise when a spur presses on a nerve or limits joint movement.
- A standing, weight-bearing scan can show whether bone spurs are affecting your alignment under real, everyday load.
What exactly are osteophytes?
Osteophytes are small projections of extra bone that grow along the edges of a joint. Your body makes them as a natural repair response when cartilage wears down. Think of them as the skeleton's way of spreading the load over a wider surface. They also add stability to a joint that has been under stress for a long time.
They are most often seen in the spine, especially around the facet joints at the back of each vertebra and along the edges of the vertebral bodies. They can also form around the hips, knees, shoulders and feet. In the spine they are closely linked to spondylosis, the general term for age-related degenerative changes.
Why do bone spurs form in the spine?
Bone spurs form because the body is responding to long-term mechanical stress on a joint. As cartilage slowly thins, the bone underneath reshapes itself. It lays down extra bone at the joint edges. This is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is a sign that the body is adapting.
Wear with age
Decades of normal use slowly thin the cartilage. This triggers new bone growth at the joint edges.
Repeated loading
Physical jobs or heavy sport put extra stress on certain parts of the spine.
Alignment imbalance
Poor posture or uneven loading speeds up wear in some joints while sparing others.
Osteophytes are so closely tied to everyday ageing that studies consistently find them in most adults over 60. Most of these people have no pain at all. Bone spurs are one of the most common chance findings on spine scan reports. That is why seeing "osteophytes noted" in your report does not mean you have a problem that needs fixing.
When do bone spurs actually cause symptoms?
Most osteophytes are completely silent. Symptoms only develop when a spur is large enough, or sits in just the wrong spot, to interfere with the structures around it. In the spine, the two main situations are pressure on a nerve and limited joint movement.
Stiffness in one area
Less movement in the neck or lower back, especially first thing in the morning or after sitting for a long time.
Pain that spreads
A spur pressing on a nerve root can send pain, tingling or numbness into an arm or leg. This overlaps with spinal stenosis.
Facet joint pain
Osteophytes on the facet joints can contribute to facet joint arthropathy. This causes a dull ache that gets worse when you lean backwards.
Get urgent medical help if you have sudden weakness in your arms or legs, loss of bladder or bowel control, or numbness that is quickly getting worse. Contact your doctor or go to your nearest emergency department straight away. These symptoms need immediate assessment, not a routine scan.
How does a standing scan show what lying-down scans miss?
A standard X-ray, CT scan or MRI is taken while you lie flat. In that position your muscles relax and gravity no longer presses on your spine. Any alignment problem, compensating curve or narrowing that only shows under your own body weight can be hidden.
A standing, weight-bearing EOS scan captures your skeleton from head to foot while you stand upright, in a natural, loaded position. This matters for osteophytes because it shows two things a lying-down image cannot:
- How the spur behaves under real load. A bone spur near the point where a nerve leaves the spine may only cause narrowing when gravity compresses your spine.
- The bigger alignment picture. Your body is a connected chain from your feet to your skull. If osteophytes stiffen one part of the spine, other parts may over-compensate and cause problems elsewhere. A whole-body standing image shows these knock-on effects at a glance.
ScanAlign standing EOS imaging uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less. This makes it a practical option for anyone who wants a clear, weight-bearing view of their spine without unnecessary radiation exposure.
Want to see how your spine looks under load? A standing whole-body EOS scan captures your alignment from head to foot in one low-dose image.
Book a free video consultationDo bone spurs need to be removed?
In most cases, no. The vast majority of osteophytes are chance findings that need no treatment or procedure. If your report mentions "mild osteophyte formation" or "degenerative change", it usually means your spine is showing normal signs of ageing. That is reassuring, not alarming.
Usually enough
- Staying active and mobile
- Gentle stretching and strengthening
- Good posture habits throughout the day
- Managing your weight to reduce the load on your spine
- Over-the-counter painkillers for occasional flare-ups
Rarely needed
- Surgery is only considered when a spur causes significant pressure on a nerve that does not improve with conservative measures
- This is uncommon, and any decision about surgery is made by a specialist, not an imaging clinic
ScanAlign is a diagnostic imaging clinic, so we do not provide treatment. What we can do is give you and your treating specialist a clear, weight-bearing picture of your spine. That way, any decisions about care are based on how your body actually looks when upright and under load.
Before you start treatment, or change the one you are on, it is worth getting a detailed diagnosis. Knowing whether the cause sits in the pelvis, the legs or the spine changes what will actually help.
When MRI is the better choice: EOS imaging is excellent at showing bones, joints and overall alignment. If your treating specialist suspects a disc problem, pressure on a nerve from soft tissue, or inflammation, MRI is usually the more suitable test. The two types of imaging work well together.
Frequently asked questions about osteophytes
Yes. "Osteophyte" is the medical term and "bone spur" is the everyday name. They mean exactly the same thing: a small outgrowth of bone at the edge of a joint.
No. Once they have formed, osteophytes do not shrink or disappear. However, this is not usually a concern, because most bone spurs are painless and harmless.
In most cases, no. This is one of the most common chance findings on spine scans. It means the radiologist has seen normal bony change that comes with age. If you have no significant symptoms, it often needs no further action.
They can, but they usually do not. Many people with bone spurs have no pain, and many people with back pain have no bone spurs. Pain is more often linked to muscle tension, disc problems or inflammation than to the spurs themselves.
Osteophytes are the bony growths. Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal canal or the tunnels where nerves leave the spine. Large osteophytes can contribute to stenosis, but stenosis can also be caused by thickened ligaments, bulging discs or other changes.
A lying-down X-ray removes the effect of gravity on your spine. A standing EOS scan shows how your spine behaves under your own body weight. This can reveal narrowing or alignment problems that a standard image misses. It also uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less.
No. ScanAlign accepts self-referrals. You can book a free video consultation directly, without a letter from your doctor.
The price for patients travelling from abroad is confirmed during the free video consultation.
Yes. The EOS system uses about 90% less radiation than a standard X-ray, around ten times less. It is one of the lowest-dose skeletal imaging options available.
They can grow slowly over many years as part of the ongoing degenerative process. Staying active, keeping a healthy weight and keeping good posture can help manage the load on your joints and slow further change.
See your spine the way it works. Standing up.
If your report mentions osteophytes and you want to understand what they mean for your alignment, a standing whole-body EOS scan at 19 Harley Street, London, can give you the full picture.
Book a free video consultationWritten by Abbas Dhami (Specialist Diagnostic Radiographer)
Sources
- NHS. Osteoarthritis overview. nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/
- Van der Kraan PM, van den Berg WB. Osteophytes: relevance and biology. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2007;15(3):237-244.
- Illés T, Somoskeöy S. The EOS imaging system and its uses in daily orthopaedic practice. International Orthopaedics. 2012;36(7):1405-1411.
This page is general information and not a diagnosis.
ScanAlign is the trading name of CoreMed Solutions Ltd and operates under The Harley Street Hospital's CQC licence.