Bone spurs are extremely common, especially as you get older. By age 40, nearly everyone has at least some bone spurs along the spine, and studies using high-resolution imaging have found them in virtually 100% of middle-aged adults when looking closely at the finger joints. Many people live with bone spurs and never know it. Whether they cause problems depends on where they form and how large they grow.
Overall Prevalence by Age
Bone spurs (also called osteophytes) are bony projections that develop along the edges of bones, most often where two bones meet at a joint. They form gradually as the body tries to repair or stabilize areas affected by wear, pressure, or inflammation. The older you are, the more likely you are to have them, and the more of them you’re likely to have.
A study of 427 factory workers with an average age of about 54 used high-resolution ultrasound to examine over 11,000 finger joints. Researchers found at least one bone spur in 99.8% of participants. That’s nearly every single person. Among those, about 43% had only small, grade 1 spurs, while 56% had moderate-sized spurs and about 5% had large ones. The fingertip joints were most affected, with spurs present in 61% of those joints, followed by the middle finger joints at 48%.
These numbers are higher than what you’d see in younger populations or with less sensitive imaging. Standard X-rays miss smaller spurs that ultrasound or CT scans can pick up. So the true prevalence in adults over 50 is likely much higher than older estimates suggest.
How Common They Are in the Spine
The spine is one of the most frequent locations for bone spurs. After age 40, nearly all adults develop spurs along the front and sides of the vertebrae. These are the types that typically cause no symptoms because they grow away from the spinal cord and nerves. Posterior spurs, the ones that grow toward the spinal canal where they can press on nerves, are found in a minority of people. When posterior spurs do form, they’re more likely to cause pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs depending on whether they’re in the neck or lower back.
Spinal bone spurs are a normal part of aging. The discs between your vertebrae lose water content and height over time, which changes how forces are distributed across the spine. The body responds by building extra bone to increase surface area and stabilize the joints. This process happens so reliably that radiologists consider anterior spurs a routine finding in anyone over 40.
Heel Spur Prevalence
Heel spurs are among the most commonly discussed types because they’re often blamed for foot pain. About 38% of the general population has a heel spur of some kind, either on the bottom of the heel (where the plantar fascia attaches) or at the back (where the Achilles tendon connects). Around 11% have spurs at both locations. One U.S. epidemiologic study found that 11% of the adult population had a heel spur show up as an incidental finding on X-rays taken for other reasons, meaning the spur was there but wasn’t causing any known problems.
The relationship between heel spurs and foot pain is less straightforward than most people assume. For years, heel spurs were considered the direct cause of plantar fasciitis. But plenty of people with large heel spurs have zero pain, and many people with severe plantar fasciitis have no spur at all. The spur itself is more of a marker that the area has been under chronic stress. Treatment for heel pain typically focuses on the soft tissue inflammation rather than the bony growth.
Knee and Other Major Joints
Bone spurs in the knee are closely linked with osteoarthritis and become increasingly common after age 50. In a study of 74 patients with an average age of 63, CT scans revealed bone spurs across all three compartments of the knee. The inner compartment had the highest number, with 219 spurs detected, followed by the area behind the kneecap (197 spurs) and the outer compartment (120 spurs). Notably, MRI missed 19% to 30% of the spurs that CT scans found, which means prevalence estimates based on MRI alone undercount the real number.
Hips and shoulders follow a similar pattern. As cartilage thins and joints experience more friction, the body lays down extra bone at the margins. Shoulder spurs often form on the underside of the acromion (the bony roof above the rotator cuff) and can contribute to impingement if they narrow the space where tendons pass through. Hip spurs frequently develop around the rim of the socket and are a hallmark of osteoarthritis progression.
Most Bone Spurs Never Cause Symptoms
Perhaps the most important thing to understand about bone spurs is that the majority are silent. They show up on imaging and never produce pain, stiffness, or any noticeable limitation. Spinal spurs along the front of the vertebrae, small finger joint spurs, and many heel spurs fall into this category. They’re so common in adults over 40 that their presence alone doesn’t explain pain or warrant treatment.
Spurs become a problem in specific situations: when they press on a nerve, when they grow into a space where tendons need to glide freely, or when they break off and become loose bodies inside a joint. Location matters far more than size. A small spur in the spinal canal can cause significant nerve compression, while a large spur on the front of a vertebra may never cause a moment of discomfort.
If a bone spur shows up on your imaging, it’s worth asking whether it’s actually responsible for your symptoms or simply a bystander. Given that nearly every adult over 40 has them somewhere, the odds of a spur being an incidental finding are high.
Risk Factors That Increase Formation
Age is the strongest predictor, but several other factors accelerate bone spur development. Joint injuries, even old ones, change the mechanical forces on a joint and speed up the process. Osteoarthritis is both a cause and a consequence: as cartilage wears down, spurs form in response, and those spurs can further alter joint mechanics. Obesity increases the load on weight-bearing joints like the knees, hips, and spine, making spurs more likely in those areas.
Repetitive stress plays a role as well. The factory workers in the finger joint study had high rates of spurs partly because of the repetitive hand use their jobs required. Similarly, runners and people who spend long hours on their feet develop heel spurs at higher rates. Genetics also contribute. Some people are simply more prone to bone overgrowth, and family history of osteoarthritis correlates with earlier and more widespread spur formation.