One of the most common treatments for ankle bone spurs is rest. It is the most effective way to eliminate the pain that comes from irritation of the tissue around the bone spur. Other common treatments for ankle bone spurs include icing the ankle; changing to better shoes; stretching the area around the ankle; weight loss, which can take pressure off the ankle joint; and the use of muscle relaxants or anti-inflammatory drugs. In more serious cases, surgery might be necessary.

Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen can help decrease pain and the swelling around the inflamed area. Muscle relaxants can be given if the bone spur causes spasms or muscle tension. If the ankle bone spur is chronic, a doctor might recommend a cortisone shot to the painful area. Cortisone can lessen the pain and bring down the inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the ankle bone spur.

Another common treatment for ankle bone spurs is changing footwear or putting padding in a shoe. Other changes to footwear that could help treat ankle bone spurs are wearing shoes with a wider toe box or rocker-bottom heels. These shoes let the foot move without as much bending of the ankle joint. Ankle bone spurs also can be treated with a change in physical activities. Pain in the ankle area can be reduced by putting a limit on activities such as running and jumping.

These common treatments for ankle bone spurs usually can alleviate the symptoms. If those treatments don't work, another option is surgery. A doctor can work on the ankle bone spur surgically to fix it or can replace the ankle joint if arthritis had damaged or deformed the ankle. One common surgery for ankle bone spurs is a cheilectomy, during which the spurs are removed. This surgery is useful if the spurs are disrupting the ankle joint's motion, but if the ankle cartilage is gone, the procedure will remove the spurs but might not eliminate the pain.

Another common surgery to treat ankle bone spurs is called arthrodesis, also known as joint fusion surgery. In this surgery, two bones on each end of the ankle joint are fused, eliminating the joint itself. This procedure is good for taking away much of the pain that a cheilectomy cannot, but it could cause the toe to stiffen up at its base.