Melody, being overweight is the major cause of heel spurs, you are right! Also, they are almost always self-limiting....that is, they will go away by themselves, although it may take 3-4 years for the body to adjust and the pain to stop. I always hate to see people get surgery -- it makes the docs a lot of money, so they recommend it -- when weight loss and time will take care of things. And orthotics help many people. I had steroid injections for mine years ago, and it helped temporarily, although I don't think I would do that again now that I am more aware of the possible side effects.