Politics: A podiatrist explains heel spurs — the medical condition Trump said earned him a medical deferment from Vietnam

Trump had five deferments from service in Vietnam, four were for education, the fifth was a medical deferment, for a foot condition he described as heel spurs.

On Monday, President Donald Trump tweeted out a series of attacks on Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal's record during the Vietnam War.

Trump himself had five deferments from service in Vietnam, four were for education, and the fifth was a medical deferment, for a foot condition he described as heel spurs.

We asked podiatric surgeon Dr. Jacqueline Sutera (who has not treated Mr. Trump) to explain the diagnosis. Following is a transcript of the video.

Dr. Jacqueline Sutera: The heel spurs are little calcifications that start to form at the bottom of the heel bone, and in someone who has, like, a very thin fat pad, you might be able to actually feel it, and can cause pain.

They're typically a little bit spiky on x-ray, and so they're kind of pointy. And that can cause irritation to the surrounding tissue in the area, the fascia is right there, that's where the plantar fascia attaches onto the heel bone as well.

So, plantar fasciitis, heel spur syndrome, heel spur, that all really goes together.

People with heel spurs and heel pain, plantar fasciitis, typically have pain when they first get out of bed in the morning. So, shouldn't it feel better when you are resting after a night's sleep? The problem with that and the reason why it happens is because when you're resting, the soft tissue just relaxes and there's a swelling there.

So, then you go to stand up on it with all of your body weight, and it starts that inflammation all over again.

Some people can have heel spurs without heel pain, some people have heel pain without heel spurs, it kind of just is an individual thing and it should be really checked out.

You need an x-ray to diagnose a heel spur.

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