I have a bonespur (about 1 cm projection) on one heel. The bonespur sticks out horizontally and touches the vertical part of the shoe coming up around the heel. The bonespur itself is painless, so surgery to have it fixed doesn't seem practical. When running the bonespur rubs a hole in the sneaker after I've run for a while. It has happened in every shoe I can remember since high school. After about 100 miles a hole (size of a nickel) develops in the fabric. The hole reveals a plastic support piece in the shoe that begins to rub against the bonespur. First the plastic support piece rubs a hole in my sock, then it causes irritation and bleeding on the bonespur to a point where I cannot train at full capacity.
I've tried duct taping the back of the shoe to make it more durable but the tape slides away after 1-2 miles. I've tried ducttaping the sock, and also duct taping my foot but the tape slides away. If I wear longer socks and fold the elastic band down I can double-up the material on the ankle and heel. This delays (and sometimes prevents) the hole from developing in the sock. However since the elastic band ends up around my arch it creates a different type of discomfort and I end up under-pronating to avoid running on the elastic band. Buying new shoes has been the most effective cure for the problem but that is costly when I am looking into replacing shoes every 100 miles.
Are there any people with similar experiences out there?
Outside of surgery to remove the bonespur any ideas on how to prevent any of this stuff from happening (hole in shoe fabric, hole in sock, irritated skin)? Your words are very much appreciated - thank you.