In clinical work, we often see some middle-aged and elderly people worrying about osteophytes found in the lumbar spine and knee joints during health screening, thinking that osteophytes are incurable and can cause paralysis. In fact, patients with osteophytes generally do not cause functional disability, and a few patients are asymptomatic for life. Most patients have symptoms limited to the joints, manifesting as a series of signs and symptoms such as pain, deformation and functional limitation of activities; only a very small number of patients have pain, sensory impairment and cerebral ischemia symptoms in the corresponding limbs due to compression of nerves and vertebral arteries by the enlarged bone; if treated timely and effectively, these symptoms will be controlled. How should patients with osteophytes be treated properly? Osteomalacia is a natural phenomenon of human aging: generally, after the age of 35, the intervertebral discs between vertebrae degenerate and become thinner, and the physiological balance of the original muscles, ligaments and joint capsule around the vertebrae is destroyed. In order to adapt to these changes and re-establish a new balance, the body grows new bone at the edge of the vertebral body to increase the stability of the bone and joint. This phenomenon is osteophytes, which can increase the contact area of the bone and joint and reduce the pressure per unit area. In a sense, osteophytes are a protective response of the body, a compensatory response of the body and a normal physiological degeneration. The doctor’s task is to treat the local tissue congestion, edema, inflammation and adhesions caused by osteophytes and the resulting compression of nerves and blood vessels causing a series of signs and symptoms. All current treatment measures can only improve the symptoms and eliminate pain, numbness and soreness and discomfort. The idea and practice of trying to get rid of the hyperplastic bone is impractical. It is ridiculous and ignorant to claim that it is possible to melt away the enlarged bones (bone spurs). Hyperplastic bone can only cause clinical symptoms under specific circumstances: ① Osteoarthritis and degenerative crepitus: Osteoarthritis is the cause, but not the only cause, of osteophytes, which are one of the manifestations of osteoarthritis. When osteophytes occur, although they increase the weight-bearing capacity and stability of the bone, they affect the flexibility and mobility of the joints, resulting in unsmooth joints and increased friction. When the joint is overactive or uncoordinated, the synovial membrane in the joint is highly susceptible to auto-injury causing synovitis, and the ligaments and joint capsule are strained, leading to a series of clinical symptoms. When the osteophytes in the knee joint are in a special position and larger, for example, the synovial membrane can be damaged. When the osteophytes in the peripheral joint edges are larger, they can obstruct the sliding of tendons or compress the adjacent nerves; when the cervical hook vertebral joint is enlarged, it can compress the vertebral artery; when the crestal vertebral osteophytes are enlarged, it can cause the crestal canal to narrow and cause symptoms. Therefore, there is no need to be overly nervous about osteophytes, and only when symptoms appear and correspond to the proliferated bone, then consider symptomatic treatment, rather than laborious and costly to “cure”.