Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Heel or Ankle pain anyone?

Hi Angie,

I don't get heel pain very often, but when I get it it is in the area to the back of my foot. Don't know much more than that about this one. I hope this finds you well.


http://www.power-over-pain.org

Take care my friend

Daniel

Hi Dan!
I dont get the heel pain often either.....it started up the last few weeks, but like I said it was only late at night when I had to get up from sleep to get some water or from sitting down too long. This was the first time that it actually lasted this long. I've been hobbling along. I know that my grandma has alot of problems with her heels as well........we always swap arthritis stories since she seems to understand my pain levels real well. I am trying to avoid the "icebag" girl for now.........

Other than that........I am looking forward to some rain stopping and getting some joint releif I dont know but whenever this rain comes or cool front.......it really takes me for a whallop!! I hope that you arent doing too bad yourseff as well!

take care.........


Toodles!
Angie

Hello LB,
I know a tight heel cord can be very painful, that hurts at the back of the leg at the heel. Also, on the bottom of your foot, at the back end of your arch you can have pain and that pain is called plantar faschitis. I have been having that pain since my ankle surgery. The doctor has me in a night brace when I sleep
to correct a very tight ligament on the bottom of my foot. It got tight from being in a cast for so long. The doc said we AS'ers can get tight heel cords and sore spots on the bottom of our feet back towards the heel. Stretching helps a lot. I put the ball of my foot on a stair or step and let my heel drop down lower than the step itself and really stretch the heel cord. It really does feel better. Also wearing shoes that support and cushion the foot, to absorb the shock of hitting the ground really does help. I have been told not to go barefoot by my Ortho Doc and to wear good shoes to help my feet and ankles.
That's really hard to do when you live in a hot climate and have gone barefoot in the summer since you were little. But it helps.
I also have to wear ankle braces because of my ankle surgery on one ankle and because the other ankle has ligament laxity... a condition where your ankle ligaments are loose and don't support well, and your ankle wants to either dislocate or fall to the side which usually results in a sprain.
But I know heel pain and I know ankle pain and the real answer I've found is
good foot support with good shoes and/or braces or meds... stretching...
or night braces for heel pain. A good ortho doc can diagnose you correctly if you really get in trouble with heel pain.

Hope you find your answers!!

Take care Buggie!!

CA

Hi Ca!!! So nice to hear from you my friend!!!
Thansk for all this information. I try to do the stretching.....and it seems to make it feel like my foot wants to cramp up and spasm ......similar to my toes. I can no longer polish my toes......my foot starts cramping up real bad. I have to get ARt or Gianna to polish my toes......which ends up being quite an unusual pedicure!!

I bought several shoes that were the Aerosoles and I felt that they were helping me. They felt more cushioned. Who knows. I do have an orthopedic doc so I may call him tomorrow if it continues to be panful tomorrow. He is pretty good and has all my history of AS,,,,,,,,si may give hime a buzz. Did your doc say it was realated to the AS issue?? Just curious. I am always active. I walk around........keep myself busy.....and today.....boy oh boy...........it hurt every step.

Does the night brace help you out??? I feel like my feet want to curl up like a little ball. It hurts real bad. I hope it gets better soon and hope you get some relief as well too!

Hugs]]]]]]

Toodles!
Angie

If my memory is right (and it is veyr early in the morning and on only one cup of coffee,yawn) heel pain is one of the listed symptoms in the criteria for AS on one scale that I read. Plantar fascitis. I've been plaqued by it for years, can keep it in check if I do my achilles stretches, forget a few days and it's baaack Standing alone heel pain isn't enough for a DX (people who are on their feet a lot, such as waiters, get it too) but in combination with four or five other symptoms, it's a marker.

Cheryl

Dogs believe in long term relationships

Sounds like plantar fascitis to me, I've had it off and on for quite a while, painful, feels like a spike is being driven into my heel when I put weight on my foot. In my case it's the left foot, the same one with the chewed up ankle. In one article (at least one) that I read it is one of the defining criteria for AS - - although of course there are other causes for it, such as a job that keeps you on your feet, but in combination with other symptoms (early morning stiffness, back ache persisting for longer than 3 months, etc., etc.) it is part of the picture. I do achilles stretches, lean against a wall and stretch out one calf, and then the other, and repeat, and if I remember to do them every morning it really lessens the pain a lot or makes it go away. There are also steorid shots into the heel but I prefer the stretchie route I would get bouts of it that lasted for weeks, had to use a cane or limp a lot, but the stretching really does help - - it was taught to me by my PT a while ago. Too gad there isn't such a thing as an ankle/foot transplant

Cheryl

Dogs believe in long term relationships

Aww, Buggie, when is it going to stop? Sounds like Plantar Fasciitis to me, I had it and took a cortisone shot directly into my heel back in 1988. It was brought on as a complication to my leg being damaged from my motorcycle accident in '86. (accident is suspected trigger to my AS)

Haven't had a lot of trouble with it since, unless I wear hard soled shoes or am on my feet for an exrended period. Get better quick, k?
Here is a link for PF: http://heelspurs.com/index.html

Doug

Buster & Alisha taking a break

I had this pain real bad after I had my baby and I thought it was something to do with lying on the table for the C-Section. I could barely stand up and It felt like I had a knife stuck in my foot. I tried massaging it, but it was painful. I ended up going to PT, but they thought it was coming from my back. Anyways I understand you pain and my has lasted since March. I have dealt with this all of my life, since I was about 6 years old, if I remember right. Hope yours gets better quick.

Paula

Hi,
I had achiles tendonitis at the point of tendon insertion for years from AS. My sisters who also have AS, have had pain in the bottom of their heels that shoots up when they walk if it is acting up. I found wearing flat shoes made the problem worse as the tendons were constantly extended and stressed. Wearing a good shoe with a heel, for instance a penny loafer with a good square heel really helped my pain. My sisters wore shoes with really good cushioning for their problem.
Hope this helps a little.
Keep kicking

MelodyMaker

Yes that could be an AS thing. A couple of weeks ago I just stood up and my ankle popped! I pops alot but not like this. It really felt like I had broken the darn thing. I could not put the slightest bit of pressure on ANY part of my foot. Out came the crutches and off to the doctors I went. Xrays didn't show anything. The pain left after a couple of days. Now the pain comes and goes. I even wake up in the middle of the night with my ankle hurting liked I sprained it but the pain wears off in a couple of minutes.
On the same note as your foot, my dad (AS man) had the ankle pain when he ws in the air force (WWII times) and the base doctor gave him shots of either steriods or cortizone and that helped.
I'm sorry you are in pain. I hope it goes away before you read this reply!