[This followup was posted to alt.support.arthritis and a copy was sent to the
cited author.]

Hi Marlyn,

I have AS and heel spurs and neuroma and have had plantar fasciitis (really
great for a dancer...)

I had orthotic inserts made for my shoes with hollows under the heel spurs and
a lump under the ball of my foot for the neuroma. The orthotics did a great job
until I had to have them relined and couldn't find anyone who could reline them
properly. I finally gave up on the orthotics and have used ready made gel
inserts, which do help. The plantar fasciitis eventually stopped bothering me.

I avoid injections as much as possible. I once tried an injection for an elbow
problem and it really help much or very long.

It's worth spending more (if necessary) for shoes which properly WITH good,
shock-absorbing gel or foam inserts. I buy the inserts first, and then use them
to replace the ones that come with the shoes.

Personally, if the inserts work, I would avoid doing anything invasive, such as
surgery or injections.

I hope that this is of some help and that you find an acceptable solution to
your problems.

Be well,
Norman

Wellll, you are in the right place and if this is your first time to
post,,,,,,, Welcome to ASA.   IMO the sooner the better with the shot and
yes, you will not enjoy it buttttt you will later.
Harv

I had a heel spur 25 years ago, first treated with cortisone and
immobilization, then arthroscopy surgery, pain gone, never returned. have
had problems in other areas but the heel is great.

I forgot to add that, as explained to me when I was first diagnosed with heel
spurs, bone spurs are caused by the muscle pulling on the bone where it is
attached and partially lifting some of the bone surface material almost like a
mini-green stick fracture. The body fills in the break by building more bone
under the lifted surface. The process repeats until you have bony protrusion.
With heel spurs. it's like having a pebble in your shoe, but under the skin so
that you are constantly walking on "something in your shoe." That is why
orthotics have a hollow to match the spur and remove the pressure on that
"pebble". They also are constructed so as to limit pronation which is what
causes the pulling which lifted the bone-surface in the first place. You can
surgically remove the spur, but the under-lying problem of a slightly weak bony
surface remains, which means that they will probably return.

Spurs at the knees and similar joints can bind the joint and limit the
flexibility, like jamming a stick in a door hinge.

My husband has been having major problems with plantar fasciitis since this
past summer.  (It was a real shock to him as he's always had feet that would
put up with anything.)

He finally broke down and bouught some Birkenstocks which eased the pain a
fair amount.  But whenever he wears dress shoes instead or his snow boots,
now that it's winter, he suffers greatly (and boy do I hear about it, LOL).  
His foot got much better of Christmas when we were in Florida and he wore his
Birks all the time, the pain was back greatly after our 36 hour trip home on
the airlines and his Birkenstocks were in our luggage which hadn't caught up
to us yet.

Now, I've used these http://www.footsmart.com/Product.aspx?productId=83 for
several years for my own variety of arch pain.  I couldn't buy  those for him
at a local store, but thought the ankle braces of the same fabric might help
some with the fasciitis and picked one up at the store.  He says it
definitely helps and makes wearing the snow boots tolerable.  I'll have to
order the arch sleeves for him.

Oh, and on the advice of the fellow at the Birkenstock store who has plantar
fasciitis himself, Mike wears one pair of Birks as slippers and keeps another
pair for wearing elsewhere, when the weather lets him.

Don't know if it helps, but those are our tidbits.