Kind of a roundabout answer - stay with me, LOL.
I was diagnosed with RA when I was 14. It went into remission at age 20, but RA returned in my mid-40's (I believe brought on by menopause), though I was NOT officially diagnosed again with RA until late 2006. About 10 years ago, I developed Plantar Fasciitis and suffered with it for about a year.
So the roundabout answer is - I got Plantar Fasciitis during a period when the RA had become active again, even though I was not diagnosed with RA at the time. So - it could have been related to RA.
In hindsight, so many things seem to be related to RA!
I have one that supposedly is still there. I used to not be able to walk it hurt so bad but AP took care of it. I thought it was gone but it showed up on my last set of X-rays. I don't know what that means. :-)
Pip
Cat - we've got to hook you up with Steph! You're stories are similar!
Pip
HI Blessed, yes I have both and both can be very painful, have had terrible crampy pains in the plantar fascitis area, and my heel just hurts to put weight on it, but due to two osteoporotic fractures in the fourth metatarsal on each foot, (thanks to 7.5 years of steroids) I still have to use my heel so choose not to most days due to terrible pain. My Gp said I could have a pred injection but I try not to unless I really need to as it can damage the tendons and I already have tendon involvement on the achilles tendons. Hope this helps, regards Janie. I have a huge heel spur on my left foot and a smaller one on the right foot. I also have plantar fasciitis but the pain is not in my heel. It is up the front of my foot just behind my toes. My GP sent me to a podiatrist who suggested supportive shoes and possibly orthotics. I Have bought some orthotics from the pharmacy and will see if they help. If they help a bit I might get proper ones made. The pain if really bad when I walk a fair bit and the arch of my feet are VERY tender and a bit swollen. The symptoms of this have only really become noticeable in the last 6 weeks. So to answer your question, yes both diagnosed after RA.I have plantar fasciitis and heel spurs in both feet. I started having pain 2 years ago and I've been to the podiatrist (he made orthodics that hurt so much I can't wear them) I've had P/T, I've tried anti-inflammatories, I stretch and I ice my heels every single day and the pain is getting worse. I can't walk around the block, I can't walk the mall....nothing. I'm seeing another foot Dr. the end of November but I'll tell you, I am so discouraged I could cry, but that won't do any good.
I used to be so active, walking an average of 60 miles a week. I've put on 20 lbs. in a short period of time. I always said "I can't use my hands as much but at least I can walk!!"
I really don't know what I'm going to do.
I'm so sorry for you miles2go...I can't imagine this in both feet!!! How do you get out of bed in the morning??? OM-Goodness!! It is just awful in my one foot. One day it will feel a tiny bit better and gives me hope...but then a few hours later the pain slowly gets worse.Hi Lisa. It's been primarily in my left heel but for the last couple of months I've been getting sharp pains in the right heel and arch. I had x-rays and they showed that it's in both heels. I started working out in the pool at the gym and I actually hurt myself by running in the water! I didn't know I could get hurt that way but my heels were still hitting the bottom of the pool. So now I wear a water belt that keeps me afloat and I can still "run" without my feet touching the bottom. What a work-out! I only work out for 30 minutes at a time but I'm moving constantly and I'm pretty tired afterwards. I love it and I know if I can get rid of these extra pounds it will help.
Is the soft cast something that you wear at night and it keeps the foot in a stretched position?
Blessed. Have you tried those over the counter orthotic things? I think Dr.Hi Blessed
I've had RA for 24 years. 17 years ago I was bothered by heel spurs. I was told that the spurs will always be there unless they're removed surgically. I wore well cushioned running shoes to work every day. That really helped, but over the years I got away from wearing runners... they don't really go well with dresswear. Then 7 years ago I ended up with plantar faschitis because those spurs reared their ugly heads again. My dr. recommended no dress shoes, no sandals, no going without cushioned foot wear outside and inside the house. That means slippers are out. So I bought a pair of Merrell runners for outside footwear and a pair of Clark's clogs to wear inside. It took about 6 months, never going barefoot and putting up with hot weather in shoes, but the plantar faschitis did go away.
About 4 years ago, I foolishly went back to wearing slippers and going about the house in sockfeet... well, guess what? 2 weeks ago, the faschitis pain came back again. Someone give me a swift kick in the pants...oops, better not... I'd never get up again with my gimpy knee!
Yep, have 'em. Yep, very painful, and does not help with the rest of the pains. Also, I have some involvement of the achiles tendon too.
OK I've been wearing arch support orthotics for a week now and the pain is the same if not worse. The arches of my feet buzz and tingle all the time, especially when I'm NOT on my feet.
I'm like you Punkie, the podiatrist said closed in support shoes. For me thats a killer, I ALWAYS go barefoot inside and wear sandles most of the year. I HATE having shoes on. It's going to take some real perserverance on my part to wear shoes all the time. Hopefully my feet will start to improve and give me some incentive to keep myself shoed lol.
Hi, I don't have 'that one', but i had a friend who suffered badly from it. She used to walk about 5 miles a day, but had to quit. It took months for her to feel better (now). I don't know what she did to fix it. I'll ask? (she is pretty overweight and said she was trying to shed pounds, she hasn't been able to)....such a struggle. meHey all,
Another person who got plantar fascitis (sp?) and bone spurs post RA. I do the stretching, ice, shoes all the time, orthotics and I am still battling it--though it is significantly better than it was six months ago. I also use a night splint. It is this big, cumbersome (toes to knee) boot that I sleep in. It keeps my foot at a 90 degree angle. Which is amazingly helpful. Makes it a little easier to get out of bed in the am with out screaming--which in turn is appreciated by the husband, the children, and the dogs. The cat doesn't seem to care either way.
Andrea
I had a bad bout of plantar fascitis post RA too. I do not have bone spurs but did have very badly inflamed tendon attachment site on bottom of heel. Custom orthotics helped immensely. This was about 10 years ago, and I still have to be sure to wear well padded shoes/sandals with arch support or the nasty thing comes back!
Thought I was going to explode from pain when I took first step each morning even in super padded supportive clogs.
Pammy
I agree with you - wearing closed shoes in warm weather is a real pain. Thank goodness for cold winters. I like to be warm so wearing socks and clogs in the house is ok.
It takes a long time for the plantar fascia to heal so you have to be patient and follow the dr's orders. Even though I could get out of bed without feeling that awful foot pain after 6 months of support shoes, I kept wearing them for at least another year so I really gave the fascia a good length of time to heal.
Sure hope your feet feel better soon.
:)Judy
I have severe plantar faciatis and I ordered the 0 orthotics which did nothing to help the pain. The only thing that seems to help is getting cortisone shots in my heels periodically. Hurts like the dickens, but boy is it worth it.