Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Young Adults - The 20-Something Club Feet hurt when in flats - advise please

I am Karen. I have the weirdest feet ever. Well, may be not. lol.

Anyway, I am more comfortable wearing heels than flats coz I get painful feet when I wear the latter. I can wear flats/slippers at home. However, the arch of my feet hurt if I wear flats during shopping sprees. Anyone experience this?

Also, does health insurance cover podiatry costs? I am looking for a health care provider and I'd be really grateful if you can point me to the right direction. The sites I found http://www.medibank.com.au/ and http://www.nib.com.au/ are really helpful. But I am not sure if they can help me with my feet problem. Plus, I don't think I can manage their costs at this time.

Would you guys have other recommendations?

Thank you so much!

Hi Karen!

I had a similar symptom. My feet hurt incredibly bad. It was worse when I was barefoot. It was also worse early in the morning (when I first got out of bed). My doctor said to not wear flip flops or flat shoes and instead to wear shoes that were supporting.

I bought these inserts: http://www.heel-that-pain.com/?gclid=CMS5gOi2xacCFds32godPjtSDg at the advice of my doctor. Best $25 ever for my feet. I had plantar fasciitis. I wore these for quite a while (luckily for me, it was colder, so I could wear them in my tennis shoes and boots.) I think I wore them for several months (not everyday, but consistently). Now I only wear them when I wear my tennis shoes (probably 2-3 days a week). I haven't had any more foot pain since!

I know it might sounds weird. Reading back over, I hope I don't sound like a commercial.

I'm not sure about podiatry costs. You might want to ask your doctor about plantar fasciitis. It might be what is causing your pain. Good luck!

OMG i feel like the only way i can walk comfortably is walking on the balls of my feet.

i feel like im a ballerina of some kind haha.

but im mostly bare foot around my house and i should probably start looking into buying some good house shoes.

what would be some good ones to get?

we all have opinions, but i think it depends on what part of you is worst affected with this dx. i have horrible achilles tendon problems. worse in my right heel and calf. i find, other than massage and aspirin, the shoes can help. i wear Earth shoes. go try them on. they have a negative heel. for me, that works.

it is important to get support and comfort and perhaps a trip to the podiatrist is important for you.

good luck, izzy. we do what it takes, eh?

prayers and peace, sequoia

I went to a podiotrist before I was dx with AS and he gave me foot orthodics because I am paritally flat footed. Originally I did not have any foot/ankle pain, but the pain is starting to creep into more of my joints. And since then when I don't wear the orthodics I notice a significant difference in the pain in my feet/ankles. I paid $30 for mine upfront at the podiotrists office, and got $25 back when I mailed the receipt to my insurance company, its defiantly a worthy investment for feet/ankle pain.

My feet hurt terribly as well. I thought I was experiencing PF this past summer (in flip flops almost every day) but it faded toward the fall. Now it is back the past few months, and worse than ever. I wear flat shoes 100% of the time-no need or occasion for heels- but they don't hae the best support. I will have to suck it up and get some inserts I guess.

I also have numbness in my feet all the time, that is something I will be addressing with my rheumy next week-wonder if the pain and numbness are at all connected?

Flats often have no arch support. Maybe that is what you are missing? Where exactly do your feet hurt, Karen?

Emmie, where is the numbness?

Try to wear a moderate heal and see if that helps. There are lots of cute mid heel options - even in casual shoes. Prior to diagnosis, my daughter saw a Podiatrist for her foot and ankle pain. No surprise to me, she was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. The Podiatrist suggested that she wear a moderate heel to help relieve the pain. She was thrilled - or course heels weren't exactly appropriate (or school uniform compliant) as she was 12 at the time.

(By the way, I hope you don't mind my looking in on the 20 somethings forum occasionally. My (now) 17 year old is starting to deal with the issues and problems that your group faces daily.