Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Young Adults - The 20-Something Club painful heels

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this group. I am a 29 yr old female and have had spondylorapthy since I have been 15. ( Didn't get diagnosed till I was 27). I have problems with my back but my main issue is with my heels. I have terrible heel pain in both heels...mainly enthesitis. I was wondering if any of you have had good success with any particular medicine that helped this area? I have been taking sulfasalizine for a while now and it helps my back..but very slight on my feet. I tried Embrel and it didn't work. I am at a cross road-not sure if I should try Methotrexate (scared of the hair falling out side effect) or to move on to the Humira (but nervous about the side effects with that too). I know I can't stay like this forever, as I have so many restrictions and limitations from this heel pain..but the meds are scary. I'm wondering--do I have to be this afraid (like all of my google research has made me)? Or have you guys had good success? Thanks!

I am well past 20, but I'll give you some hints,
naproxen makes a big difference to my heels - have you tried any NSAIDs?

when the area around heel/ankle gets swollen, sometimes ice helps (but not always)
I wear custom made orthotics which really help my feet, so seeing a good podiatrist may be useful

stretching your Achilles tendon can help too
good luck!

If you were game to try Enbrel, there's really no reason not to try Humira. It carries a pretty well identical safety profile, since they're the same class of medication. I did extremely well with Humira, though it did eventually stop working for me. Simponi, another TNF inhibitor like Enbrel & Humira, seems to be working for me now. Enbrel didn't work for me either. I don't actually have heel pain as a symptom as of yet, but Humira did wonders for so, so many of my arthritis symptoms.

sorry you're dealing with heel pain. i had 7 months of it this year, and it was miserable. i didn't add any additional meds beyond my NSAID to treat it, so i can't help there. i toyed with adding another med, but being super vigilant about what i wore on my feet during that time and getting wayyyy more aggressive with icing finally brought it down. i have friends that have had relief with mtx and humira (for other peripheral issues/diseases)- good luck with whatever you decide.

I have tried all nsaids..several orthotics..stretching..ice..cortisone injections..you name it these feet have tried it lol. That's why I am up for the big time medications right now..

thanks for the reply..wondering when you were on Humira--how was it? Did you get sick a lot or minimal side effects? Ever try methotrexate or no?

how many times a day did you ice? and your friends that had relief with mtx and humira--did they experience a lot of side effects or relatively minimal?

did your friends use mtx and humira together for their peripheral issues or just alone?

I have never tried methotrexate. My rheumatologists have all thought it's a poor match for me as I struggle with a lot of gastrointestinal problems, including nausea, and they don't want a medication to exacerbate the problem.

As for Humira, it was great. I actually never had a single infection while on it. I've had a few on Enbrel and Simponi, but I think they were all coincidental. They were all treated easily enough. I did have pretty bad site reactions with Humira (but not with either of the others), but the medication worked so well for me that it was completely worth it. If Humira hadn't stopped working, I'd gladly still be dealing with site reactions today.

I've actually had good success with curcumin pills for peripheral pain. I know it's an alernative treatment, but hey, its worked for me.