Plantar Fascitis, or tendonitis of the achilles tendon are very common, it's called enthesitis and is a BIG part of AS.  Inflammation at the attachments of the tendons/ligaments. I have alot of pain in my heels!
Ice and HEAT can help... You just have to play around with which works best for you.

Hi Robert, I feel for you...and have had the same heel pain for eight years. I agree with the above: Technically it's probably not plantar fasciitis. PF patients do recover (usually within a couple of years) and I always laugh about the Xray with letter saying NO Evidence of PF after six years of agony. Enthesitis, yes, but who cares what we or others call it? It is part of AS and the cure, from my experience, is to get the inflammation down, down, down. The only help for me has been the systemic anti-inflammatory stuff like prednisone (now off it but it did the job) and now, Methotrexate. As soon as my dose of MtX went up, no matter what the side effects, the first thing I noticed was that my heels had miraculously stopped hurting after all these years! Good luck. Get some treatment for the AS and forget the itty bitty foot treatments (in my opinion). Wishes for relief to all...

Yep, I've been there too!  A year ago it was so bad I would have to crawl to go to the restroom at night and in the morning.  And on my lunch breaks I never wanted to stand back up when I had to go back to work.  I tried icing, stretching, and heat, but non of those seemed to help me.  I used to take a Celebrex with dinner and the inflammation seemed to be a little less in the morning, but as soon as I started taking biologics the pain almost completely halted.  I still have some pain but only once and a while.

Stretch before getting out of bed. Wear really, really good shoes with lots of arch support. I wear slippers (mine are made by Fit Flop) or slip-on athletic shoes around the house.

I have heel pain and the bottom of my feet feel like they are full of broken glass, I keep pushing but they just keep hurting worse, i am about to go on biologics, hopefully my insurance company will approve the humira soon and i really hope it helps

Google enthesitis very common in AS and other related autoimmune diseases like RA, Crohns.

For shooting pains down the back o' the leg google sciatica, and remember the sciatic nerve crosses over the sacroiliac joints, the seat of our problems so to speak.

If a rheumy is scratching their head over enthesopathy, I think get new rheumy as that is extremely basic. I'm talking day 1 of rheumy school basic.

I hav ebad heel pain in the mornings too, and my feet barely move at the ankle for a time, after a waddling around the house for 20mins or so it eases and i get moving properly again, fused SI joints, fused spine and neck joints notwithstanding!!! ;)

Having Planters facitis was my first symptom of AS, I have had 3 cortizone shots in my heel, they lasted for about a month or 2 at the most. And the shot itself really wasn't that bad, they use that freeze spray and you can barely feel it. When I finally got to the Rheumy she said that my previous doc had done all that he could without my having been diagianosed with AS yet. Now i can't get anymore cortizone shots in my heel, but I wear a boot at night and it really helps in the mornings.

This is a symptom of AS. It's a weird heel pain. Ice can help; also try cushy shoes: Nike Air Max 360 are great (the entire shoe rests on a cushion of air). The Nike Free shoes are also good (less cushion, but very light and comfortable).

Doctors who know how to do research should be aware that heel pain can be a part of AS...if not, then the doc is not doing his/her homework.

The pain can go away over time (year or so). It's very odd and very painful; like a pulled heel muscle. You are not alone in this...hope that helps! Stay strong!

I have the same heel pain.  My rheumy told me it's from my achilles tendons and actually said that I have a thickening of the achilles tendons which he saw on my x-rays.  I was seeing him for back pain and didn't think the heel pain was related so I hadn't even mentioned it at that point.  He asked me repeatedly if I had heel pain and that, along with my other symptoms, is what made him think AS from the very beginning.  I haven't started the biologics yet (starting enbrel next month) but nothing else helps the pain. Keeping fingers crossed the enbrel works for that! Hope you get some relief!

The best thing I did was to never go around barefoot.  My favorite house shoes in warm weather are Crocs flip flops, and in the winter, anything with good support.  Changing shoes often also seems to help.  I tried many kinds of OTC orthotics until I found some that helped.  The biologics helped the most!As far as shooting pains, that doesn't seem to be a symptom I have heard much on these boards. It seems more neurological.  Lyrica or something  like that may help with that symptom.

I have shooting pains too.  Mine seem to go down the back of my legs.  Sometimes my lower back.  Wish I knew what caused it.

I got diagnosed with this a few years ago.  Everything everyone else advised is what my Podiatrist told me. He also told me to freeze water bottles and to roll my feet, back and forth on them for no more than 20 mins when the pain is the worst.  I started doing it in the mornings, when my pain was the worst, before I would put my shoes on.  He also gave me inserts for my shoes that were made for my feet.  It was worth going to see a Podiatrist!

Last week I was telling my rheumy about that problem.  He suggested that he could numb the area and put a cortisone shot in the area in the ball of the foot where the tendons attach and the pain is.  He also suggested getting a little donut that you can get in the stores to put in your shoes.  I am thinking about doing it.

My pain is usually in my toes and the balls of my feet. I was told to try capsacin lotion. I put a very very thin layer of it on with a qtip then wash my hands thouroughly because its made from peppers and hurts like crazy if you get it in your eye or anything. Its supposed to trick the nerves into feeling something different. It helps me a ton and is amazing. Although it can feel very hot against your foot so. Be careful with it and use the least amount possible to start with. Good luck, hope you feel better!

Yes, heel pain or Achilles tendinitis is very common and often the first symptom of ankylosing spondylitis. It is pain and inflammation of that thick cordlike area on the back of your foot running up the lower part of your calf. It should not be confused with plantar fasciitis, which occurs on the sole of the foot and sometimes the base of the heel. If you haven't started yet, you should be stretching your Achilles tendon and others every day.
For more information on ankylosing spondylitis visit spondylitis.org, the website of the Spondylitis Association of America.

I, too, have had this problem for the last 17 years.  Besides finding shoes that are cushioned and comfortable, I might recommend using Aspercreme on your ankles and heels morning and night.  It works wonders for me.  Good luck!

Yes, Plantar Faciitis is very common with people that have AS. I had PF for 7 years in both heels before I was diagnosed with AS. I had PF surgery 2 years ago December on my right heel and now it feels fine. Knock on wood my left one has been feeling good so no surgery scheduled yet.  You should see a Podiatrist and tell him you have AS.

Got sent to physical therapy for it.  Physical therapist had some good insights what I could do to make things better.  She changed my footwear for one thing, so that my heels take a lot less abuse with each step every day.  If you don't build up the abuse, you don't build up the pain.