Just a quack observation from someone who has gone through a lot of foot pain in the last few years...If your pain is caused by incorrect posture or an awkward walk, the pain will come back. You have to fix the cause of chronic foot pain or it will recur.
Sometimes the wear pattern on your shoes can give a hint. If you walk with your feet pointed in or walk with your toes pointed out, your shoes will wear out on the inside or the outside of the sole, respectively. If, when you look at the them from the back, they look like \___| |___/ or |___/ \___|, then you will probably get foot pain every time you buy a new pair of shoes.
If this is the case, make sure you wear an older pair of shoes to the podiatrist and show him the wear pattern. He may be able to give you orthotics that will straighten your walk out.
If this is not the case, visit
http://www.heelspurs.com for a good forum with people's experiences with various treatments, and you might be able to get some hints or practical advice.