I've suffered off and on from Plantar Fasciitis, which causes heel pain that feels like needles are stuck in the bottom of my heel whenever I put weight on it. What really helped was having a special shoe insert made by my podiatrist that helped to provide the right support to my arch and alleviate the pressure that was straining my foot. Even though it was really helpful, the insert was pretty expensive.
I just read a study that can out of the UK that the cheap shoe inserts you can buy at a drugstore are just as effective as the special, individual pricey ones. I haven't tried the cheap ones personally, but thought I'd throw this info out there since Fasciitis is fairly common among women.