This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

In Home Care Info: The Dummies' Guide to Arthritis and Achy Feet

DO YOUR FEET HURT WHEN YOU GET OUT OF BED? IT ISN'T NORMAL TO HAVE JOINT PAIN. LEARN MORE.

 

Living with arthritis can be extremely difficult. No, it's not funny, but we called this article The Dummies' Guide to Arthritis and Achy Feet because a smile is always good medicine. We know suffering from this disease makes your joints achy and swollen almost every day.  If you want to experience any degree of relief from arthritis, then it is a good idea to look at some effective methods of arthritis treatment for your feet, starting with that smile.

Find out what's happening in Walnut Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Foot and Arthritis Facts:

  • The foot and ankle are comprised of 28 bones and 30 joints!
  • With every step, we place stress onto these bones and joints in our feet and ankles. Conservative estimates state that by the time we reach fifty, we have stressed these joints to the amount of 15 BILLION pounds of pressure from the approximately 75,000 miles that we have walked since birth.
  • The signs and symptoms of arthritis are generally the same throughout the body and this holds true for the foot and ankle joints. Stiffness, swelling, tenderness and pain are associated with lower extremity (foot and ankle) arthritis. Walking and moving is often extremely difficult for those with arthritis foot pain.

What Causes Arthritis?

Find out what's happening in Walnut Creekwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There can be various reasons why you are suffering from arthritis, you possibly injured your feet many years ago and are now experiencing the consequences. Causes include genetics, taking certain medications, being overweight, specific types of work professions, trauma and fractures, bacterial and viral infections and special types of diseases such as gout and lupus. You can easily see that arthritis to the foot and ankle can occur in many more people than we think. 

You will know if you have arthritis in your feet as they will be sore and stiff after you have rested for any length of time. Standing or walking can cause pains in your feet or ankles.  Your feet might hurt more with changes in the weather and the seasons.  Another side effect is that your feet will become swollen and you may have a hard time moving your toes and flexing your ankle. All of this can make walking very difficult and extremely painful.

What Kinds of Arthritis Are There?

Your doctor will be able to determine if you have arthritis in your feet, which can be one of two kinds:

  1. Rheumatoid arthritis - This is a systemic disease that causes non-specific inflammation of joints belonging to the hands and feet. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis may result in the destruction of the joints and cause serious, chronic foot problems including hammertoes, bunions, etc.
  2. Osteoarthritis - This is a degenerative form of arthritis, and it often affects more than one joint. Osteoarthritis is more common among the elderly, obese or those who've suffered a physical trauma. Osteoarthritis can cause changes in the foot bones such as cartilage destruction, spurs, narrowing of joint space and cystic changes.

If No Cures, Then What?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for this. Arthritis treatment is done on an individual basis and you have to experiment to find what works for you the best.

Keeping your weight under control is one easy way to alleviate the symptoms and pain of arthritis. Another way is to cut back or eliminate alcohol from your diet. Adding in some form of exercise each day will help to strengthen your muscles and will help to increase your flexibility.

It is imperative that you invest in shoes that provide your foot with support, and feature a high, wide toe box. Shoes with rocker-bottom soles are a good choice for those suffering from heel pain. You should avoid wearing high heel shoes and shoes with pointed toes. In fact, it's a good idea to have your shoes custom made or ask a podiatrist for recommendations.

You should also consider acquiring removable insoles or orthotics for your shoes to provide your foot with more support. Knee, ankle and foot supports, including tensor bandages and braces that provide mild compression and support can help reduce stress placed on the joint.

Any Over-The-Counter Aids?

  • Glucosamine and Chondroitin--Other forms of natural arthritis treatment include using supplements. The most common and the most effective of these is the use of Glucosamine and Chondroitin. These two compounds help to slow the deterioration of cartilage between joint bones and reduce pain. Talk to your doctor about these supplements before taking them.
  • Anti-inflammatories--If you are suffering from pain due to joint inflammation, common over-the-counter medications that may be effective at reducing inflammation and pain include aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Anti-inflammatory creams and topical ointments can also provide symptom relief. There are topical medications that help relieve acute pain (I.E. "JointFlex"), and those that relieve pain and reduce inflammation (I.E. "Aspercreme").
  • Good old-fashioned foot baths--Soaking and massaging your feet daily can help to provide you with a good level of relief.

However, like the large joints such as hip and knee, conservative treatment sometimes will not work at all on a patient and more likely, will help for a while, but due to the increasing severity of the arthritis, will eventually cease helping the patient. Surgical options to realign or replace joints will then need to be considered.

Finally, remember that it is not normal for joints to hurt anywhere in your body. If you are experiencing frequent or recurring foot pain, it's time to visit your doctor.

 

foot bones: http://i1103.photobucket.com/albums/g462/rkleeder/DSC00875.jpg

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?