Arthritis Foot Pain Overview
Arthritis foot pain can be crippling. Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent cause for arthritis foot pain. Osteoarthritis can be caused by many things including trauma, age, excessive weight, and ill fitting shoes.
The good news is that this is a very treatable condition.
Another common cause is from gout. Although it is a separate condition, gout is often lumped in with arthritis. There are several ways to diagnose and treat arthritis foot pain and this article will discuss a few of them.
Some of the symptoms of arthritis are: foot pain, swelling of a joint, limited movement of a joint, redness, and redness of the affected joint. These signs and symptoms are true for any part of the body that is affected by arthritis. Nearly 350 million people around the world suffer from the different forms of arthritis.
The first step in the diagnosis of any disease or condition is to get a complete history of the patient. That history will be followed by a complete series of x-rays of the foot in question. Arthritis causes damage in the joints of the foot that is clearly visible on x-ray. An MRI or a CT-scan could be ordered by your doctor. If it is determined that you have arthritis, your doctor will order some blood tests to find out which kind it is that you have. Once all of this is done your treatment can begin.
How your arthritis foot pain is treated depends on which type of arthritis you have. There are many different approaches to treatment that can be successful. Physical therapy, splinting, wax dips, medications, and, as a last resort, surgery. The aim of all of these different therapies is to restore as large a range of motion that is pain free as is possible to the affected foot.
Physical therapy for arthritis foot pain will include range of motion exercises, hot or cold packs, and possible a recommendation to buy supportive shoes or orthotics. The shoes and orthotics will try to correct any improper planting of the foot that may be the result of your foot pain. Your body will try to compensate for the foot pain and, without you realizing it, alter the way you walk to find relive from the pain. You may even have to go so far as to relearn how to walk properly. The way your body compensates for arthritis foot pain may be leading to knee or hip pain or even back pain.
There are several medications for arthritis foot pain. The main ones are the Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDS. These medications work to reduce the swelling in your joints. This is a very large class of drugs and cover everything from over the counter Motrin to some very expensive prescription-only drugs. The main downside to this class of medications is that they are all hard on the liver. Your liver function will have to be monitored on occasion by your doctor.
Arthritis foot pain can be crippling, and the pain difficult to manage. Trying to maintain a normal life as your joints turn on you is another challenge that faces every arthritis sufferer. People who are dealing with arthritis foot pain have it especially tough since this is your main weight bearing joint. Some days you are faced with the choice of getting out of bed or being miserable.
How you face this disease will determine how much it controls your life. Seek treatment as early as you can.
