Your Foot Pain Could be Arthritis

It’s Arthritis Awareness Month! No doubt you’re already aware – who hasn’t heard of arthritis? But do you really understand what it is?

When we say “arthritis” as it relates to your feet and ankles, we’re almost always talking about the joint disease known as osteoarthritis.

What is osteoarthritis?
Joints - those spots in your body where two bones meet - move smoothly and painlessly because they contain a cushioning material called cartilage. After years of use or following an injury, cartilage can become thin or even disappear altogether. Without that cushioning, bone hits bone every time you move the joint. You feel pain and stiffness. Range of motion suffers, meaning it’s hard to move the joint as far as you’d like.

Where do you get arthritis in your feet?
There are 33 joints in each of your feet and ankles. Every one of them can become arthritic. Many of our patients suffer from arthritis in their big toe, so we’ll use that as an example:

• At the base of the big toe is the metatarsophalangeal joint. The MTP joint bears weight when you push off with every step, so it gets a lot of use. In its early stages, arthritis in this joint is called hallux limitus. Pain in the joint gradually becomes more and more uncomfortable.

• As with most arthritis, pain, stiffness, swelling, and inflammation will only get worse without treatment. Hallux limitus will evolve into a worse condition called hallux rigidus, in which the base of the big toe becomes completely immobile.

Arthritis treatment
Whether you have arthritis in your big toe, heel, midfoot, or ankle, our board-certified podiatrists want you to know that it’s manageable and treatable, especially when treated early. Custom orthotics are great for taking pressure off a sore joint and slowing down arthritis’s progression. Prescription medications can reduce swelling. If the pain is unbearable and nothing else helps, we can talk about surgery to relieve your arthritis pain.

For expert diagnosis and treatment of foot and ankle arthritis in Monmouth County, New Jersey, turn to Dr. Samantha Boyd, Dr. Hal Ornstein, Dr. Dan Phan, and Dr. Joseph Saka at Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center. For an appointment, click here or call our Howell and Jackson offices at (732) 905-1110.