5 Ways to Better Manage Your Arthritis Pain

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arthritis

If you’re one of our many patients with foot or ankle arthritis, you may not need reminding that May is Arthritis Awareness Month. You’re already painfully aware of your arthritis! Even so, keep in mind that you don’t have to suffer. There are several ways you can manage your ongoing struggle with joint pain and inflammation:

  1. Take anti-inflammatory medications. Over-the-counter varieties include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen, which you can take as recommended by our team of podiatrists. Ask us if prescription-strength oral medications are right for you; they can reduce your pain and inflammation even more efficiently.

  2. Get custom orthotics. Orthotic inserts can be molded to your individual foot and to your specific problem. Whatever joint is being stressed, we can design a shoe insert to take the pressure off of it, diminish your arthritis pain, and slow down the disease’s progression.

  3. Take off unwanted pounds. If you’re overweight, your feet know it. Extra pounds increase the pressure on your feet and ankle joints with every step you take. Relieve some of the stress by losing weight if you need to.

  4. Get out and walk. It may seem counterintuitive, but exercise, especially walking, will help strengthen the muscles around your weakened joints, supporting them and minimizing joint pain. Now that spring is here, it’s easier to get outside and enjoy the warm weather. Take a stroll around the neighborhood each morning or take frequent office breaks to add to your daily steps. Physical therapy can also strengthen your foot and ankle joints, and we provide it right here in our Monmouth County podiatry office with the help of our dedicated physical therapist, Valerie Gregory, MSPT, CKTP.

  5. Have the surgery. If we’ve discussed the possibility of surgery with you already, it might be time to go back and reconsider it. Foot or ankle surgery, including joint replacement, could be your best option to relieve chronic arthritis pain that doesn’t respond to other treatments.

If foot or ankle arthritis prevents you from living your life as fully as you’d like, make an appointment with the board-certified podiatrists at Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center for a complete examination. Dr. Samantha Boyd, Dr. Hal Ornstein, Dr. Dan Phan, and Dr. Joseph Saka offer expert, compassionate care for foot and ankle arthritis in Howell and Jackson, New Jersey. Call (732) 905-1110 or contact us online.