ARTHRITIS
GOUT

FOOT & ANKLE ARTHRITIS

Arthritis is a joint condition that affects roughly 54 million American adults according to the Arthritis Foundation. It can show up in joints all around the body, including the feet and toes. When the joints of the feet are affected by inflammation, it affects a patient’s ability to move their toes, bend their feet up or down, and turn on a dime when participating in athletic activities. Learn the steps that you can take to care for arthritic feet and improve your overall foot health.

Arthritis in the Feet
Arthritic joint pain, which is usually caused by an inflammatory reaction, is most commonly felt in the big toe, ankle, and the middle part of the foot. There are many different types of arthritis conditions that could affect the feet, including psoriatic, reactive, and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form—it is caused by the bones rubbing together, making the joints feel stiff and painful. Patients who are overweight are more likely to struggle with arthritic feet, as are seniors. Some people have had arthritis since childhood (juvenile arthritis or JA), making them more likely to develop foot deformities like bunions and struggle with swollen joints.

Arthritis Treatments
Though arthritis isn’t a curable condition, the symptoms can be eased with treatment so that you can continue to walk, jog, exercise, and work without debilitating pain. These are some of the ways your podiatrist may treat arthritis in the feet:

• An X-ray or other imaging test to examine the condition of the joints.

• Physical therapy exercises to make the joints more flexible.

• Orthotic device or shoe for better foot support.

• Joint injections (corticosteroids).

• NSAID drugs (anti-inflammatories).

• Surgery to remove inflamed tissue around the joints (Arthroscopic debridement) or fuse the bones (arthrodesis).

Caring for Your Feet
Our Podiatrist will help in caring for arthritic feet. But there are also some actions you can take at home to keep your feet and joints in good condition:

• Get rid of shoes that put too much pressure on your joints, like high heels or sneakers that don’t support the ankles.

• Soak your feet in warm water with Epsom salt and massage your feet when relaxing.

• Commit to doing the toe and foot exercises suggested by your podiatrist.

Treating Arthritic Feet
Arthritic feet shouldn't prevent you from carrying on with normal life and physical activities. Schedule an appointment with us as soon as you start to experience symptoms and take extra steps to care for your feet.

GOUT

Gout is a form of arthritis, and it can often cause extreme pain to your feet. Approximately one million Americans suffer from gout, and although its source is a systemic problem within the body, there are some suggestions for how to treat gout that may help reduce your chance of having a gout flare-up.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Because the joint inflammation of gout can resemble that of a joint infection or other forms of arthritis, diagnosing gout requires removing a small amount of fluid from the joint and examining it for uric acid crystals. Once a diagnosis has been made, your podiatrist can recommend a gout treatment plan to help:

• Stop acute attacks

• Rapidly relieve pain and inflammation

• Avert future attacks

• Prevent the development of tophi, kidney stones and kidney disease

• Gout treatment will most likely involve anti-inflammatory medications to relieve acute pain and inflammation, as well as urate-lowering drugs to control urate levels and prevent future attacks.

Other gout treatment strategies might include the following:

• Avoid foods with high purines, such as organ meats, anchovies, shellfish, bacon and gravies, and increasing intake of dairy foods.

• Avoid alcohol, which increases the production of urate and impairs excretion

• Lose weight to reduce blood urate levels

• Avoid medications that contribute to hyperuricemia, including diuretics

With proper treatment by our podiatrists, gout is one of the most controllable forms of arthritis. So when pain occurs, don’t just deal with it, contact us and seek treatment immediately.