10 Tips from Podiatrists for Managing Arthritis Pain in Your Feet

If you are dealing with arthritis pain, you know how tough it is to manage the pain and make it go away. These 10 tips from podiatrists will help you in managing arthritis pain in feet the correct way so that you can see some efficient long-term results.

1. Pay attention to your shoes

You may not instantly notice this simply by looking at your toes but arthritis can affect the shape and position of your toes over time. However, you’ll be able to spot the difference in the way your shoes fit. For instance, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, your toes will deviate outward. So, pay attention to how your shoes fit. If they start feeling uncomfortable and you have a hard time finding the right shoes, you need to go see your doctor.

2. Don’t ignore calluses on your big toe

Arthritis will usually show its first symptoms on your big toe. In order to move and propel the body in a forward direction, your big toe needs about 65 degrees of dorsiflexion. That motion can be significantly limited due to arthritis. To spot this issue, you just need to look for a pinch callus on your big toe. That is a major symptom of arthritis.

3. Sausage toes’ are not normal

Make sure to check your toes regularly so that you can notice any symptoms of arthritis on time. If they start swelling up, you should see your doctor. Swelling up of toes is a common symptom of psoriatic arthritis.

4. Don’t dismiss heel pain

While most of the symptoms can be found around your toes, your heel area is also important. You shouldn’t ignore any pain you’re feeling in your heels. This pain can often be caused by enthesitis, or inflammation that is located in the place where connective tissues insert into your bones. This inflammatory type of arthritis can cause many issues if not treated on time.

5. Pay attention to hammertoes

Some of the most common issues and sports injuries are the so-called “hammers” and “mallets”. They may seem harmless, but they’re not. When your toe gets out of balance and the huge pressure is placed on the joint, your toes get bent downward and this is what causes this injury. Hammertoes are major symptoms of arthritis.

6. Get the right treatments

Whether you just noticed a potential symptom of arthritis or you just generally feel pain in your feet, you should visit a sports podiatry. There, you will be able to receive some of the high-quality professional treatments that will help relieve the pain and help you deal with arthritis symptoms.

7. Stretch your legs and feet every day

Your foot pain can only worsen if your muscles and tendons are tight. For that reason, you need to do gentle stretches daily. This will help loosen up these areas. Try doing stretching exercises for your ankles, calves, foot arch, heels, and hamstrings. You can also talk to a professional physical therapist and learn about what kind of exercises are especially great for your particular condition.

8. Skip high-impact exercises

You can’t prevent your joints from wearing out. That simply happens over time. However, you can slow that process down and it’s important to do so if you already have osteoarthritis. You need to limit the degree of impact you put on your feet and your joints. In other words, start doing lower-impact exercises. For instance, take a walk instead of running, or use an elliptical machine and skip high-impact aerobics.

9. Get your yoga on

The ideal workout routine would be the one that uses a full-body stretching exercise all while incorporating some strengthening at the same time. The best workouts out there are definitely yoga and Pilates. These are great for people who have arthritis because they keep your joints active and flexible without putting too much pressure on them. They can also lessen the pain.

10. Be careful with steroids

Lastly, using injections for your feet, toes, or heel can be life savers. They will instantly reduce your pain and inflammation. However, they are not good solutions for the long term. They only treat your symptoms and not the problem and the root of the problem itself. In other words, you should not overuse them. Over time, these injections will weaken your ligaments, bones, and tendons if you use them too often.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many ways you can treat and manage the arthritis pain in your feet. You need to be able to spot the symptoms as soon as possible, treat your feet right, and do the right exercises.