Arthritis In Feet: Causes Symptoms And Treatment
Arthritis of the foot is inflammation and swelling of the synovium, the soft tissue and lining of the joints in the foot. An increase in the fluid within the joints is usually present as well. One or both feet may be affected.
This condition can develop at any age, but is most common in people over the age of 50. Arthritis currently affects almost half of the adult population in the United States, and its prevalence is increasing:
Although arthritis is a well-known cause of joint pain, arthritis in the foot or feet may not cause symptoms. On the other hand, some people with arthritis in the feet become disabled and unable to walk.
Because the feet bear the weight of the body, it is impossible for arthritis sufferers to avoid the foot pain that accompanies load-bearing, and for this reason the feet seem more susceptible to arthritis than other parts of the body.
Natural Therapies For Arthritis Pain
Medication isn’t the only way to manage arthritis pain. Look at these eight natural therapies for arthritis.
1. 8 Natural Therapies for Arthritis Pain
2. Acupuncture
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3. Massage
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4. Tai Chi
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5. Yoga
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6. Weight Loss
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7. Physical Therapy
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8. Topical Gels
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9. TENS
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Causes And Signs Of Arthritis In Cats
Arthritis in cats includes inflammation of the joints and sometimes a breakdown of cartilage that usually helps prevent bone-on-bone wear and tear. Cats can develop arthritis for a variety of reasons, including aging, obesity, trauma, and occasionally genetic or heritable conditions.
Cats can hide their pain or show very subtle, vague signs of pain. Here are some possible signs of arthritis pain in cats:
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Being less active
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A change in the desire or ability to jump up or down
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Mobility or gait changes
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Changes in sleeping patterns
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Changes in body tension or posture
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What Are The Most Common Spinal Arthritis Treatment Options
One common treatment option that your doctor may recommend is bracing or a cervical collar to restrict your movement.
If theres no improvement after a period of time, your doctor may recommend spine surgery.
He or she will probably also prescribe a painkiller, like acetaminophen , nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen , or prescription opioids such as codeine and morphine.
What Are The Symptoms Of Arthritis Of The Elbow
Symptoms of elbow arthritis can include:
- Pain. In the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis, pain may be primarily on the outer side of the joint. Pain generally gets worse as you turn your forearm. The pain of osteoarthritis may get worse as you extend your arm. Pain that continues during the night or when you are at rest indicates a more advanced stage of osteoarthritis.
- Swelling. This is more common with rheumatoid arthritis.
- Instability. The joint isn’t stable and gives way, making it difficult or impossible to do normal daily activities.
- Lack of full movement. You are not able to straighten or bend the elbow.
- Locking. Your elbow joint catches or locks. This can happen with osteoarthritis.
- Stiffness. This happens particularly with arthritis that develops after an injury.
- Pain in both elbows. Having pain in both elbows or pain at the wrists or shoulders as well as pain in the elbows is a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis.
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Treatments For Arthritis In The Ankle
Ankle arthritis doesnt have a cure. But many treatments are available that may help relieve pain and improve function.
The goal with these treatments is to help patients function and do their daily activities with less pain, says Narandra Bethina, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center and assistant professor at the Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine at the University of Vermont in Burlington. This can also result in better quality of life.
Home Care Assistance: Conclusion
These are some of the best ways that you can help your elderly loved one with their arthritis at home. If your elderly loved one is having a flare-up or their pain is too severe on a regular basis, you may want to get them home care assistance. The elderly care providers can help with tasks that are too difficult for your loved one. They can also remind your elderly loved one to use the products that will ease symptoms and to exercise, too.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Home Care Assistance in Fairhaven, MA, please contact the caring staff at Cranberry Home Care today. 508-946-2200
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What Are The Symptoms Of Spinal Arthritis
Classic symptoms of spinal osteoarthritis include pain and numbness in the back, neck, head, and shoulders, particularly in the morning.
In more severe cases, where the spinal nerves or spinal cord are affected, it can cause numbness, weakness or tingling in your extremities.
Because people with spinal arthritis often experience pain or burning that shoots down through the hip and into the leg, doctors often misdiagnose it as nerve root pain.
Spinal arthritis symptoms may be different for different people, and the frequency and intensity can also vary.
Some areas may ache from time to time and be all right other times.
Bending and other everyday movements may also cause pain.
Numbness is the neck area is very common, although other areas, including the arms and legs, may also experience numbness.
In some cases, frequent urination or the urgent need to urinate may occur.
Disk Degeneration And Bone Spurs
As the disks in the spine age, they lose height and begin to bulge. They also lose water content, begin to dry out and weaken. This problem causes settling, or collapse, of the disk spaces and loss of disk space height. Eventually, the cushioning qualities of the disks begins to decrease.
As the facet joints experience increased pressure, they also begin to degenerate and develop arthritis, similar to what may occur in the hip or knee joint. The smooth, slippery articular cartilage that covers and protects the joints wears away.
If the cartilage wears away completely, it can result in bone rubbing on bone. To make up for the lost cartilage, your body may respond by growing new bone in your facet joints to help support the vertebrae. Over time, this bone overgrowth called bone spurs may narrow the space for the nerves and spinal cord to pass through . Bone spurs may also lead to decreased range of motion in the spine.
Side view of a healthy cervical vertebra and disk. A disk that has degenerated and collapsed.
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Types Of Arthritis That Affect The Back
If you have arthritis in your back, its important to understand the type of arthritis that might be causing it. Different types of arthritis have specific medications and treatments. Here are some of the more common types of arthritis that affect the back.
It is common for people with back pain to have more than one cause, which could include arthritis as well as other causes .
How To Support Treatment Of Arthritis In Dogs
Its difficult to remodel an arthritic joint without surgical intervention, but you can attempt to reduce joint inflammation and pain. This will make your dog more comfortable even if the underlying arthritic changes remain.
Here are some of the most common ways to manage arthritis pain in dogs.
Disclaimer: Many of the medications discussed below can have significant side effects when used improperly or in especially sensitive individuals. Never give your pet any prescription or over-the-counter medication or supplement without first consulting your veterinarian.
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Home Care Assistance: Does Your Elderly Loved One Struggle With Arthritis
Most people who have this condition, especially people in their elderly years, have a lot of pain and discomfort. As the temperatures get even colder than they are right now, your elderly loved one might have increased arthritis flare-ups. The good news is there are some tips for how you and home care assistance providers can help your elderly loved one at home with their arthritis symptoms.
Signs Symptoms And Treatment
Our fingers are important! We use them constantly, all day long: to brush our teeth, to send emails, to cook our meals. When arthritis affects the fingers, everyday tasks become difficult and painful. So what can we do when our finger joints begin to cause problems?
This article provides more information about arthritis in the fingers, what causes it, and what you can do to help keep your fingers moving.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
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How Ankle Arthritis Is Diagnosed
If ankle arthritis is suspected, doctors will start with a medical history to determine a diagnosis. Theyll ask when you noticed your symptoms, where you feel pain, and how the symptoms affect your life. Theyll examine your ankle to check for signs of arthritis in the joints, such as swelling and tenderness.
Other tests can assess whether other types of arthritis may be responsible for the ankle pain, such as blood tests that measure inflammation and antibodies to rule out inflammatory arthritis, or testing of joint fluid for uric acid crystals if gout is suspected. Imaging tests such as X-rays can help confirm a diagnosis and determine the extent of the joint damage.
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Exercises For Arthritis In The Toe
Keeping the toe joint limber and lubricated could be a good defense against pain in the MTP joint.
Extension exercises can help improve range of motion in the toehow far you can move itwhile potentially reducing pain. Start with the toe in its regular position and then bend it up and down with your hands, holding each bend for 30 seconds.
Flexibility exercises are also helpful, and can be performed by crossing the affected foot over your knee. Gently grab the foot behind the toe joint using your opposite hand. Making sure the foot is held stationary the entire time, use your hand to gently pull the toe away from the foot. Hold the position and gently rotate the toe in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.
Dorsiflexion exercises are also recommended and can help with pain and mobility. Cross your affected foot over the opposite knee and bend your toe backwards as far as possible with your hand. Making sure there is no pain, hold for about 20 to 30 seconds and then relax.
Diagnosing Arthritis In Feet What To Expect At Your Doctors Office
To diagnosis arthritis, your doctor will ask you a series of questions about your symptoms, such as where and when the pain began, how often it occurs, and whether it is worse at night or when walking. Your doctor will also ask about past injuries to the foot, and what type of shoes you wear.
After a thorough medical history and physical examination, your doctor may perform a gait analysis, which evaluates how you walk, measures stride, and tests the strength of the ankles and feet. Additional tests may include:
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Surgery For Arthritis In The Ankle
Your doctor may recommend surgery for your ankle arthritis if your pain causes disability and isnt relieved with nonsurgical treatment. Your doctor may recommend more than one type of surgery. Ankle surgery is complicated as it most commonly involves a fusion of the rearfoot or ankle joint or both, says Dr. Archer. If there is significant spurring of the ankle joint, the spurs can be resected via ankle arthroscopy first before fusion is attempted to try and restore ankle motion. However, all non-surgical measures should be attempted before surgery is planned.
Whats right for you depends on the extent of your arthritis in the ankle. Here are some options.
Ankle arthroscopic repair: Ankle arthroscopy is useful to clean up loose joint bodies, or small pieces of bone spurs in the joint that have broken off over time, says Dr. Archer. It can lead to less pain and improved range of motion, says Dr. Bilal. Since the surgery can be done laparoscopically, your surgeon will make a few small incisions.
Ankle arthroscopic repair is helpful in the early stages of arthritis in the ankle and for those with limited ankle arthritis. Its often ineffective in advanced ankle arthritis, says Dr. Bilal. Thats because when a significant amount of cartilage has worn away, the procedure wont help the joint.
Dr. Archer says that you shouldnt expect to walk as you once did. But if the pain is bad enough, you may welcome the chance to walk slightly differently without pain.
Try Muscle Balance Therapy
The principles of treatment address both the pain and the cause of your pain.
Through strategic body assessments, your individual muscle imbalances can be identified.
Once that is done, a very targeted corrective program can be designed for your specific needs. You can learn more about muscle balance therapy by watching the video below, or clicking right here.
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Try Natural Pain Remedies
Big Pharmas pain medications dont have a great safety track record. And thats putting it mildly.
In fact, in 2016, researchers found that anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen , naproxen and the prescription drug celecoxib re all equally dangerous for your heart.
On the other hand, natural pain relievers like white willow bark, bromelain, turmeric and devils claw have a safety track record that goes back thousands of years.
And studies show that herbs like these are at least as effective for reducing arthritis pain and inflammation.
Arthritis Prevention: What Can You Do
How to avoid achy joints
You cant always prevent arthritis. Some causes, such as increasing age, family history, and gender , are out of your control.
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis. The three main types are osteoarthritis , rheumatoid arthritis , and psoriatic arthritis . Each type develops differently, but all are painful and can lead to loss of function and deformity.
There are a few healthy habits you can practice to reduce your risk of developing painful joints as you get older. Many of these practices like exercising and eating a healthy diet prevent other diseases, too.
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Why Do Most Traditional Spinal Arthritis Treatment Options Fail
Most traditional treatment options fail to provide long-term pain relief because they only address your symptoms. They dont address the underlying cause of your condition.
Pain medications are like a Band-Aid. They may ease some of your discomfort and reduce inflammation, but they do nothing to fix your condition.
Most doctors will tell you that developing spinal arthritis (or any other type of degenerative arthritis is just part of the aging process.
Theyll say it cant be avoided.
And while its true that arthritis affects more than 90% of people over the age of 55 , this does not mean that developing a degenerative arthritis is inevitable.
And it certainly doesnt mean youre doomed to a life of pain or that youll need to rely on Big Pharmas solutions forever.
While theres no magic bullet that works for everyone, there are a lot of simple, all-natural therapies you can use right now to relieve your pain.
How Is Arthritis In Feet Treated
A diagnosis of arthritis does not necessarily mean that your quality of life will decrease. By seeking treatment early and taking an active role in the management of your arthritis, you can control the pain and limit damage to your joints.
Left untreated, however, arthritis can eventually lead to foot and ankle deformities.
A treatment regimen for arthritis in the foot or feet may include nonsurgical therapies and/or surgery. There are many nonsurgical treatment options, and they are often used in combination with one another. These can be divided into three categories:
Medical therapy
- A brace or a cane
Physical and complementary medicine
- Physical therapy and gentle exercises
- Acupuncture or massage at and around affected joints
- Application of a heating pad or a damp, warm towel to affected joints
- Weight control
For many types of arthritis, aspirin is used as the first-line treatment, and its success or failure can help guide other therapeutic interventions. Treatment can control inflammation and preserve or restore joint function.
Surgical intervention may be considered as a last resort if the arthritis does not respond to nonsurgical interventions.
The choice of surgery depends on the type of arthritis you have, its impact on the joints, and its location. More than one surgery may be needed. Surgeries used to treat arthritis in the feet include:
- Arthroscopic debridement
- Arthrodesis or fusion
- Arthroplasty or joint replacement
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