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What is foot arthritis?
Arthritis of the joints of the foot – this is their inflammation, caused by a number of reasons and leading to their destruction. Articulations of bones located in the region of the tarsus, metatarsus, or toes may be involved in the pathological process. If earlier arthritis of the feet was considered a disease of the elderly, now people aged 35 and older are increasingly turning to the doctor with a similar problem. It affects the joints of both men and women.
The number of people suffering from foot arthritis is increasing year by year. Depending on the country, the number of sick people may vary. So, in Europe and the USA, the population is more likely to turn to a doctor with a similar problem. This disease, if left untreated, can lead to the fact that a person will eventually be unable to move independently.
The joints of the foot most often suffer from such varieties of arthritis:
Osteoarthritis affects both the joint itself and the bones adjacent to it. The disease destroys the joints of the legs, growths appear and further deformity of the foot occurs. The result of the lack of treatment can be twisted fingers that resemble the flippers of a walrus.
Rheumatoid arthritis. Even young people are susceptible to the disease. As a result of pathology, the joints of the foot thicken, become painful and eventually deformed. Sometimes the disease proceeds rapidly and a person can become disabled in two years.
Reactive arthritis, that is, those that arise as a result of the disease. The cause may be tuberculosis, syphilis, intestinal infections and other diseases.
Gouty arthritis. Inflammation begins in the joint of the big toe, subsequently moving to other joints or disappearing without a trace. Nodules are often observed, which occurs due to the accumulation of uric acid.
Foot arthritis symptoms
Symptoms of the disease may vary depending on the cause that triggered the inflammatory process in the joint.
But some symptoms are the same for each type of arthritis, these include:
Pain localized in the area of the affected joint of the foot. At the beginning of the development of the disease (except for gouty arthritis), it is mild. But as it progresses, discomfort increases to the point that a person becomes unable to endure it without taking an anesthetic. Its strengthening occurs during active movement. For example, when a person walks fast, runs or performs other active actions. It is pain that becomes the first sign that not everything is in order with the joints of the foot. It should not be ignored, it is important to consult a doctor in time and find out its causes. The intensity of pain in different types of arthritis may vary, but it will always be present.
Redness of the skin and the appearance of edema at the site of inflammation of the foot joint. Most often, this symptom is accompanied by pain. Sometimes, some time after the onset of the disease, these two symptoms can self-destruct, even if the person has not taken any drugs. However, this does not mean that the disease has passed, just that the arthritis of the foot has gone into remission. Therefore, we should expect that after a certain period of time, the disease will declare itself with renewed vigor. If you feel the inflamed joint and reddened skin around it, you can feel an increase in temperature in this area.
Always with arthritis of the joints of the foot, stiffness of the joints and their stiffness are observed. A characteristic feature of arthritis in the early stages is that the restriction of mobility is observed after a long stay of the limb in a state of rest – after a night’s sleep, in the morning. Waking up and trying to stand up, a person may experience the feeling that his feet are shod in very tight shoes. This state lasts only a few minutes and disappears with the onset of active walking. Sometimes, even at the initial stage of the disease, the stiffness of the feet can last up to 30 minutes, but this happens extremely rarely. However, it is this symptom that is the most striking sign of the onset of the disease and should not be ignored. As arthritis progresses, stiffness in the joints will bother a person for longer and longer, not letting go even after performing active actions.
The shape of the joint is disturbed in any of the varieties of foot arthritis. However, this indicates that the disease has gone far enough. The deformation of the joints of the feet occurs according to the following type: a growth or bump appears on the sore spot, the fingers turn out. The most common symptom, familiar to almost every person, is an outgrowth of a bone on the big toe. With gout, it occurs due to the accumulation of uric acid salts, which are not excreted from the body, but are concentrated in this particular place. More deformations can be expressed in hammer-shaped or claw-shaped fingers, sometimes there is a valgus deformity of the foot (when they flatten and become, as it were, turned inside out).
Causes of foot arthritis
The reasons that contribute to the development of the disease, it is customary to single out the following:
Infections that lead to the formation of reactive arthritis. That is, one or another microorganism, virus or bacterium gets inside a person. Their microparticles settle on the joints, thereby causing their inflammation.
Genetic predisposition to the occurrence of arthritis of the joints of the foot. That is, when close relatives suffered from a similar disease, there is a high risk that their descendants will also be susceptible to the development of arthritis.
Metabolic disorders, that is, the development of autoimmune diseases. It is believed that the risk of developing arthritis in this case is associated with frequent hypothermia, infectious diseases and stress.
Various kinds of injuries: severe bruises, fractures, dislocations. All this will definitely affect the further condition of the joints. What is characteristic, it is the joints of the feet that often suffer, since a large load is placed on them.
Body weight exceeding the norm. Since the entire weight of a person falls on the legs, its excess cannot but affect the condition of the joints.
Age is one of the reasons for the development of arthritis. The older the person, the more often he suffers from this disease. However, often the pathology affects even children and people of childbearing age.
Poor nutrition, lack of minerals and vitamins in the body. All this leads to the fact that the joints of the feet receive less nutrition, with the blood they do not receive the proper amount of the necessary substances. This leads to the fact that the cartilage tissue becomes thinner, inflammation occurs in the joint.
Low mobility, or, conversely, excessive stress on the joints. This may be related to professional activities. So, for example, football players or teachers often suffer from arthritis in the joints of the feet.
Frequent stress.
Incorrect, too narrow or tight shoes with high heels.
Alcohol dependence and smoking.
immunodeficiency states.
Some diseases, such as diabetes.
Foot arthritis treatment
The sooner treatment is started, the more effective it will be. Therefore, it is necessary to seek help from an orthopedist or rheumatologist when the first symptoms of arthritis appear. But, not a single therapeutic regimen will be effective without an accurate diagnosis of the degree of development of the disease and the establishment of the causes that caused it. Therefore, after a standard examination and listening to the patient’s complaints, he will be sent for an X-ray examination, which is the main definition of the disease.
Once an accurate diagnosis is made, treatment can begin. It, depending on the nature of the disease, can be:
Designed to reduce pain. For this purpose, the patient needs to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They not only reduce discomfort, but also relieve inflammation in the joint.
Sometimes antibiotics are required. Their doctor prescribes if a person suffers from foot arthritis caused by a bacterial infection.
Preparations chondroprotectors will help to ensure that the cartilage ceases to break down and begins to recover.
However, it will not be possible to manage with only standard methods in the form of taking medications.
Treatment should be supplemented by auxiliary methods:
Passage of physiotherapy procedures.
Physical therapy course.
Spa treatment in sanatoriums and dispensaries.
Diet.
Wearing specialized shoes with orthopedic inserts. Use of crutches or canes.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy tools include:
Electrophoresis
Phonophoresis
Hydrocortisone
ultrasound procedures
UHF
Hydrogen sulfide, radon, mud, iodine-bromine baths have proven themselves well. In gouty arthritis, UV irradiation and electrophoresis of novocaine, sodium salicylate, acetylsalicylic acid are often prescribed.
If degenerative changes have occurred in the joints, then electrophoresis of lidase, ronidase, hyaluronidase is prescribed.
If arthritis is traumatic, then UHF therapy should be performed. But only in the case when the patient turns immediately after the injury and the development of inflammation.
In order to relieve swelling, the doctor may refer the patient to magnetotherapy. If synovitis develops a week after the injury, then it is advisable to use hydrocortisone phonophoresis.
Paraffin therapy
Special attention is paid to paraffin therapy. To do this, baths are made with it, where the feet are lowered, or applications are applied to the affected joints. Paraffin is heated in a special device and brought to a certain temperature by the doctor is applied to the affected joint. If you regularly attend such procedures, you can achieve a lasting effect: the pain will become much weaker, the swelling will go away, the joints will gain mobility.
Operative intervention
Separately, it is worth mentioning the surgical intervention. If the ankle joint suffers and it cannot be cured by conservative methods, then endoprosthesis replacement is necessary.
However, this method can lead to various complications. Even if the operation was successful, the recovery course is quite long and quite difficult for patients of retirement age. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the disease, you need to consult a doctor so as not to delay the disease until the moment when endoprosthesis is required.
Power schemes
You should follow a specific diet for arthritis. The menu is compiled taking into account what caused the development of the disease. This is especially important in gouty arthritis. In this case, the patient should not have fatty meat and alcohol on the table. After all, they are the reason that a person develops gout and inflammation of the joints of the foot occurs. It is important to eat cereals, dairy products, vegetables and fruits, greens that do not contain oxalic acid (sorrel and rhubarb).
Exercise therapy
Treatment of diseases of the joints of the foot is impossible without a set of physical exercises. This item is a prerequisite in any therapeutic regimen for arthritis. For the treatment of foot joints, the complex is selected individually.
However, there are several universal exercises that can be performed by everyone without exception:
It is performed lying on your back with outstretched arms and legs. Then the legs must be raised and on weight try to stretch the toes of the fingers as much as possible. After that, lower your legs back, and only after that stop stretching them.
Sit on a hill, such as a table. Lower your legs down and stretch your socks, trying to reach them to the floor.
Bend and unbend your toes.
Lie on the floor, but on your side. Take the outstretched leg to the side and return back.
Before starting any exercise, you should consult with your doctor. After all, you need to start training during the remission of the disease, so as not to provoke an increase in inflammation. For the first time, it is best to train under medical supervision, so that the doctor makes sure that the patient performs all the exercises correctly.
Arthritis of the foot joints is treatable and with an integrated approach and timely diagnosis, if you do not get rid of the disease completely, then do not remember it for many years.