Identifying the Signs of Arthritis in Your Feet — The Foot & Ankle Center Of Maryland (2024)

FAQs

Identifying the Signs of Arthritis in Your Feet — The Foot & Ankle Center Of Maryland? ›

Some people with osteoarthritis can hear grating or crunching noises when moving their feet and ankles. You may also feel unsteady on your feet. You may have an achy feeling in your feet, especially if you've been particularly active or worn high heels. Some people also get pain in their feet at night.

Some people with osteoarthritis can hear grating or crunching noises when moving their feet and ankles. You may also feel unsteady on your feet. You may have an achy feeling in your feet, especially if you've been particularly active or worn high heels. Some people also get pain in their feet at night.

Four areas of the foot are most frequently affected by arthritis: the big toe, the midfoot, the hindfoot, and the ankle.

To confirm a diagnosis of arthritis and determine the extent of the condition, doctors may recommend an X-ray of your foot and ankle. X-rays create pictures of the bones of the foot and ankle that doctors analyze for any visible changes in the spacing of the joints.

Arthritis is a group of conditions that cause pain and swelling in the joints. It is common in the small joints of the foot and ankle. Walking may help relieve pain and improve joint mobility in people with arthritis.

What to do. Over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) can help relieve occasional pain triggered by activity your muscles and joints aren't used to — such as gardening after a winter indoors.

Symptoms of Arthritis in Your Feet

Trouble standing or putting weight on your feet. Tenderness when touching the affected joints. Pain when moving your ankles or feet. Redness or swelling of affected joints.

Stage 1: In early stage rheumatoid arthritis, the tissue around your joint(s) is inflamed. You may have some pain and stiffness. If your provider ordered X-rays, they wouldn't see destructive changes in your bones. Stage 2: The inflammation has begun to damage the cartilage in your joints.

RA may begin acutely in many joints or start gradually in several joints causing damage and pain. Gout, on the other hand, often starts as your problem did – with excruciating pain and swelling in the big toe – and often follows a trauma such as an illness or injury.

Does arthritis hurt all the time? ›

Many people who have arthritis or a related disease may be living with chronic pain. Pain is chronic when it lasts three to six months or longer, but arthritis pain can last a lifetime. It may be constant, or it may come and go.

When gout or arthritis affects the small joints of the feet, the weight of even a bed sheet or blanket can keep you awake with pain. Picard recommends blanket lifters, which attach to the mattress over the fitted sheet but underneath the top sheet and blankets to hold them above painful feet and lower legs.

Pills. NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others). All work by blocking enzymes that cause pain and swelling.

Oral analgesic medications such as acetaminophen (paracetamol) or aspirin are often the first line choice for quick relief of foot pain. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen are also often recommended and can help to reduce inflammation at the same time.

Arthritic ankle pain may not be felt in the joint itself, but in the middle or back of the foot. It can vary from a dull ache to sharp, stabbing discomfort. The pain may come and go or be low level and chronic, punctuated by flares.

This breakdown causes the bones to rub together, causing stiffness, pain and loss of joint movement. In ankle OA, it's common to have joint pain where the ankle and shinbone meet.