Arthritis Foot Pain
Arthritis is a disease of the joints. It usually shows when one start to age. The moment a person’s bones undergo considerable amount of wear and tear due to constantly using them throughout the years, developing a certain level of arthritis is likely. A human foot consists of 30 joints and 28 bones. With this number of joints that arthritis may possibly target, the tendency to develop foot arthritis, among other types of arthritis, is considerably higher.
The most common sign of foot arthritis would be pain or tenderness in and around the foot. The exact type of symptoms that a person may suffer would be different from one patient to another. There would also be stiffness or swelling in the area. People with foot arthritis would find it very difficult to walk because of the pain associated with it. Therefore, the patient’s mobility is drastically reduced.
The Diagnosis of Foot Arthritis
Foot arthritis is properly diagnosed by a medical doctor. The first thing they would do to determine the extent of the disease is to get your medical history as a patient. Doctors will start to ask you questions about your health condition, including all other diseases you could have acquired in the past. The amount of information they gather from you would then be used not only in the whole diagnosis process but also eventually in the treatment of the disease.
The most common questions a doctor asks would be the estimated time that the pain starts, whether or not it becomes worse during the night or every time you are in motion. It is also important for them to know if the pain just comes and goes.
Gait Analysis and Other Tests
After the question and answer phase of the diagnosis, the doctor may also perform a procedure called the gait analysis. The gait analysis will show how the bones in the foot, including the legs, behave when you walk. This analysis will also measure the stride, as well as the strength of the feet and ankles.
The results generated by the gait analysis will then be used in conjunction with the most common diagnostic tests performed in hospitals and clinics. These tests would include x-ray, bone scan, CT scan, and MRI. An x-ray would effectively show your doctor the spacing or the distance between the bones. It is also essential to determine the actual shape of the bone itself.
The other types of diagnostic test would only be performed should the need for it arises. The x-ray is the simplest test of all. The other tests, like the MRI for instance, are only used if the capabilities of the x-ray are not enough or if the doctor needs more details about the patient’s condition.
The Treatment of Foot Arthritis
Foot arthritis, the moment it is diagnosed, should be treated right away. Of course, the treatment procedure that has to be carried out depends entirely on the professional assessment of the health expert. There are surgical and non-surgical ways of treating arthritis. The non-surgical ways would be the ones first performed as these are non-invasive techniques.
The first line of treatment for foot arthritis would be the use of pain relievers and other anti-inflammatory medicines. These are common over-the-counter medicines that you can get on local drugstores even without prescription. But for severe cases, certain types of medicines need to be used. Your doctor would be able to provide you with the right one to provide the fastest relief from pain.
The Correct Footwear
Aside from medicines, arch supports may also be required. Arch supports are devices that are inserted inside the soles of the shoes. These devices are known to ease the foot from possible swelling because of the use of improper types of footwear. Whenever needed, doctors may prescribe custom-made shoes. Doctors may specifically ask you to use shoes with stiffer soles and a rocker bottom. These shoes can provide the foot with the right level of comfort so that an arthritis attack won’t be triggered.
Foot arthritis is a disease that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. This is the only way that possible attacks from foot arthritis pain are blocked. Failure to do so would only cause intense discomfort to the patient.
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