Arthritis Symptoms in Feet

The most common types of arthritis found in feet are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis. There can be some other types as well. These are psoriatic arthritis of foot, Reiter's syndrome and ankylosing spondylitis. All of these disease conditions cause various discomfort including pain that ranges from mild to very sharp intensity. Your feet may get swollen and reddened because of arthritis.

Symptoms of Arthritis in Feet

Mild to Severe Pain: Human foot has 30 joints and 28 bones. Injury due to fall or wear and tear due to aging often causes inflammation of one or many of these joints. This causes mild to severe pain in the foot, toes, heel or even arches. Pain in the foot is something which you can never ignore. It prohibits you from doing even the routine chores. Thus, you can say that pain is one of the first-noticed arthritis symptoms in feet.

Swelling of Foot: Your body has a set mechanism to treat any alternation in its natural state. When your feet is going through inflammation of the joints, better known as arthritis, they get an increased supply of blood for treatment. This results in swelling of the area. Hence, swelling is one of the most visible symptoms of arthritis in feet. Swelling also occurs if you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis in feet. This is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system of your body takes the joint tissues in the foot as foreign bodies and try to destroy them. Only medical treatment can cure such a disease. Usually, immune system suppressants are prescribed to bring the condition under control.

Redness and Heat in Feet: Because of inflammation and increase in the number of blood vessels in the affected foot, you may get a feeling of heat. The same reason causes reddening of the feet as well. The arthritis symptoms of redness and heat in feet usually disappear as arthritis in feet gets cured.

Appearance of Claw Feet: In cases of rheumatoid arthritis, due to dissolution of joint tissues, the feet become unable to stretch, extend or flex the toes. It gives feet a clawed appearance. The onset of such a condition in feet requires immediate orthopedic attention.

Stiffness of Foot: Another common arthritis symptom in feet is a feeling of stiffness or unresponsiveness. You feel your feet as numb and unresponsive. This might be because the affected joints are no more able to react in accordance with the signal received from the brain. Pain can or cannot be accompanied with stiffness. Though it is observed in majority of the cases yet there can be some who do not observe stiffness.

Difficulty in Walking: Because of all the above mentioned arthritis symptoms in feet, you often find it quite difficult to walk. The motion in the joints gets reduced to a large extent. Difficulty in walking greatly affects your day-to-day life. Well, taking rest and certain herbal remedies for arthritis for a few days will assist the feet in getting well fast.

No doubt, experiencing arthritis symptoms are very uncomfortable and make your life miserable. Fortunately, there are efficacious foot arthritis treatments available in large number. Physical therapy and exercises are foremost among them. Generally, foot arthritis symptoms go away with the use of medications such as analgesics and anti-inflammatory topical creams. However, it is advisable to take medicines meant for treating arthritis only if prescribed by a medical practitioner. There are something, however, that you can do to treat and prevent the occurrence of arthritis symptoms in feet. You should always wear comfortable footwear, preferably with a high and wide toe box that can accommodate strained toes well. Avoid eating foods that can elevate arthritis symptoms. Needless to say, a healthy diet rich in proteins will boost your immune system and thus will keep away arthritis.