1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

Anyone else suffering arthritis in their feet? OUCH!

Posted by Bluegrass Gal @cindychesler, Jul 15 8:12am

I suffer from arthritis in my feet along with Pes Cavus (really high arches considered a deformity). I have gotten BMAC stem cell therapy which only lasted a few weeks. Steroid shots. Physical therapy. And acupuncture and several rounds of an herb concoction that mixes with water. Additionally I apply ice packs and occasionally heat packs. All give temporary relief. I cannot take Celebrex, Advil or Aleve. I do not have rheumatoid arthritis. Any long term solutions?

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covidstinks2023 | @covidstinks2023 | Jul 16 7:40am

God Bless You. I empathize. I have arthritis in the tops and bottoms of my feet along with bone spurs & plantar fasciitis flares. My feet are the opposite of yours as they are very flat. My feet actually tend to be worse at night. I had low B12 which made me have peripheral neuropathy symptoms with burning & tingling in my hands and feet....you might want to get your B12 checked. I am getting B12 injections which has helped.

Cortisone Injections in my feet did not good. The doctor put me on steroids for over a month and it came right back. I cannot take NSAIDS either....which makes it harder to treat.
So what helps:
1) Hot foot soaks in Epsom salt
2) Voltaren gel 3-4 times a day on my feet
3) Heat packs (you can get these on Amazon) and they are called Bed Buddy. I wrap one around each clean foot.
4) A massage from a massage therapist.
5) Gently Foot exercises.....look these up on Youtube.
6) I have to wear a really good shoe with thick bottoms and support.
7) Orthotic inserts from a podiatrist.
8) Crazy as it sounds....when I get my knees aspirated & injected for arthritis....my feet quit hurting.
Praying for you. I know how miserable this can be and I am so sorry you are battling this. Blessings....

REPLY
2 replies
linamend | @linamend | Jul 16 8:19am

I already had one toe joint replaced because of arthritis. I agree it can be extremely painful. Wear shoes that are very wide and highly cushioned. Good luck dear.

REPLY
1 reply
Bluegrass Gal | @cindychesler | Jul 16 9:27am
In reply to @covidstinks2023 "God Bless You. I empathize. I have arthritis in the tops and bottoms of my feet..." + (show)
@covidstinks2023

God Bless You. I empathize. I have arthritis in the tops and bottoms of my feet along with bone spurs & plantar fasciitis flares. My feet are the opposite of yours as they are very flat. My feet actually tend to be worse at night. I had low B12 which made me have peripheral neuropathy symptoms with burning & tingling in my hands and feet....you might want to get your B12 checked. I am getting B12 injections which has helped.

Cortisone Injections in my feet did not good. The doctor put me on steroids for over a month and it came right back. I cannot take NSAIDS either....which makes it harder to treat.
So what helps:
1) Hot foot soaks in Epsom salt
2) Voltaren gel 3-4 times a day on my feet
3) Heat packs (you can get these on Amazon) and they are called Bed Buddy. I wrap one around each clean foot.
4) A massage from a massage therapist.
5) Gently Foot exercises.....look these up on Youtube.
6) I have to wear a really good shoe with thick bottoms and support.
7) Orthotic inserts from a podiatrist.
8) Crazy as it sounds....when I get my knees aspirated & injected for arthritis....my feet quit hurting.
Praying for you. I know how miserable this can be and I am so sorry you are battling this. Blessings....

Jump to this post

Thank you.

REPLY
gussie | @gussie | Jul 16 11:33am

I also have arthritis in my toes. I had one toe replaced 5 years ago and it did take the pain away but now I have another toe on the other foot that has bone on bone pain. I have narrow heels so it's not easy to get a toe box with enough room and not have the shoe slid off my heel. I have a better time in the summer when I wear sandals. I only wear Vionic sandals because they have a built-in arch in all their shoes and I can't wear flat shoes. I also can't take NSAIDS as I have gastritis. I also have osteoarthritis in my fingers. In the winter I mostly wear either Brooks running shoes.

REPLY
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jul 16 12:03pm
In reply to @covidstinks2023 "God Bless You. I empathize. I have arthritis in the tops and bottoms of my feet..." + (show)
@covidstinks2023

God Bless You. I empathize. I have arthritis in the tops and bottoms of my feet along with bone spurs & plantar fasciitis flares. My feet are the opposite of yours as they are very flat. My feet actually tend to be worse at night. I had low B12 which made me have peripheral neuropathy symptoms with burning & tingling in my hands and feet....you might want to get your B12 checked. I am getting B12 injections which has helped.

Cortisone Injections in my feet did not good. The doctor put me on steroids for over a month and it came right back. I cannot take NSAIDS either....which makes it harder to treat.
So what helps:
1) Hot foot soaks in Epsom salt
2) Voltaren gel 3-4 times a day on my feet
3) Heat packs (you can get these on Amazon) and they are called Bed Buddy. I wrap one around each clean foot.
4) A massage from a massage therapist.
5) Gently Foot exercises.....look these up on Youtube.
6) I have to wear a really good shoe with thick bottoms and support.
7) Orthotic inserts from a podiatrist.
8) Crazy as it sounds....when I get my knees aspirated & injected for arthritis....my feet quit hurting.
Praying for you. I know how miserable this can be and I am so sorry you are battling this. Blessings....

Jump to this post

@cindychesler I agree with everything here! I was one of those barefoot folks for many years, and wore out all the fat pads along with getting arthritis. Unfortunately, short of joint replacements, which are difficult and not always successful, there is no permanent fix for osteoarthritis.

Ironically, I just returned from TRYING to buy a replacement pair of sandals - Skecher Memory Foam with adjustable straps - before they completely wear out. Of course, this year's models are just enough different so as not to fit the same. And I repeatedly told the salesperson I needed Memory Foam and adjustable straps for my arthritic feet, but they kept bringing less cushioned choices. Grrr!

Here are a few more things that helped me -
- Gait training after hip surgery wearing NEW shoes
- Wearing supportive shoes indoors and out - we are a shoeless house to keep allergens out, so I have indoor shoes with good support.
- Exception - barefoot walking for short distances on sand or soft grass, followed by mild stretching. The podiatrist I recently saw explained it can strengthen muscles to help support feet. He also said to go slowly - only 2-3 times per week, starting with 5 minutes each of walking & stretching and increasing slowly. So far it seems to be helping a little.

REPLY
2 replies
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Jul 17 6:53am

Hi BG. Sorry for what you're going through.

I have osteoarthritis, everywhere! I did get bunioneictomies on both feet. Essentially, the bony growth on the side of the big toe is removed and the big toe joint is fused. This narrows the foot and makes it much easier to wear shoes. And I can still stand on my toes to some extent.

I have very high arches too. Rolling my foot on a small, hard rubber ball helps, as does massage with specific instructions to the masseuse to address the high arches.

I would not apply heat to the feet. While it feels good initially, heat increases blood flow and that increases inflammation - exactly the opposite of what you want. So try ice packs on your feet or a cold foot bath. But please avoid heat on any arthritic joint.

I hope you find some relief. All the best to you BG. Joe

REPLY
heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | Jul 17 6:56am
In reply to @sueinmn "@cindychesler I agree with everything here! I was one of those barefoot folks for many years,..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@cindychesler I agree with everything here! I was one of those barefoot folks for many years, and wore out all the fat pads along with getting arthritis. Unfortunately, short of joint replacements, which are difficult and not always successful, there is no permanent fix for osteoarthritis.

Ironically, I just returned from TRYING to buy a replacement pair of sandals - Skecher Memory Foam with adjustable straps - before they completely wear out. Of course, this year's models are just enough different so as not to fit the same. And I repeatedly told the salesperson I needed Memory Foam and adjustable straps for my arthritic feet, but they kept bringing less cushioned choices. Grrr!

Here are a few more things that helped me -
- Gait training after hip surgery wearing NEW shoes
- Wearing supportive shoes indoors and out - we are a shoeless house to keep allergens out, so I have indoor shoes with good support.
- Exception - barefoot walking for short distances on sand or soft grass, followed by mild stretching. The podiatrist I recently saw explained it can strengthen muscles to help support feet. He also said to go slowly - only 2-3 times per week, starting with 5 minutes each of walking & stretching and increasing slowly. So far it seems to be helping a little.

Jump to this post

Thanks Sue. I had bunioneictomies on both feet and got great relief. Joint replacements are available for the feet, but the success rate is very, very poor and I would not recommend them to anyone. I'm glad you mentioned that, thanks.

REPLY
Bluegrass Gal | @cindychesler | Jul 17 7:31am
In reply to @sueinmn "@cindychesler I agree with everything here! I was one of those barefoot folks for many years,..." + (show)
@sueinmn

@cindychesler I agree with everything here! I was one of those barefoot folks for many years, and wore out all the fat pads along with getting arthritis. Unfortunately, short of joint replacements, which are difficult and not always successful, there is no permanent fix for osteoarthritis.

Ironically, I just returned from TRYING to buy a replacement pair of sandals - Skecher Memory Foam with adjustable straps - before they completely wear out. Of course, this year's models are just enough different so as not to fit the same. And I repeatedly told the salesperson I needed Memory Foam and adjustable straps for my arthritic feet, but they kept bringing less cushioned choices. Grrr!

Here are a few more things that helped me -
- Gait training after hip surgery wearing NEW shoes
- Wearing supportive shoes indoors and out - we are a shoeless house to keep allergens out, so I have indoor shoes with good support.
- Exception - barefoot walking for short distances on sand or soft grass, followed by mild stretching. The podiatrist I recently saw explained it can strengthen muscles to help support feet. He also said to go slowly - only 2-3 times per week, starting with 5 minutes each of walking & stretching and increasing slowly. So far it seems to be helping a little.

Jump to this post

Thank you for the insights. Shoes are quite difficult for me too. I found some Hoka sandal/flip flop type shoes that offer a ton of cushion. They have adjustable straps. I think I’ll get more before the style changes.

REPLY
3 replies
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Jul 17 10:23am
In reply to @cindychesler "Thank you for the insights. Shoes are quite difficult for me too. I found some Hoka..." + (show)
@cindychesler

Thank you for the insights. Shoes are quite difficult for me too. I found some Hoka sandal/flip flop type shoes that offer a ton of cushion. They have adjustable straps. I think I’ll get more before the style changes.

Jump to this post

According to my PT, my pain doc and my podiatrist, any "flip-flop type shoes" with or without adjustable straps, are not OK for anything except shower or to and from the beach.
According to all of them, at a minimum, shoes must have an adjustable back strap if not a fully enclosed heel. The Skechers one pictured here was ok'd by my PT & podiatrist they have "Memory Foam" insoles. My friend who also has arthritis in her feet finds she is able to wear these too.
I think HOKA has a hiker that would meet my docs' criteria. If you need the ultra-cushioning, I think OOFOS has one too - I have not tried either because my feet are very narrow, but I have friends who get great relief from them.
REPLY
2 replies
deejay52 | @deejay52 | Jul 17 1:37pm
In reply to @sueinmn "According to my PT, my pain doc and my podiatrist, any "flip-flop type shoes" with or..." + (show)
@sueinmn

According to my PT, my pain doc and my podiatrist, any "flip-flop type shoes" with or without adjustable straps, are not OK for anything except shower or to and from the beach.
According to all of them, at a minimum, shoes must have an adjustable back strap if not a fully enclosed heel. The Skechers one pictured here was ok'd by my PT & podiatrist they have "Memory Foam" insoles. My friend who also has arthritis in her feet finds she is able to wear these too.
I think HOKA has a hiker that would meet my docs' criteria. If you need the ultra-cushioning, I think OOFOS has one too - I have not tried either because my feet are very narrow, but I have friends who get great relief from them.

Jump to this post

Which sketchers sandal is this?

REPLY
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