Anyone else suffering arthritis in their feet? OUCH!

Thanks for your comments. I suffer from osteoarthritis as well, and in every joint in my body.

So it was no surprise that I developed bunions on both of my big toes. Dress shoes were a nightmare. I finally had the bunions and other arthritic spurs removed and in the same surgery, the big-toe joints were fused. Not only do my feet look better, they feel great and I don't have to worry about finding shoes that are wide in the toe box.

I don't know if you have this problem - I'm guessing you do. I had the surgeries in my early 60s and I'm almost 70 now. Along with getting my knees replaced in 2022, I feel a whole lot better.

At some point, I may have to get some vertebrae in my lumbar spine fused. It is a hot mess. But I had laminotomies done on S1, L5, and L4 about 10 years ago to address sciatica and remove a partially ruptured disc, and now I maintain a very strong core. So my back has been fine, aside from some occasional flare ups when the sciatic nerves get pinched. Fusion is about the only surgery that really causes me concern, and that I would like to avoid. So core exercises are a daily thing.

All the best to you. Joe

Sue, you are so right! Without a back strap it would only cause more pain. I’ve just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my feet. One foot has a falling arch and inserts do help. However I have not been able to go for walks as I’ve done all my life. I miss walking so much. The new foot doctor I saw recently said getting back to walking was a mindset. What? Is it actually possible for me to go back to walking with extreme pain that causes limping? How do I reset my brain to do this? My dog would love it if I could do this! By the way, I’m 79 years old. That in itself might be difficult. Yet if there is a secret I’m missing I’d sure like to try it!

Thanks Joe! Yes. I have 2 forms of arthritis. Osteo & DISH. DISH affects the ligaments & tendons & forms bone spurs possibly in almost all joints but diagnosis is made in thoracic back. At least 4 consecutive vertebrae are bridge with bone, making you less flexible. Bone spurs can press on nerves & soft tissues . So it can be very painful & even disabling for some. Doing my best & still working full time. I know I should be better with stretching but my core is strong from when I could do more. Thanks for your info & caring. 👍🏻😊

Some years ago, I had a long illness (lung infection) that left me nearly a couch potato. Pain from osteoarthritis and a hyper reactive inflammatory response to everything also left me in a lot of pain. I sought help at a pain rehabilitation clinic, where Physical Therapy and mindfulness training were both part of the program. PT can also work with you on your gait - making you conscious of ways to walk with less limping, even when you hurt.
Here is how I started back walking
- new, cushioned shoes with orthotics (the PT put the orthotics under the padding and it helped)
- a warm shower and stretching
- massage Voltaren (a topical NSAID) into m feet and other painful joints
- do my breathing treatment
- take a short walk (at first I think the total length was maybe 200 yards) while concentrating on walking as straight as possible and breathing deeply. Pausing halfway to enjoy nature around me, then returning home to a waiting lawn chair to spend 5 minutes reflecting quietly and breathing deeply.
- later in the day, a second short walk
- Every few days I would add to my walk - past one more property in my neighborhood, which would add about 50-60 yards to my walk.

What was important
- focus on movement, what is around me and my breathing. Push the pain to the background.
- walk on dirt, wood chip or gravel path if you can - easier on the feet.
- just do it.

On good days now, I can walk 5 miles or more in a day (not all at once) but even on bad days I aim for at least a mile.
You might be interested in the book "The Way Out" by Allen Gordon and Alon Ziv. It teaches us a different way to view pain, understanding the difference between pain that signals danger and chronic pain.

Have you had any PT to get you back to walking? Based on your body, a good therapist can make really helpful suggestions.

Thank you for your kind response. I have been to a PT and tried several times walking a very short distance. I concentrate on my movements to make it better. Yet after about three minutes my foot aches so bad that I start limping. Then I purposely walk normal to fake out the pain but the pain wins. I’m so discouraged. I do have inserts made by a doctor that fitted my foot. But they are so hard and stiff that they make my pain worse. I keep trying different shoes and I’m still on that phase. I use to walk four miles a day and now I think I must have over done it. My feet are so sensitive. I have not tried the cream you’re commenting on so I will also add that to my trials. Thank you again.

Wow thanks I had never heard of DISH. My T and C spines are pretty much free from arthritis, I think, but my L is a different story. I'm so sorry about what you have to go through. Stay strong. You certainly are courageous!!!

I am experiencing problems with my feet as well, have MCTD and RA but have never addressed foot problems specifically with Family Dr. or Rheumatologist.
What kind of arthritis affects the feet causing swelling and severe pain in toes, bottom of feet? What tests are done to know if it’s arthritis ?

That sounds very painful. I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis through X-rays and MRI’s. Rheumatoid arthritis was ruled out through blood work.

Good luck.

I so very much understand the pain you're dealing with! Have had arthritis in both feet for over 12 years along with peripheral neuropathy, particularly on all toes, AND 3 neuromas. Forgot to add: a nasty hammertoe that has been my constant companion for over 20 years and makes its existence known quite intensely at times.
I taught standing, actively circulating in my large high school classroom, each day for 6 periods a day. My rheumatologist warned me that it would have consequences, but I continued my way of being amongst the kids rather than sitting at my desk. Did so for 25 years. And while teaching graduate school as well for 7 years. My rheumatologist was right: the damage to bones, nerves, and the osteoarthritis that spread to my feet (and other areas) are all impossible to ignore. Pain set in with a vengeance.

I'll not include other factors that have impacted the problems with my feet. I'll just say that I do NOT wear anything but Merrell and Skechers WIDE, and treasure a WIDE foot bed. My shoe size has gone from an 8-8.5 to a 9.5-10. And always WIDE width. Prevents having entire front of feet (including underneath) being squeezed in any manner. I also then benefit from being able to "stretch" the toes, a nice exercise bringing a bit of pain release without having to remove the footwear. Both brands have great padding and one is actually endorsed by podiatrists. I especially love the G0-WALK model by Skechers, which is unfortunately not available anywhere as of 4 months ago. I was lucky to have gotten a duplicate pair (had to wait 2 months for Amazon to fulfill due to "supply issues"). They are slip-ons, machine washable, great comfy padding. One pair is for "outdoors" and the other is my indoor pair, which is worn in lieu of slippers (found slippers of any kind were actually dangerous for me due to gait and balance issues). Toes are COVERED and PROTECTED. I do not agree with the suggestion about the slide-ons that have toes exposed. Toes do tend to "curl" in order to assist footwear as you step, and if front of sandals/slides are covered, the curling-gripping leads to ugly bumps, calluses, and can create painful hammertoes (which happened to me😞). .And after having broken 2 toes in span of 18 months (this was over 14 years ago), I learned my lesson and ALWAYS protect my feet totally, never being barefoot.

Pain (significant) on top of feet eliminates any footwear with adjustable straps (not over top of foot nor adjustable back straps either) . Just can't tolerate ANY pressure, no matter how "light", across the ankles or tops of feet. I donated several beautiful leather sandals that, although my toes were indeed protected and it felt nice to wear a "real" shoe with dresses/skirts, they inflicted intolerable pain. Fashionable is not winning over comfort in my world! I understand that there's a great shoe store in my county that carries all types of shoes for those of us who would like a bit of a dressier look than just athleticwear, but it's way too distant from our town, and I don't like purchasing online unless I've already found and tried on specific shoes that can be located and purchased online. AND BEWARE! Read carefully the ship/returns/exchange rules of any store that you're considering! I have crossed Sierra.com completely off my contacts after an exhaustive returns process that wound up costing me return postage, and several calls to get my refund for the shoes. Never again! As long as my footies are happy, I can manage the other medical issues... I frequent my town's TJMax and Marshall's, and even Kohl's carries Skechers. And Kohl's has great sales. I located three Skecher's that met my criteria during an incredible clearance sale! Got all three for less than $75😁!

One more thing that I'd like to share: I searched for and found an amazing podiatrist in private practice. I wanted no one within a medical group because doctors are very limited with how much time is spent with each patient, thus not getting all my questions and concerns met. This podiatrist is not only kind, compassionate, and attentive, but where I used to get a 10 to 15 minute with my prior podiatrist, this one is not rushed and even personally does the heat therapies usually done by his nurse (who is a true angel as well!). He discussed my inability to take prescription pain meds and created a compounded cream which was filled by a compounding pharmacy. A bit pricey but a metered dose is pumped which I then spread and rub into the left foot (the most seriously pained one). AMAZING stuff! Applying heat also helps. Took me nearly 6 months of online searching to find this jewel of a doctor but it was indeed worth the time and effort.

Best of luck to you. Hope you can find ways to best deal with what definitely is not going to disappear, thus we need to learn how to best help ourselves, and be grateful for less-painful days and nights.😊🌺

Thanks for sharing your journey with me. It sounds arduous. Can you share the name of the cream you mentioned? We have a compounding pharmacy in our town. Thank you.