When your “dogs are barking,” it can cause you to feel miserable. Although resting your feet can help ease pain, it may not completely eliminate it. Unfortunately, many people have arthritis in their feet, which causes the joints in the feet to swell and become inflamed. While taking anti-inflammatory drugs may treat the arthritis, a podiatrist might be able to help ease the foot pain that it causes as well.
Visiting a Podiatrist
You may not think to visit a podiatrist for foot pain, especially if you have never been diagnosed with arthritis. However, you should make an appointment if:
- There is recurring pain or tenderness in your foot joints.
- Foot joints feel warm and/or look red.
- There is limited foot movement.
- You experience early morning stiffness in your feet.
- You notice rashes or other changes to the skin around your joints.
A podiatrist will evaluate your feet in order to provide a diagnosis. If the evaluation discovers that arthritis is the cause of your discomfort, they can provide treatments for arthritis foot pain in Racine, WI. The arthritis doesn’t have to be in the foot to cause pain, as it may also be in the knees, which can affect how you walk and cause extreme discomfort.
Foot Pain Treatments
The treatment for arthritis foot pain varies among patients and it depends on the specific type of arthritis in question. However, the treatments tend to include going to physical therapy and doing exercises to help increase foot movement and to reduce stiffness. A podiatrist may also prescribe an anti-inflammatory medicine (if you’re not already on one) and they might recommend seeing a rheumatologist for further arthritis treatments.
For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, foot orthotics can help cushion the feet, and prescription shoes with more depth in the toe area or braces may also be needed to reduce arthritis foot pain. If the joints of your feet hurt, make an appointment with a podiatrist to have them examined and treated professionally.
