 Arthritis and its related conditions
are the most common
reason for people's feet to hurt.
Arthritis are conditions that
affect the joints and other soft
tissues of the feet. In the
foot as in the whole body, the
most common form of arthritis is
called osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is due to excessive stress
and strain, or just plain old wear
and tear on the joints of the
foot. Rheumatoid arthritis is
the most crippling form of
arthritis. It not only affects the
joints like osteoarthritis,
but also can cause severe
deformities of the joints, with an
associated weakness and fatigue
of the whole body. Its causes
are presently unknown. Other
causes of arthritis include
physical injury, obesity, poor
shoes, and Gout.
There are several other conditions
that are first cousins to
arthritis. These conditions are
caused by swelling of the soft
tissue structures of the feet,
but they don't effect the joints.
They are Bursitis, Tendinitis
tenosynovitis, capsulitis, and
synovitis. These conditions
can cause as much pain as arthritis,
and can appear either along with
arthritis,
or by
themselves.
The most common self-treatment in
the early stages of arthritis
or its cousins is aspirin, or some
of the other over the counter
pain medications.
If these foot conditions don't
respond to such treatment, it is
time to consult a podiatrist who
will compile a careful medical
history and perform a detailed
examination of the foot. X-rays
are normally taken to determine
the extent of the
problem.
Arthritis, bursitis,
tendinitis, tenosynovitis,
capsulitis, and synovitis are some
of the most common problem
seen by podiatrist. The good
news is that these
problems are very
treatable with the use of stress-free
Physical Therapy, and padding and
strappings. More important is
to remove the abnormal stress and
strains on the foot, which is the
real cause of
the arthritis in many
cases. We do this
with Orthotics
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