Arthritis Specialist

How does arthritis affect my feet?

Arthritis describes a group of conditions that cause inflammation and swelling in your joints. Many types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, result from wear and tear over time, which makes your feet at an especially high risk of arthritis because they contain many joints and are responsible for bearing your weight as you walk, run, stand, and go about your day.

You can’t avoid putting pressure on your feet during everyday activities, so when you develop arthritis in your feet, working around the pain on your own can be difficult. Arthritis commonly affects the midfoot or the arch of your foot. When you have midfoot arthritis, standing and walking usually makes the pain worse.

What are the symptoms of midfoot arthritis?

Though arthritis is not the only condition that can cause pain in the arch of your feet, there are certain signs that suggest your foot pain comes from arthritis. Common symptoms of midfoot arthritis include:

• Pain and stiffness when you wake up
• Pain when you first go from sitting or lying down to standing
• Pain that worsens when you put weight on your foot, including when exercising, walking, or standing
• Decreased flexibility in your foot
• Change in your foot’s appearance, including flatness
• Swelling on top of your foot that looks like a bone sticking out

These symptoms can interfere with your everyday life, but in most cases, you can manage midfoot arthritis with a combination of nonoperative treatments.

How is midfoot arthritis treated?

Dr. Reed guides you on adjustments you can make to your lifestyle so you can both reduce the pain you experience from midfoot arthritis and return to the same level of activity you enjoyed before developing the condition. These adjustments include:

• Comfortable footwear with a stiff sole, or using insoles or orthotics, to reduce the force you place on your midfoot
• Activity modification so you can stay active without putting excessive pressure on your midfoot, including by replacing some running or walking with swimming or cycling
• Weight loss, if necessary, to reduce stress on your feet
• Calf stretching, to make the joints next to your midfoot more flexible
• Anti-inflammatory medication, when used in moderation, can help control arthritis pain

To get expert care for midfoot pain resulting from arthritis, call Lauren Reed, DPM, or schedule an appointment online today.