RA and Feet.

blueboy1
blueboy1 Member Posts: 10
edited 31. May 2013, 05:20 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi can anyone help i have RA, Just had my keen replaced 6 months ago, all going good. My problem is with my feet, I have lots of pain in my left ankle and it is very swollen my right foot is pain in my heel. When i get up in the morning i find it very hard to stand. I am on sulfasalazine prednisolone and naproxen.When i seen the RA nurse she told me that feet are not part of Rheumatoid.My walking is getting bad and the pain at night is not good.I also have a husband with MS, Things are so hard.Has anyone with RA had foot problems.

Comments

  • ELAINE55555
    ELAINE55555 Member Posts: 123
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Blueboy

    Ive got RA too. Mostly in my wrists. 5 weeks ago I started with a pain in my foot. Dr sent me for Xray, which was normal. 5 weeks on, 2 different anti inflammitarys and still the pain is bad, esp in the mornings. Now been referred to a podiatrist this thursday, with a view to steriod injection. The fact that the pain is bad in the mornings, bbut eases later in the day, makes me think it is to do with RA. I'll post again on thursday and let you know the outcome.
  • dibdab
    dibdab Member Posts: 1,498
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi there. You have my sympathy- I have RA and get pain in my feet- the rheumy sent me for xrays which revealed crumbling bones in my feet- he prescribed Calcium and vit D tablets to strengthen the bones- not sure that they help though.

    Deb x
  • mig
    mig Member Posts: 7,154
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    You do get rheumatoid arthritis in your feet,maybe your nurse meant they don't count in a d.a.s score. Mig
  • trepolpen
    trepolpen Member Posts: 504
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    RA does attack feet & ankles , with your heel the only thing they can do is fuse it ( Triple Arthrodesis ) so try to get them give you the drugs that control your RA better like a anti-tnf drug , better than end up having a opperation
  • Buka
    Buka Member Posts: 43
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Blueboy,

    I have RA and it can affect feet. I have had reconstructive surgery on both of mine because my toes became so deformed I couldn't wear shoes anymore. I had to survive in flipflops and Ugg boots. My toes became dislocated and I grew bunions on both big toes. My big toes are now fused and my smaller toes have been put back in position. I had both feet done at the same time and it has improved the situation in that I can wear shoes again. Not all plain sailing though - I do have nerve damage in my my right foot and my big toe on that foot is reaching up to the sky but that is worth it in the long run. I am in a much better place now and not hurting nearly so much. They warn you pre-op that it doesn't necessarily stop any further damage. I agree that finding the right drug is the way forward but it doesn't work in all cases. I take humira, methotrexate and naproxyn and prednisolone but the damage I have to my hands and feet is pretty extensive anyway.

    Buka
  • jacqmun
    jacqmun Member Posts: 65
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    If you look at the little diagram they use to 'score' your disease activity, feet are not on there!?!?!? I asked the nurse why , she didn't really explain, just said it was daft. I too have RA in my feet and undergone surgery. Still unable to wear day to day footwear, so have a delightful collection of crocs!!!! :)
    Wishing you well
    Jacqui
    When it rains, look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars
  • blueboy1
    blueboy1 Member Posts: 10
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you all i will have to see my doctor after the weekend can not go on like this.
  • Starburst
    Starburst Member Posts: 2,546
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I think it was Scattered on here who explained that the reason the DAS score doesn't include feet is because there are so many bones in the feet. They tested DAS with feet and without feet and found the scores were similar, so they decided not to include feet. I asked my rheumy who agreed with this and said it time consuming to examine feet as well as you often cannot feel for inflammation as the joints are well buried. I kept getting told my feet were not affected and I wore my rheumy down and she sent me for MRI scans of both feet which showed widespread inflammation. I find it frustrating because my feet are badly affected and affected much more than my other joints, so they look at my hands, declare me stable and I mention my feet but it isn't really taken on board.

    Have you been referred for orthotics or to a podiatrist? I find ice packs very soothing for RA foot pain, might that be an option for you? And I'm sure you know this but a decent pair of shoes will help matters. I feel for you, when you have bad feet, it just throws everything off when you walk. :(
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I doubt I'd have been able to walk at all for the last 30 years without surgical shoes and that's because of the RA>OA in my feet.

    One important factor for you is that you've recently had a TKR. After all mine and, I think, after my THRs, I've needed new shoes because the implant made such a difference to my gait. It stands to reason that, if you're walking differently, using different muscles, despite being much better overall, it will impact on the foot/feet.

    I agree with Sophie that a referral to an orthotist might help. Meanwhile, always wear strong, supportive shoes (Trainers are usually good) and don't be tempted to slop around in slippers ever.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • lizzieuk1
    lizzieuk1 Member Posts: 302
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Seems ridiculous to do hands/wrists but not feet since there are virtually the same number of of bones/joints in the hands/wrists as there are in the feet, makes no sense a all to me. They could easily count the mid foot as one as they do for the wrist and the other joints as for the hands - sounds like they just can't be bothered and since u struggle to move without ur feet working they should be as important as ur hands IMO.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    lizzieuk1 wrote:
    Seems ridiculous to do hands/wrists but not feet since there are virtually the same number of of bones/joints in the hands/wrists as there are in the feet, makes no sense a all to me.

    But hands don't support the entire body weight which must make a difference.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • lizzieuk1
    lizzieuk1 Member Posts: 302
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    lizzieuk1 wrote:
    Seems ridiculous to do hands/wrists but not feet since there are virtually the same number of of bones/joints in the hands/wrists as there are in the feet, makes no sense a all to me.

    But hands don't support the entire body weight which must make a difference.

    Am missing ur point here sticky, sorry having a moment!
  • Starburst
    Starburst Member Posts: 2,546
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Lizzie - I queried this with my rheumatologist who said the joints in the feet are too deep buried to make an examination worthwhile. She said if there is inflammation in the knuckle joints (for example..) you'll almost always find it upon examination, whereas it is hit and miss for feet. My feet used to look fine, the scans showed a different picture, now the bones are starting to move around but they still don't always look swollen, as such. Even my hero - my foot and ankle ortho specialist - can't tell much purely by examination, although he has got a better idea than most other clinicians.
  • Starburst
    Starburst Member Posts: 2,546
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    That said, I do wish rheumatologists would move away from over-focusing on RA in hands. While it was my first symptom, it was certainly not the worst. I do feel frustrated with the standard hand and wrist examination when my jaw, feet and ankles have been damaged by the RA and it appears not to be taken into account. So, when I receive a letter saying; "Sophie's disease is stable" what they mean is the disease activity in my hands and wrists is stable.
  • ELAINE55555
    ELAINE55555 Member Posts: 123
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    A wee update on the pain in my foot. Went to the podiatrist yesterday and she explained that I have vulgas heel, which is common in people with RA. The small bones in the feet collapse on to one another, hence the pain. Steroid inj would not do any good as there is no inflammation. She gave me othrotics to wear in my shoes, so its of to Cl...rks today to treat myself to a decent pair of trainers. Will they go with my summer dresses??? mmm. not! I feel my life is on a downward spiral.