Extremely painful feet.

Agape

Hi,
I would like to ask if anyone has had the feeling in their arches and on top of their feet pain like either someone really heavy has stood on them or they have been ((crunched!)) It is so painful. I have had this come on, in both feet for a couple of weeks now and it doesn't seem to be going away! I have OA and will be meeting up with GP but wondered if anyone else had experienced this?

Thanks

stickywicket

Hello again, agape What sort of shoes do you wear? Lace-ups, with a good, supporting arch, are best such as a decent pair of trainers. Your GP might refer you to an orthotist for some orthotic insoles and / or a physio for some foot exercises. I hope you can find something that helps.

barbara12

Hello Agape
I had heel probs a few years ago now the boney growth thing...don't ask me to spell it..planter something...and was told to keep changing my footware from day to day..and to this day it has worked..so give it a go...and good luck

dreamdaisy

I have PsA-affected toes and OA-affected ankles. I have bone growths at the back of my heels which irritates my Achilles tendonitis and the occasional burst of plantar fasciitis in my right foot. My custom-made orthotics give a little relief for a short period, all my shoes are either lace-ups or buckled, I use gel insoles too to help soften the impact of walking and, whenever possible, sit with my feet raised to ease the strain on the knees and ankles. DD

Chris01

Hi Agape, I would agree with Sw. I have OA of knee and now wrist too. Pain in the knees makes it very difficult to walk but I can definitely say an advice from a good orthotist can make it much better especially for the kind of pain you’re describing. While choosing a shoe, look for the one that has extra shock absorption and has a good arch support. Personally I prefer shoes with extra insole and with Velcro fastening as lace up shoes are difficult for me to fasten due to my wrist OA. Hope you get the right help soon.

Chris.

Agape

Hello everyone and thank you all for your advice. I already have orthotics for my shoes, got a bit lazy and didn't use them all the time so originally thought that this pain must be from not putting them in! Well, after using them again for a while I reolise that I was still having this pain and it wasn't going away, this is what led me into thinking that I 'may' have some arthritis in my feet! Just another place this horror seems to have popped up in! :x

I have bought two pairs of good walking boots and will be wearing them in properly. Before buying them I made sure that my orthotics sat nicely inside also giving me some room for two pairs of socks to also help prevent rubbing on the back of my ankle.

Hi Stickywicket, I'm back on this forum again, so good to be able to chat to you all. Right now I am feeling like I am going mad with so many pains in my body.

Barbara12 I will try your suggestion of changing my footwear.

Dreamdaisy, my heart goes out to you, you must be in so much pain with yr feet. My consultant mentioned she thought that I had PsA, but the treatment she offered seemed quite aggressive to me so I haven't gone ahead with it. What would you say were your tell, tell symptoms that confirmed the diagnosis of PsA?! Hope this isn't too personal a question to ask!

Thanks to all once again for your help.

dreamdaisy

Thank you for your kind thoughts, yes I am in pain but who on here isn't? That's a problem with this forum, it gives a skewed perspective of arthritis because those who are doing OK don't bother with the likes of us who aren't.

There wasn't a 'tell' as such for me because my PsA began in a 'wrong' place but around ten years in my toes began to swell and feel tender due to inflammation; fortunately I saw my rheumatologist on a poorer day and she confirmed its presence. They are always tender but only swell occasionally if the PsA decides to have a nip. If I wear slip-ons or flip-flops that aggravates matters, as does footwear such as MBST, FitFlops etc. - those are murder on my ankles and knees! My feet are now very flat thanks to the arthritis hence the orthotics. DD

stickywicket

You seem to be being very sensible with the boots and shoes but I can't help wondering if you should go back to your rheumatologist. If you have PsA it could well be taking another bite and moving into another area. It's what it does. What you described sounded quite familiar from my early days of RA in my feet but, as you said yours was OA and as those days were so long ago for me, I thought I could be remembering wrongly. Now I think your feet should be properly checked out. The good footwear and orthotics will help but won't hold back the disease if it is PsA.

Agape

Stickywicket, you mentioned ...

stickywicket wrote:

What you described sounded quite familiar from my early days of RA in my feet but, as you said yours was OA and as those days were so long ago for me, I thought I could be remembering wrongly.

I can't help but mention, I do have a high RF but no one has ever said anything else except that I have OA, which I know I have in my SI joint. I 'wonder' if I have the early stages of RA also, how could I find this out?

It's always interesting to learn that so many people seem to have a mixture of OA, PsA etc. etc. If this is the case I am guessing patients would have to take a combination of meds?

I have read that PsA doesn't cause major systemic problems but is very painful? Is this correct?

dreamdaisy

It has been known for someone to be diagnosed with OA but then it appears they may have had an auto-immune version all along. PsA is one of the sero-negative forms of auto-immune arthritis (so no positive RF factor). You have a positive RF factor so, ergo, it may not be OA because that presents in a very different way. I have OA thanks to the joint damage caused by my PsA. Who told you about your high RF? DD

stickywicket

Agape wrote:

My consultant mentioned she thought that I had PsA, but the treatment she offered seemed quite aggressive to me so I haven't gone ahead with it.

Agape wrote:

I do have a high RF but no one has ever said anything else except that I have OA,

:? I'm confused.

Agape

So sorry for the confusion. I didn't explain myself properly... My consultant knows that I 'already' have OA and on my last apt I was talking through some other problems that I was having and she said that she felt that PsA would explain these 'new symptoms' and therefore wanted to put me on some other medication. This is why I found it very helpful to learn that many on this forum suffer with different types of arthritis. Hope this helps.

dreamdaisy

PsA is one of the sero-negative kinds of auto-immune arthritis, which means there is no rheumatoid factor in the bloods. The meds for an auto-immune kind sound nasty but I have taken mine for years with very little trouble from side-effects - the reason I am in the mess I am is that I went for five years without anything due to a poor GP who failed to recognise my trouble as a form of inflammatory arthritis. GPs now appear to do better on that front as I now stand out like a sore thumb in rheumatology waiting room, watching younger people than me strolling in and out of the consulting rooms with ease, not a sick, crutch or rollator in sight! DD

stickywicket

If your 'consultant' is a rheumatologist then you will be deemed to have some sort of auto-immune arthritis whether it's RA, PsA or one of the very many other types, some sero-positive and some sero-neg. If the consultant thinks you need a Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug (DMARD) such as methotrexate or sulphasalazine then why not take it? People often worry about the potential side-effects of the meds while not weighing them up against the known problems of unchecked disease.

Agape

When my high RF was found I was referred to a Rheumy, it was discovered that I have Sjogrens Syndrome. My Rheumy is the one who after an X-Ray and MRI said my SI had OA. Then my Psoriosis started to come back it appeared around my neck and I had very dry/red patches on my knuckles/elbows, it was then that she wanted to put me on Methotrexate. Rather than go over everything on this forum, I would be happy to do a PM if you would like!

dreamdaisy

Meth is one of the standard DMARDs which are required to keep the disease in not in check then under some degree of control. I began sulphasalazine first and although it has done very little for the arthritis I think it helps to keep my psoriasis (which is not a major problem) under control. Because it did little for the joints meth was then added and over the years you name it, I've probably tried it, but as I said it was too little, too late, hence the OA and now fibromyalgia.

The consequences of not taking the meds at the correct time are often ignored in the interests of the short-term, the thinking often being along the lines of 'I'm not that bad, I don't like the sound of these so I won't take them.' My view has always been that it's the quality of life now that counts, and knowing that any form of arthritis is degenerative and progressive for me it was a no-brainer. Mind you I have been taking medical drugs since the age of five in one form or another so they hold no fear: having experienced chronic asthma as a child, long before the days of inhalers and coming close to death on one or two occasions I know what is in my best interests. Arthritis-wise I began with one affected joint, now it's forty - if I had been given the meds far earlier I doubt very much that this would be the case. DD

Agape

I am going to sound absolutely ridiculous asking this question, but I have to… How do you know 'WHEN' it's the right time to start taking some of these stronger meds?

stickywicket

Very briefly but very, very sincerely - when your rheumatologist suggests them.

dreamdaisy

When? When you're told that they are required and that's usually at the point of diagnosis. Any form of auto-immune arthritis has to be controlled to slow its progress and limit the damage to the joints. I have never regarded meth or sulph as stronger meds but I do regard them as necessary. DD

Agape

Thank you.