Mid foot pain

Elspeth

Hi. I have OA in several joints: knees, fingers, wrists, and presumably also in my feet. My question is concerning my foot. I have pain in mid foot area and a specific area which hurts when I press on it. Sometimes it is painful to walk, and sometimes it is painful at night and stops me sleeping. Should my foot be x-rayed? My GP says it is OA, based on the fact that I have it in other joints. Could it potentially be a hairline fracture? Also, if it is OA, would cortisone injections help? I had them in my knee with great benefit. My GP tells me they are not useful or effective in the foot and can even cause more damage. I am trying to walk more and to lose weight in preparation for a possible knee replacement which I will have to source privately. The foot pain is hampering me however. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

helpline_team

Hi @Elspeth

Thank you for posting on the forum, where you have asked about the pain you are experiencing in your foot, and if cortisone injections could help.

Unfortunately, we are unable to advise specifically if this could be due to a fracture as we are not medically trained, you may want to seek an appointment with your GP if you have not already done so for a diagnosis.

We do have information on our website about foot pain and how you can treat it including information on exercises.

The 2nd link is to our Steroid injections information. Steroid injections are often recommended for people with rheumatoid arthritis and other types of inflammatory arthritis. They may also be recommended for osteoarthritis if your joints are very painful or if you need extra pain relief for a time. The injection can reduce inflammation, which in turn should reduce pain.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/foot-and-ankle-pain/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/steroid-injections/

I hope this information will prove useful to you

Regards

Helen, Helpline