Rheumatoid arthritis - constant shooting pain in feet.

zah201

Hello, thank you for allowing me to join the group. I am a female, 22 and have just been diagnosed with RA. I have seen the rheumatologist and have been given steroids and methotrexate which has helped a lot however I am left with constant shooting pains in my toes and foot. Unfortunately not having much support/luck with the rheumatology department I have tried lots of different pain reliefs and also heat and ice. Any advice would be appreciated! :-)

CarylW

Hello @zah201 and welcome to our online forum. We are a friendly group and try and help each other out with information and support. I am sure members with experience of RA will soon be in touch with help from their own experience.

I don't know if you have had a chance to explore our website, but I am posting a couple of links below which may be helpful.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/

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

Please do keep posting. We look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Caryl

jamieA

Hi @zah201

My inflammatory arthritis - psoriatic - has caused issues with my feet and I've been diagnosed with metatarsalgia. My rheumatologist referred me to a rheumatology podiatrist at the local hospital - maybe you could see if your local health board has a similar service. The podiatrist gave me suggestions on footwear - including wearing wider shoes, trainers with cushioned soles, cushioned insoles and ones with stiff plastic or carbon fibre inserts in the soles. She also suggested compression socks like the type used for plantar fasciitis.

helpline_team

Hi @zah201

Thank you for posting on our On-line Community, we are sorry to hear that you are experiencing shooting pains in your toes and feet.

Thank you, Jamie for suggesting a Podiatrist, as like you have suggested they can help in many ways such as, footwear, exercises, insoles and supports.

Speaking to your GP is also important as well just to confirm what is causing the shooting pains, they may refer you to have an x-ray or MRI scan. I have looked through the possible symptoms of having RA and other conditions that affect the feet but unfortunately, I cannot relate this to what you are experiencing, I have also looked through the side effects of taking methotrexate also, but this is not listed, so it is important to speak to your GP.

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

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/foot-pain/

Best wishes

Chris (Helpline Advisor)

CG3

My RA has badly affected my feet - I’m currently recovering from my 3rd foot & ankle surgery. I’ve had the symptoms that you describe. My Rheumatologist referred me to her department’s Podiatrist who sent me for an x ray, as he said that when I described it he immediately thought of the nerves that run over the top of the foot. The x-ray revealed a bone spur was growing and the nerve was snagging on it when I walked or moved in a particular way. I strongly suggest that you ask for an urgent referral to the Podiatrist for the Musculoskeletal Dept at your hospital. They are also the correct service to assess you for aides like insoles and adapted footwear.

If you struggle to get to the right person I suggest that you ask the switchboard to connect you to the Secretary for your consultant - and ask them which Rheumatology Nurse Specialist is part of your Consultant’s Team.

Hope this helps, I developed RA at 22 - the same age as you. It can be all a bit overwhelming to start with but there are so many more options available to you now for treatments than 42 years ago! You will gradually become familiar with who the various Team Members are and how they work together.

Warmly, C