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dajoelad
dajoelad Member Posts: 3
edited 19. Dec 2018, 17:37 in Say Hello Archive
Hi my name is Dave from Hull and i have just been diagnosed with arthritis mainly of the big toes on both feet. the toe next to it on the right foot is beginning to turn into a hammer toe. This all came about after i broke the middle toe on my right foot 13 months ago. to support the broken toe it was strapped to the toe next to it. This is the hammer toe so being strapped to my broken toe has damaged a previously healthy toe. Ironically the broken toe has now completely healed. Prior to that i used to go running 5K's about 3 times a week and visited a gym regularly.Since then i have put on half a stone. and only manage one run and one visit to the gym a week.Though i do try to do 5000 steps a day. When my broken toe was X rayed. The Doctor noticed that the cartilage on my big toe had deteriorated and warned me that i might get arthritis Unfortunately that has proved to be the case. i have also suffered from plantafasiitus of my right heel and TMJ with all its jaw and facial pain together with its side effects to numerous to mention for many years. so i rarely have a day where i don't ache somewhere. The problems with my toes is beginning to get me down as it is affecting my previously healthy lifestyle so any advice will be appreciated.

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi and welcome,you might want to look at our leaflet
    https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/living-with-arthritis
    any specific questions I'm sure will be answered by our knowledgeable members - anything else just ask.
    Al
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,713
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Dave and welcome. If you're used to a very healthy, energetic lifestyle this will have hit you hard. Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that exercise is essential for arthritis. The bad news is that it might not be the kind you enjoy. Normally, exercise that doesn't stress the joints is recommended eg swimming and cycling. In fact, your plantar fasciitis might have come about because of your running or, at least, your running shoes. However, OA does travel so it might be the culprit after all.

    I doubt it really helps to try to fathom out where to put the blame for the OA. I guess binding the two toes together might have started it off but that didn't start it in the other foot did it? We can think for days about how and why but will never reach an answer. I reckon you're using your time more profitably by trying to do something about it.

    This might be of use. https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/living-with-arthritis . And, as for the TMJ, according to the NHS it's usually short-lived. Have a read here https://tinyurl.com/ycrlaqkv and see if there's anything you might be able to try that you haven't tried before.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hello, it's nice to meet you and I am sorry you have had to find us. I am lucky in that I know why I have my arthritis, the first one (which began in 1997) is an auto-immune kind and having been born with auto-immune issues that was no great surprise. The joint damage that caused has led to my OA, diagnosed in 2011, so no mystery there either. A grand life it is not.

    All my toes are affected by the auto-immune nonsense, in my case psoriatic arthritis. My ankles and hips have only OA whereas my knees have both. I don't ache, it is pure pain 24/365 but I am used to it, if someone offered me a pain-free day I would not hesitate to tell them where to stick it: what use is one day? :lol: Arthritis is a nuisance in whatever joints it affects but the toes and fingers must count as some of the worst because those little joints are used every day, all day.

    Non-weight-bearing exercise is good for maintaining muscle strength and flexibility, when walking good, supportive footwear is essential. I see no sense in not taking pain relief, admittedly it doesn't do much in terms of getting rid of pain but it dulls enough to allow me to get on. You can maintain a healthy lifestyle by improving your diet and adjusting your exercise, it's not an unachievable aim and may slow the spread of the disease. There are around ten million arthritics in the UK the majority of whom have OA: it's very common, especially if a joint has suffered a trauma; I broke my upper left humerus in January 2014 so naturally have the odd twinge of OA in there. My eighty year old neighbour has no arthritis or any other health conditions, I tell her I am doing it on her behalf! I began aged thirty seven and am now nearly sixty. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • dajoelad
    dajoelad Member Posts: 3
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Thank you all for your replies, comments and advice it is much appreciated. i will certainly read the "Living with arthritis" info etc. i will tell you more about myself away from the introduction board when i see other threads i can relate to.
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