Arthritis of the foot is an inflammation of the joints that are deformed. A person feels pain, it is difficult for him to walk. Often people do not pay attention to the first symptoms and do not immediately go to the doctor.
Causes of the disease
Joint inflammation and deformity can develop for a number of reasons. The most common are:
1. Infectious - the disease may begin due to viral infections. These include syphilis, gonorrhea, acute tonsillitis.
2. Traumatic - an unsuccessful fall, accident, injury - all this can push the onset of the disease. Joint inflammation can occur if you wear uncomfortable shoes or exercise regularly during sports.
3. Autoimmune - if the cartilage tissue is damaged and the body begins to reject its cells. In this case, not only the joints of the foot, but also the fingers of the hands can be affected.
4. Specific - develops with psoriasis or gout.
Details about the causes, symptoms and treatment of foot arthrosis are described. , and below you will find an extract from this information.
Symptoms of the disease
With arthritis of the foot, patients complain of pain in the legs, which becomes stronger if a person walks or stands for a long time. Redness of the joint, swelling, skin in the affected area becomes hot. When walking, the joints may crackle, the foot loses mobility, a person can hardly move his toes.
Other symptoms include weakness, fever, loss of appetite, and fever. But foot arthritis is difficult to diagnose, as in most cases the symptoms are individual. For example, if a person has gout, then joint inflammation can begin after taking alcohol. In this case, the first toe is affected. In psoriasis, the lesion concerns the distal interphalangeal joints, which swell and resemble sausages.
You must go to the doctor for an examination if your legs hurt when walking. A rheumatologist or orthopedist will examine the foot and lower leg, understand how the joints are deformed, if the foot is mobile, and check how the patient walks. If leg pain occurs after an injury, then you must make an appointment with a traumatologist. In this case, a correct diagnosis is not difficult.
A patient with suspected arthritis should have an X-ray of the foot, joint ultrasound, MRI, and computed tomography. In especially difficult cases, doctors resort to a biochemical blood test and a blood test for sugar, as well as puncture small joints.
Arthritis Treatment
The treatment of joint inflammation is prescribed by the doctor, it is individual. There are several options for overcoming this disease: surgery, physiotherapy and medication.
Types of medicines:
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs reduce swelling and pain.
Glucocorticosteroids are administered intraarticularly to reduce pain.
Antibiotics are prescribed if the infection has led to inflammation.
Chondroprotectors give that the cartilage tissue is not only not destroyed, but also restored.
It is also possible to apply a gypsum tire in order to fix the foot and reduce the load on it. Patients with gout should follow a special diet.
As part of physiotherapy, for inflammation of the joints of the feet, mud therapy is carried out, magnetotherapy and physiotherapy exercises are prescribed, and they are sent for foot massage sessions. Doctors recommend that you carefully consider the choice of shoes: it should not be cramped, you should abandon high heels. You also need to use orthopedic insoles or wear special shoes.
If the disease has been started, then surgical intervention is required. Either metatarsophalangeal joints or arthroplasty is performed.
Folk remedies
Arthritis treatment alone can only begin after a conversation with a doctor, as improper actions can aggravate the course of the disease. Folk remedies mainly help reduce pain.
Folk remedies:
1. A warming compress with a slice of lemon - put on an inflamed place. If the pain becomes stronger, then you must immediately remove it.
2. A warming compress of potatoes - peel potatoes, grate, put in a pan, pour water and heat to a temperature of +38 degrees. Then, 1.5 cm thick potatoes are put in a fabric bag. The compress is applied to the leg, wrapped with oilcloth and fixed with a bandage. It is done at night.
3. Mustard plasters - warm the inflamed joint, reduce pain and inflammation.
4. Nettle broth - drink twice a week or more. It cleanses the blood of toxins.
5. Compress with sea salt - fir oil is rubbed into the inflamed area, and then a compress with heated sea salt is applied.
Disease prevention
To reduce the risk of foot joint disease, you need to choose good shoes, give up smoking and stress in the office and during training, monitor weight. Try to avoid foot injuries and eliminate infectious diseases in time.
Severe inflammation of the joints of the foot can lead to lameness, worsening gait, and even disability.