Items filtered by date: September 2014

In our lifetimes we walk 75,000 miles, putting a great deal of stress on the 26 bones and 30 joints in our feet. As we age, our feet lose flexibility and elasticity. Our shock absorbers weaken, and if you add arthritis to that combination, joints become inflamed and distorted. Arthritic foot care becomes imperative at this point.

Start taking better care of your feet by buying better fitting shoes. Hammertoes, neuroma, and bunions form when our shoes fit poorly. Buy shoes with a lower heel and with more room in the shoe. Rheumatoid arthritis will cause you to lose your arch. Buying shoes with arch support will help, as will buying shoes that contour to your foot.

Leave a fingers width between your foot and the shoe. If your finger cannot fit inside your shoe when it is on your foot, it is too tight. Buy rubber soled shoes. The cushioning of the rubber absorbs shock and the flexibility of the rubber helps the ball of the foot, where you push off from as you walk. Look for square or rounded toed shoes giving your toes lots of room to move.

Exercise will also help. Stretching the Achilles tendon, the cord at the back of the heel, will prevent further pain and injury. This will also increase your foots mobility. Lack of mobility will cause significant stress and pain. Massages will also alleviate some pain. Knead the ball of your foot and your toes from top to bottom.

To stretch your Achilles tendon, lean against a wall, with palms flat on the wall. Place one foot forward and one foot back with the heel flat on the floor, then lean forward. Feel the pull in the Achilles tendon and calf. Hold for five seconds and repeat three times. The big toe stretch is another exercise that may alleviate stiffness. Place one thick rubber band around your big toes. Pull the toes toward the other toes on the foot. Hold for five seconds and repeat ten times. Another exercise to try is the toe pull. Place a thick rubber band around the toes of each foot. Spread your toes for five seconds and repeat ten times.

Pain can be alleviated with non-steroid, anti-inflammatory drugs, heat, and ultrasounds. Topical medications with Capsaicin may also help. Thus far, there is no remedy for pain that is one hundred percent effective. Buying shoes that give your feet plenty room with low rubber heels and soles will help. If needed, use heat and anti-inflammatory drugs, and exercise your tendons and toes. Lastly, arthritic foot care should incorporate massages to help your feet with circulation and to relieve the stress locked up in your feet.

Gout is a form of arthritis that is unusually painful. A slight touch can send shooting pain. The most common area for gout to occur is in the metatarsal phalangeal joint of the big toe. Other areas of the body frequently affected by gout are the knees, elbows, fingers, ankles and wrists. 
Gout occurs when there are elevated levels of uric acid in the blood. This condition is called hyperuricemia. Hyperuricemia is a genetically pre-disposed condition about 90% of the time and occurs because the kidneys do not produce the correct amount of uric acid. Children of parents who have had gout will have a 20% chance of developing it themselves. The excess uric acid in the blood forms crystals that deposit in between joints causing friction with movement. 

Symptoms of gout caused by this friction include pain, redness, swelling, and inflammation. Fever and fatigue may occur as well, although these symptoms are rare. The pain can be worse during the night when the body’s temperature lowers.

Gout can be diagnosed clinically by a doctor’s observation of the redness, swelling, and pain. More definitive tests can be performed by the doctor as well. Blood tests check for elevated uric acid levels in the blood. The synovial fluid in the joint can also be withdrawn through a needle to be checked for uric acid crystals. Chronic gout can be diagnosed by X-ray.

Treatment given for acute gout diminishes the symptoms. Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as Colchicine and other corticosteroid drugs will stop the swelling, redness, and inflammation in cases of acute gout. If gout becomes chronic, there are multiple ways to combat it. Lifestyle changes and changes in diet may be necessary, as well as preventative drugs. 

Gout can be aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise will reduce probability of future cases of gout. Certain foods cause or increase the risk of gout and their consumption should be avoided or kept at a minimum. These foods include red meat, alcohol, sea foods, and drinks sweetened with fructose. 

Lifestyle changes and diet that help prevent gout include exercise and certain foods that help decrease the chance of gout recurring. Gout preventative foods include Vitamin C, coffee and some dairy products. New drugs have been discovered that inhibit the body’s production of certain enzymes. These are the enzymes that produce uric acid. Lowering your levels of uric acid will greatly reduce the chances of developing further cases of gout.