Re: Arthritis in feet????
I also have arthritis in my foot.
Mine is a result of an ankle injury. I know that may sound strange, but due to a pilon fracture in my right ankle, I have had my ankle fused. Actually, it was due to the arthritis pain I suffered from the osteoarthritis that attacked the cartilege in my ankle and destroyed it.
Now, there is an increase in the pressure put on the joints below my ankle since my ankle no longer moves like it was built to do. Some of the joints in my foot that are the closest to my ankle, are trying to move from side to side now that my ankle is not able to. Therefore, arthritis has set in and started to eat away at the cartilege in some of the joints in my foot.
I have found a few things helpful in managing the pain and symptoms I experience from the arthritis. The first thing I can tell you is to buy good shoes. I know money is not easy to come by for most of us lately due to the gas prices, but in order to take care of my feet I buy really good shoes. New Balance are great tennis shoes, and if you go to one of the New Balance stores instead of the store in the mall who sells name brand sneakers, the sales people have been trained in what shoes to fit to different conditions people suffer from. I have always had good luck there.
Second, I get a lot of relief from elevating my foot whenever I am at home. It is really easy to put my foot on top of a pile of pillows while I am watching t.v. and every night when I go to bed. When I wake up in the morning, my ankle and foot are back to the normal size and shape. That is a great accomplishment compared to what they look like when I get home from work.
Third, I try to manage the activity and the amount of time I spend on my feet. Notice I used the word "manage" and not "decrease." That is because if I think about decreasing what I do it makes me depressed. I have always been an active person, and I don't like to feel defeated, so I choose to empower myself through my language. Managing my activity means I make choices about how much and what I am going to do each day when I get up in the morning. If I would like to go for a nice walk after dinner, I am not going to do my weekly grocery shopping the same day. If I am going to have a garage sale, I try to remember to alternate my work from standing jobs to sitting jobs.
Fourth, I have learned acceptance has been key to my pain management this time around. When I broke my ankle, I dealt with the pain by telling myself it was temporary. I did the same thing each time I had surgery for the arthritis. Now, I have constant chronic pain, so it has been disappointing to learn there is no cure and no relief that is 100%. While I was angry, frustrated, and extremely stressed about my situation, my pain level was extremely high. Now that I have accepted this is the way it is going to be and made a mental shift, my pain has already decreased somewhat.
Finally, I would like to tell you that coming here and asking for advice is definitely a bonus. When I began my journey with my ankle/foot I did not have this available. I kept thinking it would be so helpful to have other people going through similar things to talk with and ask questions. Now, we have this tool and this means of communicating with others. I have found it extremely helpful. Sometimes, it is comforting just to know you are not alone.
You are getting great advice and information here. Keep coming back and posting!
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