About This Condition
What Is It?
How can you spot the signs of arthritis in the feet and ankles? Commonly, you will feel sensations of stiffness, pain, swelling, tenderness, and sometimes redness lasting for over two weeks. Several forms of arthritis have the potential to damage our bodies; namely, the joints. This arthritis gradually wears away at the cartilage in the joint where the bones meet.
Causes
Our own body generates a large force on our feet and ankles, which makes them susceptible to arthritis over time. When the cartilage that we mentioned above starts to erode, the bones begin to rub against one another. The result? An extremely painful joint. As the ends of bone erode or thicken, movement may become more limited. You may notice that spurs start to grow.
Treatment
If you leave arthritis in the feet and ankle untreated, joints can become seriously weakened as a result of eroded cartilage. Pain and deformities may come as another result of this. Surgery will likely be required if the arthritis causes starts to cause problems that are not treatable with medication, physical therapy, or orthotics. Unfortunately, limited joint motion and deformities will restrict your normal activities.
