Does anyone here suffer from arthritis in your heels and if so what does it feel like and what do you do to relieve the pain ? Thanks !
I have arthritis in my feet, but much like with my hands, it is towards the forefoot, and partly the midfoot. For a lot of people here, the heel pain is plantar fasciitis. Psoriatic arthritis is a risk factor for this. Plus, you can get a lot of tendon inflammation, as well as enthesitis. That is inflammation where the tendons insert. Ice is always good.
The treatment depends on exactly what is the problem. You will want to get this figured out, and that way you can target the best treatment for your pain.
I have joint damage in my toes hence my name lol :) but like stoney said most heel pain is plantar fasciitis, which I have and I found some really good orthotics to put in my shoes along with this heel cups they are really good. The company who makes the orthotics is Aetrex they are about $70 and the heel cups are only ten. I would not get the orthotics with out the heel cups though because the heel cups help keep your foot level and balanced. I hope this helps.
Hi, Marcia. Yes, foot problems are very typical of PsA, and I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. My feet are a major and ongoing issue for me too. In my case, the problem is not in the forefoot/toe area. My feet look halfway normal until you look at the mid-foot: collapsed arches, swelling and bumps on top. The x-rays show erosions and fusions all over the tarsometatarsal area. No surprise that I have plantar fasciitis and tendon issues. Standing and walking is painful.
My best help is a pair of “sprung” orthotics made by a really good podiatrist. (The hard inserts made by an orthotics company actually made things worse because they had no “give”.) Trouble is, my sprung orthotics are best in lace up shoes, and lace up shoes put pressure on the top of my feet, which increases the pain. So then I put them in ankle-high hiking boots, and lace only the top two eyes. I’m a fashion nightmare, especially in summer.
Someone here (I forget who) said they use a foot massage machine. Must look into getting one of those. I keep telling myself that I should try real-live massage. But I’m not “massage” type … whatever that means! LOL
Warm/cool (alternating) foot baths help some. Heat also seems to loosen the stiffness.
Sometimes, I use Voltaren gel (diclofenac). It’s a Rx medication in the US, OTC in Canada. That can be helpful too.
But the best pain relief comes from putting my feet up, and staying off them. And of course, that’s a big problem when I want to get on with my day. I guess it’s a good thing that my rheumatologist told me that being on my feet isn’t going to damage them further.
Now that I’m on a biologic, I’m feeling generally much better. My feet are improving a bit, but not much. (I think, because I’m feeling better and I’m probably on my feet more and being hard on them.) The rheumatologist says that it may take up to six months to see improvement down there. I hope she is right, but I’m not feeling very optimistic: I think part of my foot pain comes from the deformity and the permanent damage that the PsA has already done. It may get better as the inflammation subsides, but I doubt my feet will ever be pain-free. Let that be a warning to those here who are wondering about whether they should start the heavy-duty DMARDs or the biologics!
Good luck with this. If nothing else, you’ve got company in this misery!
I have it in my feet. It feels like my bones arent locked together. I get clicking sounds after resting and first thing in the morning. My ankles feel like they arent stable either and they too click. The balls of my feet are affected too. They tend to feel very very painful. Again its after rest and if ive been on my feet a little too long. I try to move as much as i can and take painkillers x
I have plantar fasciitis in the bottom of my heel and problems with it in my Achilles tendon. The doctor gave me some arch support inserts for my shoes, which help some, but I found using an ankle support also helps. Soaking in cold water helps as does hot water. So in summer I use cold and winter I use hot.
I hope you can find relief.
Plantar fasciitis was my first symptom of this disease. I tried every shoe, phys therapy, massage, topical meds, stretching, steroid shots, you name, I've tried everything. Now that I'm on prednisone, mobic, mtx, and humira, the pain is lessened. I feel like my feet are sleeping dragons and once wakened will inflict full fury on them. To avoid this, I never walk barefoot, my shoes have orthotics in them, I stretch my calves and hamstrings daily, never wear high heels or flip flops, walk as little as possible. I know this doesn't sound like much of a life. I've been crutch dependent before and completely unable to put weight on my feet, so am feeling pretty awesome with the low pain level I have now. I also used a strassberg sock at night, I forgot. What has helped the most are the orthotics, bottles of frozen water rolling under my feet when the pain gets bad, forgoing cute shoes, and taking the meds for the psa. I've been suffering for 4 years so far, so my heart goes out to you. If you have planter fasciitis, I urge you to stretch, rest, and ice as much as possible.
Michelle, my feet are just like yours. And they scare me too. I worry about being unable to walk at all. That frightens me more than any number of joint replacements.
Everything rides on our feet, Seenie. When they go, we go. Our feet put up with alot if you think about it. The brunt of our weight, the shoes we've forced on them, haha, long hours on them, etc. But like you, it scares me. I was a runner when all of a sudden I couldn't. I could hardly walk at all. My family has gotten used to my episodic foot disability. That's what I call it, because when I'm in a flare, I am disabled all the way. I've literally had to hop or crawl around my own home at times. I've even worn those shoes with the springs in the heels. (I think they really knew my pain was for real when I wore these to a U2 concert). So they believe me now, but just last month my spouse had to bring the truck to the curb after my sons graduation. It was humbling. My family is getting used to my needs, getting a grasp about the condition, but I can't expect them to fully relate. What's so weird is that my feet don't look nearly as bad as they feel. It's unique to this disease that things may not look nearly as bad as the pain. Makes the battle that much more difficult, yes?
Hey folks,
Two or three weeks ago, I noticed the top of my right foot right at the arch/instep area has been sore to touch, painful in walking and swollen. I stayed off of it as much as possible a couple weekends ago and it felt better. This weekend, the same thing started again, only now with what looks like a bruise. I got halfway to the car this morning and the thing started hurting like crap.
Has anybody had similar pain? I'm sitting here debating whether to call the rheumy for an appointment and an x-ray.
Yup. Me! In fact my left foot’s like that now. Yes, I would go to the rheumy. S/he will probably order X-rays but they may not show anything. Inflammation doesn’t show on plain film. But in that part of the foot, damage can happen quickly. Best to see the rheumy.
sixcatlawyer said:
Hey folks,
Two or three weeks ago, I noticed the top of my right foot right at the arch/instep area has been sore to touch, painful in walking and swollen. I stayed off of it as much as possible a couple weekends ago and it felt better. This weekend, the same thing started again, only now with what looks like a bruise. I got halfway to the car this morning and the thing started hurting like crap.
Has anybody had similar pain? I'm sitting here debating whether to call the rheumy for an appointment and an x-ray.
Not telling you not to go to the doctor, but the bruising may be due to micro-tears in the tendon at the insertion point. I had that happen last year, in a few spots. And it hasn't happened again. The pain that you're describing sounds like it could be one of the tendons.
Check out this site. http://www.footeducation.com/muscles-and-tendons-of-the-foot-and-ankle
I wouldn't be surprised if your pain matched up with one of these tendons.
Stoney, brilliant! My left foot has been giving me grief lately. (I’m on Enbrel, but the rheumie told me it could be a few more months before I felt the relief in my feet.) A couple of weeks ago, my foot was sore and there was a bruise on top. I couldn’t figure that one out … well, I’ll be! Thanks for this, thanks a bunch.
Seenie
You’re welcome. I happened to have bruising, rather spectacular, in three different spots at once. I couldn’t possibly be clumsy enough to have one on my bicep and one on my calf, at the same basic point, as well as one on my hand, all random. That was how I figured it out. Haven’t had it happen since. Last year was really bad on my tendons.
I had bruises across my knuckles once like I had hit someone with my fist. I had not, though I may have thought about it more than once. I had been using my hands a lot. I'll bet this is what happened. Good to know, thanks Stoney.
I have a lot of pain in my feet and sometimes my ankles get so swollen it looks like I have a golf ball stuck to side of my foot. I also get swelling on the top of my foot it is like a strip that starts from in between my big toe and second toe and works it's way down all the way to my ankle. it makes getting the right shoes such a pain. I try on so many shoes and most of them do not work it can get very frustrating. And the level of pain don't get me started on that. there are days when I wonder why I have my feet because I all they do is cause pain. If only we could swap feet with someone else when we wanted to :)
Hi :) I'm new here, and I am just amazed that it is not only me who has problems with feet because of PS. In 2006 my feet where hurting so much that I had to stop to wear high heels. The good thing is that with the medication (methotrexate) my condition improved. Today, 7 years later, I can wear high heels for few hours during the day:)
Of course, not everyday. And some days I am in pain and then I just wait to get better. I must add that I am allergic to pain medication, all NSAID's, so waiting became my game.
Also, for me is not the cold, but the heat that help with pain.
During my long 7 years I learn that long walks are no-no, long hours in high heels are no-no, cold is another no-no :) However, the heat, very comfortable shoes and elevated feet worked pretty well.
I found an good article about feet and PsA. Lots of information here, although I’m not exactly filled with joy when I read how quickly things can go really bad for the feet.
http://www.papaa.org/further-information/psoriatic-arthritis-feet
On a happier note, this morning I went for my first-ever foot massage. It was excellent! My feet were noticeably less swollen and less stiff afterwards. And they still are. I wonder how long this will last.
Good article. And apropos the food massage, also try pedicure. Look for good places that offer at least one hour pedicure with the massage. The benefits: very pretty toes and much better feeling feet and legs. Works for me :) I do that every two weeks.
Forgot to add that my toes are a little deformed, but I don't care, nice nail polish color makes miracles for self esteem.
Seenie said:
I found an good article about feet and PsA. Lots of information here, although I'm not exactly filled with joy when I read how quickly things can go really bad for the feet.
http://www.papaa.org/further-information/psoriatic-arthritis-feet
On a happier note, this morning I went for my first-ever foot massage. It was excellent! My feet were noticeably less swollen and less stiff afterwards. And they still are. I wonder how long this will last.
OMG I adore pedicures – now there is a feel-better beauty treatment! I go for those regularly, and love the massage they do. Yesterday’s massage was a medical massage – much more vigorous (or maybe aggressive is a better term), bordering on uncomfortable. Felt great afterwards, and I think my feet are still less swollen today.
Next time I go, I am buying an hour and she is going to try to drain the fluid/swelling left over from last year’s dissecting baker’s cyst in my calf.
But you are right. This girl also needs a pedicure. The polish I put on the other day just isn’t cutting it.