I've been thinking a lot about joint deterioration, bone spurs and the like. My fingers have been acting up lately. I know I could resort to ring splints on my fingers. Not sure how to manage what just started happening with my feet.
My toes are being weird. yes, I said it. Weird. My fourth tows are prone to dactylitis and they've been swelling up lately. But my big toes are VERY flexible at the moment and are constantly clicking. Sometimes they feel like they lock up which makes walking painful until they click back and loosen up.
I've taken heeled shoes out of the equation for the last week to ten days. I'm wearing flat sandals and sneakers and my feet don't feel achy except around my big toes. It does radiate to the ball of my foot making the first footfalls in the morning particularly painful. Plus I cannot stand the weight of the (light) covers on my feet right now.
Anyone got any suggestions for me about what's going on? Or what to do?
Not sure what exactly is going on, but for me, the shoes I wear (Birkenstocks) make a HUGE difference. I haven't worn heels in more years that I can count, and definitely nothing that squeezes my toes together even in the slightest. I have a habit of soaking my feet in hot water and essential oils at night before going to bed, and have found that that reduces my foot pain at night, and overall. A friend of mine with PsA uses the "toe spreader" things from pedicure kits when her feet start acting up and says they help relax her feet.
I hope you're able to figure out what's going on - or at least what helps it go away - soon!
When my feet have hurt under the weight of light covers it's been a sign of lots of tendonitis. Flat but supportive shoes are essential, FitFlops are my favourite but not so easily available in the US, I don't think? Pain relief gels like ibuprofen or diclofenac help me at bedtime.
I've found that foot soaks with sea salt or Epsom salts have been helpful. When I get dactylitis I generally get a lot of pain as well as a loss of mobility due to the inflammation. I've found celebrex to be helpful in getting the inflammation down. When I have swelling in my feet, the only shoes I can wear are crocs. I find anything restrictive or tight in the past has caused inflammation or a flare so I only wear shoes that are not restrictive. Moving your feet in bed prior to getting up can help lessen the restriction. Rolling your foot on a tennis ball may help. I use a rub (aroma therapy dream cream) on my feet, knees, shoulders and back every night at bed time. Hope you find some relief soon!
I have very bad feet. We have seen a lot of blog posts lately about this. I have a lot of the same problems you mentioned. I can definitely relate to the sudden clicking/locking of a big toe joint. Mine was caused by total collapse of the joint space and spurs that had developed on the ends of the bones that were rubbing together. I am certainly not saying that is what happened to you, only a doctor can diagnose you, but I would definitely get your feet checked out. Feet are so precious.