Flares and pain

Currently having a flare in my right foot...woke up in the middle of the night with pain. Managed to get back to sleep off and on through out the night, however the pain levels increased, along with the swelling and loss of mobility. This is the kind of flare that feels like it's doing some big damage...a pulsating deep in the bone throbbing kind of pain...it's going to be a long day :-(

Sorry to hear your having trouble in your foot. I get that too and have used lidocaine patches on my feet and hobbled into rheumy's office for cortisone shots. Makes it much harder to get through the day for sure. Hope it passes soon. :)

I know how you feel. The winter weather in Chicago is especially brutal this year. I've been having a lot of flares in my hands and feet. Makes it hard to get going in the morning.

I started feeling that same pain in my right big toe a couple of days ago..it is so ANNOYING!

Ask your rheumatologist, because that may be associated with achilles tendinitis. It can be common with Psoriatic Arthritis. Im dealing with it right now. Not fun at all. Haven’t gone through any treatment with it yet, but plan to soon!

Mine is in both of my heels though. Believe me, I’ve debated on quitting my job and finding a new one because of it.

Miserable! Sounds like the rheumatologist should be in the loop. Let hr know and take care.

I sprained my already tender and inflamed left ankle over two months ago, and it still is bothering me. The rheumatologist showed me how loose that joint is, and it will probably never be strong again. It feels like I am not on a good foundation anymore. I have ordered a brace for that ankle and am looking forward to that! A few years ago I had tendonitis in the Achilles tendon on the other foot. After finally getting it into a boot, it stopped hurting (pretty much), but the tendon will never be the same. I still feel how that tendon shrunk and it still hurts some in the night.

Tendonitis seems to come with the territory, just like the books say. I've had it in my chest wall, my feet, my elbows and most lately in my shoulders. Seems like it happens sometimes with an overused joint, like a repetitive injury. They are better now after changing the way I use the laptop, and Nuprin. I feel a rotator cuff problem coming on, so my doc told me an exercise to do with a stretchy band, and I think that will do the trick.

Thanks to biologics and methotrexate I no longer have very many flare ups and not much pain, no more iritis, but lots of fatigue, and tendonitis.

I have a mix of ageing and psoriatic arthritis, I guess.

Achilles Tendinitis and Plantar Fasciaitis are common conditions in conjunction with PsA. Don't let this go untreated. I had a bout of that last summer/fall & it is a stone bitch to treat if you let it go very long. Had it in my right foot due to overcomping for a PsA flare in my left knee. I tried to fight it for a month before I went in, and ended up using a cane for 12 weeks. Stretching exercises, heat/ice to the ankle/foot helped the most - but go to your rheumy or orthopod first. Patches didn't help me much, but painkillers were needed on bad days - had to leave my p/t delivery job due to pain & lack of mobility for five months, and just now getting back to near normal.

Good advice! Get thee to a doctor. My rheumatologist advised against an orthopedic surgeon for the Achilles problem, saying "surgeons want to operate" Luckily, and so far at least, I have not had plantar Plantar Fasciaitis, just tendonitis all over the place!

I had plantar fasciitis in my left foot and it was HORRIBLE. Didn't really put it all together myself, but limped in to my regularly scheduled rheumy appt. They asked what was wrong, I told them where the pain was, and they gave me the diagnosis. Unfortunately, there isn't much anyone can do for it. The way I treated it was: 1) Dr Scholl's inserts, 2) stretching exercises, heat/cold therapy. That is it.

Unfortunately, I still get bouts of it. Seems like once you have it, it comes back easily. There are days when I can't walk because of the pain. But then I treat it the same way, and it goes away again for awhile. More fun and games with PsA!

Oh boy I can't wait!

Not all Surgeons want to operate, especially if they know what your underlying condition is. I have a good one, he did my meniscus repair two years ago, and is always mindful of my PsA. He was the one who put me on my stretching regimen, and watches my knees like a mother hen. I'm very fortunate that my rheumy and orthopod are both in the same practice and clinic (Illinois Bone & Joint in Chicago area) - so my care is very well coordinated!!

IMO, Plantar Fasciaitis may be worse than the PsA at times - tendonitis can be just as bad, as they're acute & tough to treat. At least the meds help the PsA....that, managing my stress, having a good attitude, and being careful not to overdo things (avoiding fatigue) helps me avoid flares, but I still get 3-4 a year.

Foot pain is so difficult to deal with!! The best trick I have come up with is deeply freezing can of frozen juice and placing it inside a sandwich bag that zips close. The size of the juice can is important because it fits perfectly into the arch of your in-step. Just roll back and forth for 15-20 minutes or until the juice gets unfrozen, It is not a 'fix' but it is a great band aid. I have PsA, plantar fasciitis and peripheral neuropathy in both feet and hands also. Some days I want everything amputated. This disease is so physically draining, not to mention what a emotional rollercoaster we ride. Hope your day improves TaraLynn!

I know that orthopedic's are not bad.

My doctor told me that there were three steps with the rotator cuff; 1. try exercise at home, 2, go to a physical therapist, and 3. go to an orthopedic specialist. I'm trying the exercise first, of course.

I'm pretty sure its not an Achilles tendon issue. I have foot pain fairly frequently, this is an actual flare in the joints :-( It starts at the pad of my big toe (top to bottom) and runs to the end. I recently went snowshoeing with my mother in law and husband. We hit an open meadow and went about a total of 3k. I was having pain in my feet at the time, but this one area was bothering me more. I have a feeling I over did it :-( Unfortunately I was hoping with the new meds my flares would be under control. My last flare was in my right hand and had it flare for two months in a row. I tend to get the flares monthly now, rather then bi weekly so they have slowed down a bit. My hope is to not have any flares and get the daily pain more manageable. Thank you for all of your advice, I'm going to try and get in to see my doctor today. I've also took pictures to document this flare. The pictures have been a great asset as my appointments with my rheumy are on average a 3-4 month wait.

Thanks Michelle, I can totally relate to some days wanting to amputate because of the increased pain levels and loss of mobility. I also have a lot of foot and hand flares. I took a celebrex and Tylenol 3 and managed to go back to bed and sleep for a few hours. The pain has decreased a bit so that is a big plus, now just waiting for the inflammation to go down and hopefully in a few days I will be back to walking normal again. At this point the only shoes I can fit are my crocs...good thing for crocs!

Michelle said:

Foot pain is so difficult to deal with!! The best trick I have come up with is deeply freezing can of frozen juice and placing it inside a sandwich bag that zips close. The size of the juice can is important because it fits perfectly into the arch of your in-step. Just roll back and forth for 15-20 minutes or until the juice gets unfrozen, It is not a 'fix' but it is a great band aid. I have PsA, plantar fasciitis and peripheral neuropathy in both feet and hands also. Some days I want everything amputated. This disease is so physically draining, not to mention what a emotional rollercoaster we ride. Hope your day improves TaraLynn!

Exercise totally helps with the daily pain levels, however it's sometimes hard to know when enough is enough or I'm over doing.

jennyb said:

I know that orthopedic's are not bad.

My doctor told me that there were three steps with the rotator cuff; 1. try exercise at home, 2, go to a physical therapist, and 3. go to an orthopedic specialist. I'm trying the exercise first, of course.

Kegan, I get a lot of burning in the bottom of my feet (heels especially) when I stand or do to much so it's possible that my Achilles tendons are also impacted, however I have been able to manage the pain by taking breaks when doing any standing (memory foam mats in the kitchen and bathroom) and find that when I am walking the pain comes and goes. Usually pain at the start of a walk and slowly goes away, if not I cut the walk short.

Keagan Ferguson said:

Ask your rheumatologist, because that may be associated with achilles tendinitis. It can be common with Psoriatic Arthritis. Im dealing with it right now. Not fun at all. Haven't gone through any treatment with it yet, but plan to soon!

Thank you HoneyBunny :-) Took a Tylenol 3 and that has taken the edge off.

HoneyBunny said:

Sorry to hear your having trouble in your foot. I get that too and have used lidocaine patches on my feet and hobbled into rheumy's office for cortisone shots. Makes it much harder to get through the day for sure. Hope it passes soon. :)