Arthritis feet treatment

Arthritis can occur in the feet since there are also joints in the feet, these can be a painful process for the patient afflicted with it. There are two types of foot arthritis the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Patients who have osteoarthritis would normally have their big toe swollen while those that are afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis would not only be having problems with their feet but with all the joints in their body. There are two types of arthritis feet treatment, the surgical and the non-surgical option.

Arthritis feet treatment

The non-surgical option would refer to the use of prescription drugs. Pain relievers are given to manage the pain that the patient feels due to the swelling of the joints in the feet. There are also other prescription drugs given to prevent and reduce the swelling of the joints. Additional measures under the non-surgical option might be done as well like controlling the weight, having some shoe inserts called orthotics, wearing customized shoe and in some cases the ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). Undergoing some physical therapy and using a cane or brace may also be of help to the patient.

Another one arthritis feet treatment is the surgical option which includes arthrodesis, arthroplasty and arthroscopic debridement. Surgical option is normally done when the patient won’t respond to the non-surgical option. The type of surgery will be dependent on what form of arthritis does the patient have and there would also be cases when there will be more than one surgery performed by the doctor.

Arthrodesis arthritis feet treatment is also called joint fusion. Pins, plates, screws and rods might be used to fuse the joint, turning it into a continuous bone. Bone grafting is often seen in this type of surgical treatment.

One surgical arthritis feet treatment is the arthroplasty; this type of treatment replaces the joints with prosthesis or an artificial implant. This is usually done for the joints located in the ankle to provide relief from pain and for the patients to be able to move better. When the joints are replaced it may be damaged over the years and the patient may have to go through another surgical implant. This surgery is only needed when the patient already has severe arthritis, the joint in the ankle is already destroyed by the disease and if the pain and swelling would already hinder the patient’s ability to be mobile.

Now, the arthroscopic debridement is done during the early stages by inserting a flexible fiber-optic instrument called the arthroscope, which almost looks like a pencil through the joint by doing some small incisions on the skin. The arthroscope has an attached camera and a lighting system which are needed so that the surgeon can see the affected areas through a TV monitor. Through this process the inflamed tissues, spurs and other foreign tissues in the joints are removed since there are also small knives, shavers or forceps attached to the arthroscope.

These types of surgery are painful and would require the patient to take some strong painkillers prescribed by their doctors. Physical therapy will also be done after theses surgeries so that the patients will be able to recover their range of motion.