Foot pain - How Dr Stephanie Barrett can help foot pain

 

 

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Tel: 020 7730 8508


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Foot and ankle painFoot pain

Foot pain can be anything from pains in the toes to the heel and also the ankle. The pain could be due to a wide range of things, be triggered by an accident or injury or even a genetic or hereditary condition. Foot pain, by its very nature, can put a strain on other parts of your body and of course, can effect mobility. Therefore, if you’re living with foot pain, you should take any effective method for managing or treating the pain.

What causes foot and ankle pain?

Foot and ankle pain can be caused by a wide range of conditions or simply knocks and accidents. Most foot pain is simply a passing pain which soon disappears but it can be due to arthritis, including osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis. There are a wide range of different types of inflammatory arthritis which can affect the foot, including:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis affects many joints in your feet.
  • Reactive arthritis usually affects your ankle or the area around your heel.
  • Gout which most commonly affects your big toe joint
  • Ankylosing spondylitis mainly affects your spine but it can affect your heels

What can be done to help my foot pain?

Most foot problems can be significantly less painful through the wearing of the correct footwear, with cushioning pads or in the case of people who are overweight, through losing some of it. There are also a wide range of different types of treatment:

NSAIDs

NSAIDs can help to relieve painful inflammation, which often occurs in the heel or arch. Anti-inflammatory gels can be an alternative to oral medication and NSAIDs can be easily bought over the counter.

DMARDs

DMARDs or Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs are prescribed for some people who develop inflammatory arthritis. They work by altering the disease rather than the symptoms and over time they work slowly to reduce swelling and stiffness, and therefore pain.

Steroid Injections

These can be given if individual joints are painful or if you have plantar fasciitis or severe arch pain.

Medical Footwear

You may be able to be prescribed special footwear or insoles to help your feet heal and improve your mobility. You may find your prescribed footwear or insoles help relieve arch pain, ease the symptoms of neuromas and can help correct some cases of valgus heal.

Surgery

Surgery is always a daunting prospect but it is considered necessary in some cases, often where the structure of the foot needs to be altered for improvement. It is often necessary to remove rheumatoid nodules, take out pieces of bone from bunions and you will find out all you need to know from your orthopaedic surgeon or podiatrist.

Foot pain may also be treated by a course of exercise, physiotherapy or a range of specific stretches and exercises prescribed by a doctor.

Need help?

To discuss any elbow problems you have please contact Dr Stephanie Barrett on:

Tel: 020 7730 8508

Email: enquiries@drstephaniebarrett.com