Osteoarthritis
Symptoms
Osteoarthritis is a condition that can cause a lot of concern. It’s pain that occurs in a joint that’s often quite stiff after not moving for a period of time, followed by pain and swelling with physical activity. It can be especially stiff or sore in the morning after not moving the joint much overnight. A small subset of people will experience consistent pain in the joint regardless of what they do.
People can experience this in multiple joints across the foot and ankle, with common ones being the ankle, the midfoot (the middle joints of your foot) and balls of your feet (metatarsal phalangeal joints).They often experience this later in life, or a period of 10-20 years after suffering from an injury or trauma.
It’s often given as a flippant diagnosis, (“oh, it’s just osteoarthritis), as a way of indicating that nothing can be done to ‘fix’ the joint besides surgery, due to the thought that it is caused by irreversible damage to the joint and joint cartilage.
However, what we know now is that there’s a number of different ways we can help people manage their pain, become more active and not be limited by their feet.
How our services can help with this condition
If you’re suffering joint pain, I’m able to help you determine whether osteoarthritis is present. This can often be done clinically, without the need for imaging, but I can also organise the required scans/test if required to confirm its presence, or grade the level of change.
What we’ve learnt in the last 10 years is that while a joint can have osteoarthritis and degenerated cartilage, for most people, we can still strengthen and build resilience in the joint and cartilage that remains.
To do this, we’ll work together to find the treatments that help reduce strain on the joint that is causing it to become sore. This can include treatments such as:
- Specific footwear
- Foot orthoses
- Referral to your GP for anti-inflammatories
Then when the joint settles down, I can find and coach you through exercises that you’re able to perform that will strengthen the joint over time.
Throughout this process, I’ll also be guiding you on how you can continue to remain active and return to your sport or activity.
Depending on the location, I’ll then take you through the options available to help you reduce your pain. This is often a combination of treatments that reduce the strain on your joints, reduce how irritated they are or exercises to help you start to move more.
