Arthritis is never pleasant. The resulting joint pain tends to diminish the quality of life for the person who’s affected. That’s particularly true when the arthritis affects your feet.
People with arthritis in areas like their hands or elbows get some reprieve. When the joint inflammation centers in your feet, however, you’re reminded of your condition with every step you take. Even seemingly simple things like walking to the bathroom or to get a glass of water might become daunting.
Fortunately, you don’t have to hobble through life. Here at Family Foot and Ankle Center of South Jersey in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Joseph DiMenna, DPM, specializes in treating foot arthritis.
Dr. DiMenna personalizes a plan to help your feet. That might include anti-inflammatory medication or other prescription treatments. Generally, though, arthritis care works best when the patient also takes steps to minimize their foot pain. These proactive measures usually help:
The more you weigh, the more pressure it puts on your feet. Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight goes a long way toward relieving foot arthritis pain. The Arthritis Foundation® says:
We can support you with nutritional and exercise guidance to help you move toward a healthy weight for your feet.
You must not let your foot arthritis make you sedentary. Exercise plays a big role in managing arthritis pain. You need to keep moving to prevent your pain from getting worse.
The key is finding an activity you enjoy that doesn’t exacerbate your foot pain. That generally means you should steer clear of high-impact activities like running.
Some good exercise options for people with foot arthritis include:
Again, Dr. DiMenna and our team can help you find the right option for your feet.
Strengthening and stretching the muscles and tendons in your feet can help alleviate joint pain. When you have a better support system, it minimizes the strain on your joints.
You don’t need specialized equipment to help your feet out in this way. A simple resistance band, a chair, and a few books are all the tools you need for a lot of the best exercises for foot arthritis.
We can create specialized inserts for your shoes that support and cushion your feet. With orthotics, you uplevel any pair of shoes.
Orthotics work by adding more shock absorption and improving joint alignment in your feet. As a result, they often deliver a significant measure of pain relief.
Dr. DiMenna offers orthotics for foot arthritis here at our office. To start the process of having personalized inserts made for your feet, call our team at 856-667-8222 to book an appointment.
