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May marks Arthritis Awareness Month, and our team wants to participate.
That’s why we’re focusing on foot and ankle arthritis today. Arthritis is an umbrella term for a group of conditions that cause inflammation in your joints. It can be painful in any part of your body, but it gets particularly debilitating when it impacts your feet or ankles. With arthritis in play, simply navigating your day might become difficult.
Fortunately, here at Greater Pittsburgh Foot & Ankle Center in Wexford, Pennsylvania, William T. DeCarbo, DPM, FACFAS, offers personalized arthritis care. If this joint condition affects your ankles or feet, he can help you ease the discomfort and reclaim your mobility.
Here are a few signs your foot or ankle pain might be stemming from arthritis.
#1: Pain that’s getting worse
The body heals injuries like muscle strains with time. If you’ve been resting the foot or ankle and the pain doesn’t seem to be getting better, it might not be a soft tissue problem your body can heal.
And if the pain is getting worse with time, it could signal a progressive condition (i.e., one that gets worse with time) like arthritis.
#2: Swelling
Since arthritis causes inflammation, swelling is a strong indicator of its presence. That’s doubly true if you notice warmth and redness around the swollen joint.
#3: Stiffness
The joint problem can make it harder to move your foot or ankle. If you’ve noticed that your range of motion seems limited, arthritis could be to blame.
#4: Tenderness when you press on the joint
This can be a telltale sign that the problem lies with the joint, not with another source like a muscle. If it causes you discomfort to press on any of the 33 joints in your feet or ankles, something is probably going wrong there.
Diagnosing and treating arthritis
If these symptoms sound familiar, come see Dr. DeCarbo. He talks with you about your symptoms and how you’ve noticed them change over time, if at all. Then, he taps into his arsenal of diagnostic tools to figure out if you’re dealing with a joint issue. Those include:
- A computed tomography (CT) scan
- Gait analysis
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- An X-ray
With this information, Dr. DeCarbo can diagnose arthritis.
If this condition is affecting you, he goes to work to create a treatment plan for you. That usually includes some combination of:
- Corticosteroid injections
- Custom orthotics
- Lifestyle changes
- Medication to address the inflammation
- Mobility aids
- Physical therapy
If conservative treatment doesn’t help, Dr. DeCarbo also offers surgery for foot and ankle arthritis.
Don’t wait until Arthritis Awareness Month is over to get relief from your ankle or foot pain. To find out what you’re dealing with — and how to soothe your discomfort — call our office or book your appointment online today.