Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives Alternatives and ALCHEMISTS Foot pain (inflammation)

Hi, I am new to this forum but am really hoping I can get some advice My partner suffers from this we have just found out not long ago (regular symptoms include IBS, back pain, joint problems, skin problems, toe problems, iriris etc) however for the last week or so he has suffered from inflammation on the balls of his feet making it hard to walk at times. He is currently in the process of changing Gp so cannot go to see a Dr (other than a walk in centre). We have been treating this with anti inflammatory medicine (Nurofen) but would like to know will this be a flare up that will go again or is it permanent? Does it need to be treated by a Dr or should he continue taking Nurofen and wait for it to die down? I cannot find any information about this part of it on line and would appreciate any feedback. Have been in touch with NHS Direct but they were no help. All we can do at the moment is find information out on line, would love some advice from someone who has / is going though this. Thanks very much!

Hi Smallcat,
I have had similar symptoms in the past that have lasted a few weeks and passed. That being said I am a spondyloarthropathy diagnosis rather than full blown AS sufferer, and I am not sure if there is a difference.

What I would say is if you are in between doctors, I'd still go to the NHS walk in clinic if the symptoms are so bad, and get some crutches or other mobility aid in the interim. If it is causing great pain and distress they may even admit your partner to get some steroids intravenously. Is nurofen the only anti-inflammatory your partner is taking, as there are much stronger ones available for people suffering chronic inflammatory illness.

I don't know that a rheumatologist would inject the soles of feet (anyone?) but may advise a short course of steroids or at least some stronger drugs.

Hope this helped a little.
Kj

Diagnosed: Spondyloarthropathy
Awaiting approval by NHS for anti-tnf treatment
Back, ankles, feet, knees, elbow and rib pain
Currently taking 30mg Methotrexate /wk plus indomethacin

Hi Katharine29,

Thanks so much for your reply. That is great thanks, it was just whether the symptoms would pass that I was concerned about, think I am just panicking a bit on his behalf as it is so hard to see someone suffer when you cannot help. I think it is certainly not bad enough to require crutches or anything, like I say my concern was that once this issue had arisen it was here to stay. Sorry if I am being dense, it is just we are quite new to this and I am still learning about the condition! Are there any stronger anti-inflammatory drugs you can buy over the counter or is that something that would be prescribed? I am so pleased to have found somewhere you can get advice from people in the exact same situation. Thanks very much again for your reply

I have had ball of foot pain on and off for the duration of my disease. Nothing has came and stayed except for my wrists which fused. I too am wondering about my feet. Fused feet bones. Can you imagine??

I have had my balls of feet injected with steroids and it worked amazingly......for 2 days. $400 per shot.

I have found that with this disease, throwing NSAIDS and steroids at it only addresses the symptoms, and I always seemed to build up a tolerance to them, always needing higher doses. Then the NSAIDS ripped up my GI lining and the steroids raised my blood pressure.

For me it works better to throw a bucket of water on the cause, inflammation.

So what's in my "bucket?"

1)the no starch, no sugar, no dairy diet
2)exercise (this really lowers inflammation)
3)frequent, therapeutic (high) doses of vitamin C and niacin
4)other supplements like calcium, magnesium, zinc, flax oil, fish oil, vitamin E, potassium,

And VERY comfortable shoes. I love Keen sandals in the summer, crocs, and wide athletic shoes with a gel spenco insert. The wideness, and squishy-ness is key for me. Keens aren't squishy, but somehow they fit the bottom of my foot perfectly and take some of the shock off the fore foot. Ice also helps.

Good luck to you. It is so wonderful that you are searching for help and supporting your spouse. You are a kind person!

Take Care,
Donette

speaking of buckets, when my feet act up, contrast baths work better than most other things for me. 1-2 minutes in hot as one can stand water, 1-2 minutes in ice cold water, back and forth, ~15-20 minutes total.

i've been dealing with undiff spondy since 1998. i've had feet problems so bad i had to ice them at the end of my work day (mostly sitting) so i could hobble to my car just outside the building......then magically they get better, til the next time. now they don't get quite as bad as they used to cause i know better how to manage them. plus when they were at their worst, i was on vioxx which was unbeknownst to me (and my doctors for awhile) giving me edema. edema makes inflammation so much worse; as my doctor told me, doesn't allow the body to get rid of the inflammation that way, so it just keeps building up.

i've also had wrists so bad i could barely type, for years, and then magically it goes somewhere else.

true for most of my body, except my SI joint, it is there to stay i'm afraid.

so i wouldn't be surprised if they do get better. that's been my experience.

when they were really bad, in lieu of cortisone injections, i had ultrasound twice a week in the PTs office. she ultrasounded my feet in addition to other things that were bothering me. i've had good results with ultrasound and if done properly, its safe, so i bought my own for home use, save me all those trips to the PT.

when my feet aren't so bad, just making sure i do those stretches that donette described are oh so helpful.

and my podiatrist also gave me foot strengthening exercises, its important for me to keep those up as well. i also find walking to help keep my feet strong. if i go for a period where i can't walk, i can feel it in my feet.

also i find that walking a little but not too much, on soft ground, not hard manmade surfaces, and no standing, period, are helpful.

shoes are also ultraimportant for me, but my feet a bit strange i think. anytime i try to use cushioning inside or even custom made orthotics that should help my feet out, they complain. i'm best in really really flat shoes, no pronation, no arch support. found a pair of loafers by ugg that have a little bit cushioning on the bottom that help. otherwise its flat sandals, flat keds, etc. but like everyone else with foot problems, just the right shoes are so important. i'm actually better to go barefoot when i can (around the house and work ) and stand on a kneeling pad; i could buy the antifatigue matts like chefs use, but the kneeling pads are cheaper and i think just as effective.

good luck to your husband, and you. glad he has you!

my husband also has some health issues and i agree with you, in some ways its even harder to watch when he's not feeling well, then when its me. its hard to watch those we love suffer.

Thank you so much Sue and Donette, I am so delighted to have found this forum as this is so helpful. To be honest my partner has a lot to deal with and this is on top of it is too much so I am trying my best to find out what we can do without him getting too stressed, as I think he finds it a little hard to deal with. My mother has MS and said when she was diagnosed (nearly 40 years ago) she also kind of went into denial a little.

As soon as we are registered with the new GP we will try to get as much help and advice as possible.

Sue, the thing you mentioned about barefoot helping is weird as he has always preferred to be barefoot, for years well before we knew anything about this! Thank you Donette for your advice about the 'bucket' too, lots of really good advice!

I really cannot tell you how much I appreciate it all, nothing beats hearing direct information from people in the same situation

Hi again smallcat,
In terms of anti-inflamms over the counter, are you in the UK? I sense you are since you mentioned the NHS before. Before you get to the doctors I'd definitely enquire as to what the strongest anti-inflam they can give you over the counter is, and ensure your partner takes the maximum dose.

BUT I can't stress enough prescribed anti-inflamms (you'll read about them referred to here as NSAIDs or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can treat the symptoms so much more effectively. A rheumatologist can prescribe Narproxen, Diclofenac or Indomethacin (among others) which are much more hard hitting than nurofen.

It's true though that taking a lot of medication - including anti-inflamms - can affect the stomach, so most people you'll find here will be taking a supplementary stomach protector, or will have had some issues with their stomachs and tolerance to medications over the years.

Good luck - as people have said being a strong and supportive partner is a important role to be playing.

Your partner is lucky to have you searching for help. And Sue is right that it hurts more to see your mate struggling than when you have your own struggles.

I have had a long history of foot pain going back nearly 12 yrs. And it still hurts a lot of time. (not now because of the massive amounts of solumedrol that I got today )

Do the stretches that Donette mentioned. Don't do bouncing movements that can strain the Achilles (sometimes there is a stretch called the stair stretch--stand on a step, hang heels off) and cause harm. Use static stretches, that you can control fully so you don't injure something. Walking casts are NO fun, especially in summer.

Everyone mentions shoes and inserts. You may have to try a few before you find the perfect one. I swear by the ones I get from NewBalance. Cushy insert and cushy shoe (also NB) and it's tolerable, most of the time, with pain meds.

But I feel your pain...when every step causes a 'ouch' message in your brain, I want to give up walking.

Hope your partner can find relief, through whatever means it takes. A lot of this stuff can be done at home, but he should see a rheumy AND a podiatrist. Sometimes, custom orthotics can help. Personally, I went through 2 sets of them and gave up on them.

Take care, and welcome. (I realized I typed 'you' instead of 'he' most of this....sorry.)

Smallcat - could be Morton's Neuromas. Nasty wee lumps that establish between the bones in the balls of the feet. Could also be Erythromalalgia - inflammatory arthritis of the feet (I get this one). For Erythromalalgia contrast baths of cold water/warm water NOT hot water, that will make matters worse if erythromalalgia, 'just' warm water. COLD though is the optimum, but don't freeze them toes off! Wrapping feet in wet 'frozen' towels (put wet towels in freezer) are terrif for dealing with erythromalalgia. BTW ery. does not last forever, but does flare with monotonous regularity!

As for meds, see yr rehumy. Remember meds have side effects especially the ones given to AS patients! As for the costeroids, injections of don't last, and side effects are appalling (and a no-no for anyone with glaucoma.) Always check out meds before taking and see first if alternatives are mebbe available.

You might find that magnesium may help.

oh, and a good podiatrist is priceless!

my feet are so much better since i found one.

so much so that when things bother me, i can usually help it along myself, using the tricks that she taught me.

before this, with a PT, physiatrist, other doctors, they couldn't help me with my feet nearly as well as the podiatrist.