At my last annual exam, my doctor casually mentioned that I had arthritis in my big toe. I was so stunned that I didn’t ask any follow up questions.
Does anyone have any experience with arthritis? I noticed a few folks mentioned it in the post about the tight wedding ring. I am happy to research it but I am starting from scratch.
Is there anything someone with arthritis should be doing? A good starting resource or referral? Now, every new ache and pain has me alarmed.
They first found arthritis in my knees when I was in 6th grade. I still have crappy knees. lol I think I have it in my some of my fingers and elbows now. I don't do much for it, but I am pretty sure working with weights to build and maintain good muscle is supposed to be good for it, though that would not help with your toe. lol
Post by Jalapeñomel on Mar 6, 2023 11:17:11 GMT -5
I have arthritis in my hands, back, knees, and ankles. I just take an anti-inflammatory when it flares up (save my back which has a host of other issues).
If it's normal wear and tear osteoarthritis, it may be just a part of aging. Was the arthritis and incidental finding (like an Xray for something else) or were you complaining about pain? The best thing you can do is to maintain a healthy weight and get movement every day to keep your joints bathed in synovial fluid and flexible. OTC NSAIDS can be used for pain but check with your doc if you need them regularly.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition. It is more serious and needs to be treated to protect the joints. If your doc suspected this, they probably would have run bloodwork to look for rheumatoid factor and referred you to a specialist.
Post by keweenawlove on Mar 6, 2023 13:09:21 GMT -5
My mom has it in her big toe. It's common in women because so many women's shoes are terrible for your feet. She's been encouraged to wear more rigid bottomed shoes and ones with the wider toe box to help slow the progression as much as possible.
Arthritis does not go away, but as another poster mentioned you can build up the muscles around places where you have arthritis to ease the pain. For example with hip arthritis I did physical therapy to learn exercises to build up the muscles around my hip joint. It makes a remarkable difference in the level of pain I experience when I consistently keep up with my exercises.