In fact, foot inflammation and pain is an early symptom for many people.
Foot symptoms in RA can take many forms.
You may have pain in the joints or constant aching.
Verywell / Tim Liedtke
Symptoms are often worse after standing for a long time, walking, or running.
For some people with RA, the onset of foot pain is gradual.
For others, it is immediate.
This article will discuss foot pain as a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis.
How RA Affects Feet
Rheumatoid arthritis is anautoimmune condition.
When you have RA, your immune system tries to destroy the lining of your joints, calledsynovium.
It also attacks the fluid in your joints, called synovial fluid.
This happens because it mistakes these parts of your body for disease-causing invaders.
They may swell and feel stiff, especially in the morning.
Eventually, long-term inflammation thickens the synovium.
This causescartilageand bone to wear away.
In the feet and toes, the joints may become deformed.
This leads to poor range of motion and considerable pain.
Walking, standing, and even wearing shoes can become difficult.
Proper treatment may help reduce the damage and inflammation to your foot joints.
It may also prevent or delay deformities and other problems.
Is It RA or Osteoarthritis?
When you first notice foot pain, you may wonder if it’sosteoarthritis(OA).
OA is also known as wear-and-tear arthritis, and it is more common than rheumatoid arthritis.
There is no clear-cut way to tell if you have OA or RA without a medical diagnosis.
But OA and RA do have some key differences.
These are the joints that connect your toes to your feet.
RA can cause seriousfoot deformities.
This is especially true if it goes untreated.
All these changes to a foot’s structure and shape can make finding a comfortable shoe more difficult.
This is because the disease can impact almost any joint in the foot.
Heel Pain
This is a common recurring problem for people with RA.
It can occur at the back or underside of the heel.
One example of this istarsal tunnel syndrome.
This causes burning, tingling, or shooting pain in the foot’s arch and sole.
Rheumatoid Nodules
Arheumatoid noduleis a lump beneath the skin.
It usually appears over a tendon or a bone located just below the skin’s surface.
In the foot, a rheumatoid nodule may appear over the Achilles tendon.
If a bunion is present, it may also appear on the side of the big toe.
Skin Rashes
Inflammation because of RA can affect small blood vessels.
This may lead to rashes or sores on the lower legs and feet.
Splinter hemorrhagesare also possible.
These are small areas of broken blood vessels on the sides of your toenails or fingernails.
Managing Foot Pain in RA
Gettingtreatment for RAcan help relieve your foot pain and prevent deformities.
This usually involves prescription medications to stop the immune system from attacking your joints.
You may also need to find other ways to manage your foot pain and cope with deformities.
If these approaches don’t work, you may need to consider surgery.
Deformities like bunions and hammertoes can often be surgically treated.
In some cases, a doctor can fuse bones that form a joint.
This involves connecting bones together permanently, which limits motion and reduces pain.
Depending on which bones are fused, you may or may not notice the loss of motion.
Summary
People with RA may have symptoms that include pain in the foot joints and ligaments.
Left untreated, RA may lead to foot deformities.
In some cases, surgery may be needed.
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