Arthritis

Prompt foot care may help prevent the later onset of painful knee, hip and lower back problems.

Artho means joint and itis means inflammation.

Arthritis is the leading cause of physical disability in the United States. This disabling and sometimes crippling disease affects nearly 43 million people*. Although it can affect any joint, arthritis frequently shows up first in the feet. It causes swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, redness and early morning stiffness in joints.

While arthritis can't be cured, early diagnosis and treatment are important to help prevent or slow damage to joints and to control pain.

Source : *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000

Causes:

There are approximately 38 causes of arthritis and most of these conditions affect the human foot. The most common of these conditions is osteoarthritis. This is the simple wearing and tearing away of the cartilage of the joints. Age, excessive weight, ill-fitting shoes and trauma (injury) are the basic causes of osteoarthritis. Fortunately, this condition is very treatable.

Gout, which is also classified under arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most crippling kinds of arthritis. In most cases, simple aches and pains of the feet are usually biomechanical, in that the bone structure of the feet are not being supported as well as they should be.