Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRA and Your FeetDeformitiesOther Foot SymptomsManaging Pain
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
RA and Your Feet
Deformities
Other Foot Symptoms
Managing Pain
Rheumatoidarthritis (RA)can strike any part of your body, and that includes your feet. 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. You may also have pain in your ligaments, which are the bands of tissue that connect your bones to each other. 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. At some point, though, most people with RA find that foot joint pain makes it very painful to walk.
This article will discuss foot pain as a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. It will also describe some of the strategies you can use to manage foot pain when you have RA.
Verywell / Tim Liedtke
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.
RA causes inflammation that results in uncomfortable symptoms.The small joints, like those in the feet, are the most common targets of these attacks.
One of the most commonearly symptomsof rheumatoid arthritis in the feet is pain, which can come and go; it may feel worse when you’re standing, putting pressure on the feet, or moving the feet and ankles. 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.
Explaining Autoimmunity
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.
RA Foot PainUsually affects both feet at onceMorning stiffness generally lasts longer than half an hourOA Foot PainMost often affects only one footStiffness tends to be easier to relieve in the morning, often getting better in less than half an hour or with a few minutes of stretching
RA Foot PainUsually affects both feet at onceMorning stiffness generally lasts longer than half an hour
Usually affects both feet at once
Morning stiffness generally lasts longer than half an hour
OA Foot PainMost often affects only one footStiffness tends to be easier to relieve in the morning, often getting better in less than half an hour or with a few minutes of stretching
Most often affects only one foot
Stiffness tends to be easier to relieve in the morning, often getting better in less than half an hour or with a few minutes of stretching
RA and Foot Deformities
In the feet, rheumatoid arthritis typically affects themetatarsophalangeal(MTP)joints of the toes. 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.
Other Foot Problems in RA
People with RA can have foot symptoms that aren’t related to deformities. 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.
Inflammation in the feet may lead to conditions associated withheel pain, including:
Nerve Entrapment Syndromes
When RA inflames the synovium, the swelling can compress nerves. 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
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.
Common strategies include:
The success of these strategies will depend on which joints are affected and to what degree. 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.
An Overview of Flat Feet
Summary
People with RA may have symptoms that include pain in the foot joints and ligaments. Left untreated, RA may lead to foot deformities.
RA may also cause heel pain, burning andtingling painin the arch or sole, nodules, and skin rashes.
RA treatment can help relieve foot pain, and additional strategies like special footwear, anti-inflammatory medication, and occupational therapy may also help. In some cases, surgery may be needed.
4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Rheumatoid arthritis of the foot and ankle.Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(1):35‐41.Arthritis Foundation.Joint deformities in rheumatoid arthritis.Jung SM, Ahn JH, Park SH, Park KS.Unusual metatarsophalangeal joint deformity in an advanced rheumatoid foot.Korean J Intern Med. 2014;29(3):402–403. doi:10.3904/kjim.2014.29.3.402
4 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Rheumatoid arthritis of the foot and ankle.Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(1):35‐41.Arthritis Foundation.Joint deformities in rheumatoid arthritis.Jung SM, Ahn JH, Park SH, Park KS.Unusual metatarsophalangeal joint deformity in an advanced rheumatoid foot.Korean J Intern Med. 2014;29(3):402–403. doi:10.3904/kjim.2014.29.3.402
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Rheumatoid arthritis of the foot and ankle.Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(1):35‐41.Arthritis Foundation.Joint deformities in rheumatoid arthritis.Jung SM, Ahn JH, Park SH, Park KS.Unusual metatarsophalangeal joint deformity in an advanced rheumatoid foot.Korean J Intern Med. 2014;29(3):402–403. doi:10.3904/kjim.2014.29.3.402
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: OrthoInfo.Rheumatoid arthritis of the foot and ankle.
Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician. 2015;92(1):35‐41.
Arthritis Foundation.Joint deformities in rheumatoid arthritis.
Jung SM, Ahn JH, Park SH, Park KS.Unusual metatarsophalangeal joint deformity in an advanced rheumatoid foot.Korean J Intern Med. 2014;29(3):402–403. doi:10.3904/kjim.2014.29.3.402
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