commonly affects the joints in your hands, wrist and knees. It starts when the lining of your joints become inflamed, which causes damage to your joint tissue. When your tissue is damaged, you can suffer from a lack of balance, deformity and severe chronic pain.
So here is how it would work: if you are living with rheumatoid arthritis, your joints are in pain often, which can actually lead to flat feet. While rheumatoid arthritis leads to flat feet, flat feet can also cause flare-ups with your arthritis. This is due to the lack of support your joints are getting since there is no arch to support the body’s weight on your joints. This then causes the inflammation of the arthritis. So, essentially, rheumatoid arthritis causes flat feet and flat feet causes rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups.
What To Do To Prevent Joint Pain With Flat Feet
Prevention of joint pain may be a little tricky, especially if you are living with rheumatoid arthritis, but there are ways to help your feet. Doctors and or physical therapists will help you create a workout plan specifically for your feet to help prevent symptoms and even help symptoms while you’re experiencing them at the moment.
Buying shoes that support flat feet can help as well and is definitely recommended. Make sure the shoes are wide-fitting and offer arch support.
Asking your doctor about anti-inflammatory drugs can also help to prevent joint pain. Working with a doctor will help you find something that works best for you.
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Try This When You’re Suffering From A Flare Up
When in the moment, it can be hard to figure out what your next step should be if you are so focused on your pain. Here are some suggestions to try out when you’re experiencing a flare-up
- Exercise your feet or ankles to help relieve pain
- Take the weight off of your knees and sit down for about 5 minutes
- If you have a flare-up and need to continue walking, try using the balls of your feet when you walk
- Use an ankle brace to help soothe inflammation at the moment
- Take medication when you feel your symptoms starting, before they get too bad
It’s important to know that there are things you can do to help yourself even when the pain feels like you can’t. Take your time and try out what works best for you.