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By drjacob
February 22, 2012
Category: Uncategorized
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LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR FEET ARE "SAYING TO YOU"

Part 3

Your feet can tell you some really important things about your health, if you look for the signs and heed the messages they are sending.  Over the next few blogs, Madison Podiatry Associates and Dr. Jacob will share these “foot messages”.

Foot problems may foretell unexpected consequences. Pain can cause a person to move less and gain weight, for example, or to shift balance in unnatural ways, increasing the chance of falling and breaking a bone.

If your feet are sending out some of these messages, it is important to listen.  Usually it means something important is going on.

 

7. You have suddenly enlarged, swollen big toe

Might probably be gout.  This disease is still here—and you don't have to be elderly to get it. Gout is a form of arthritis (also called "gouty arthritis") that is typically caused by too much uric acid (a natural substance). The uric acid builds up and forms needlelike crystals, especially at decreased bodily temperatures.  The coolest part of the body is the big toe which is the farthest from the heart and you can develop a “red hot swollen toe” as the first indicator of gout.

Other symptoms include swelling and/or shiny red /purplish skin—along with a sensation of heat and pain—can also occur in the instep, the Achilles tendon, the knees and the elbows. Men in their 40s and 50s are especially prone but anyone can develop gout (women with gout tend to be postmenopausal).

See your doctor and foot specialist who can help relieve pain and preserve function.

 

8. Numbness in both feet

Being unable to "feel" your feet or having a heavy pins-and-needles sensation is typical of what is called peripheral neuropathy, or damage to the peripheral nervous system. Peripheral neuropathy has many causes, which include diabetes and alcohol abuse (current or past). Chemotherapy is another common cause. The symptoms can also appear in hands and may gradually spread up to arms and leg. See a physician and foot doctor to try to pinpoint the cause (especially if alcohol addiction doesn't apply).

 

9. Sore toe joints

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a degenerative joint disease, is often first felt in the smaller joints, such as the toes and the knuckles of the hands. Swelling and stiffness can accompany the aches and the pain tends to be symmetrical; for example, it happens simultaneously in both big toes or in both index fingers. RA develops more suddenly than degenerative arthritis, and attacks may come and go. Women are almost four times more affected than men. A full workup is always needed to pinpoint the cause of any joint pain. For RA, there are many therapies that can minimize pain and preserve function, though early diagnosis is important to avoid permanent deformity. (In the feet, the toes can drift to the side.) See a doctor and podiatrist.

 

Remember that foot/ankle pain is NOT NORMAL.

Madison Podiatry Associates in Sterling Heights MI

Dr. Bruce Jacob

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