West Jordan Rheumatoid Arthritis

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory condition caused by an overactive immune system attacking healthy tissue (also known as an autoimmune disease). This causes painful inflammation in the linings of joints, and if untreated, RA can result in permanent damage to the bones and joints. It can afflict joints throughout the body and frequently affects small joints, including those in the feet.

What Makes Our Rheumatoid Arthritis Doctors the Best in West Jordan?

Dr. Elizabeth Auger, DPM, has more than 24 years of experience treating foot and ankle pain, including RA and other forms of arthritis. Dr. Auger will examine your feet and ankles, ask questions about your symptoms, and run additional tests. These may include X-rays or other imaging and blood tests to look for indicators of inflammation. After making a diagnosis, Dr. Auger will compose a treatment plan to address your symptoms, reduce your pain, and improve your mobility.

Dr. Auger can also help if you’ve already been diagnosed with RA by another doctor but need more help with foot or ankle pain, difficulty walking, or other podiatric issues. Our friendly office staff will coordinate with your doctor’s office to have your medical records transferred promptly.

What Are the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?

There are multiple potential symptoms. Some patients may only have a few, while others have many of these symptoms:

• Pain and stiffness in more than one joint. Pain in a single joint may have other causes, like infection, injury, or different forms of arthritis. RA usually affects multiple joints, often symmetrically – both feet, both hands, etc.
• Tenderness and swelling in multiple joints.
• Weight loss.
• Fever.
• Unusual fatigue or weakness.
• Unsteadiness or difficulty with balance, especially if joints in the lower extremities are affected.
• Misshapen hands or feet. This is usually not the first symptom but occurs after inflammation permanently damages the joints.

If you have some of these symptoms and they persist for more than a few days, please see a healthcare provider right away. Multiple treatments are available once you have been diagnosed with RA, but you must act quickly. The longer the inflammatory process continues without treatment, the more likely you will have permanent joint damage.

What Are the Risk Factors for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Here are some of the factors that may increase your risk of developing RA:

• Age. RA is most common among people in their 60s, and the risk increases with age. However, it can still affect younger adults and even children, so you should not assume that you’re too young to have it. If you develop joint pain at any age, please see a healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis.
• Gender. Women are estimated to have 2-3 times the risk of RA and are at higher risk if they have never given birth. Breastfeeding does decrease the risk.
• Genetics. Researchers have identified a number of genes that contribute to risk. If one or more people in your family have rheumatoid arthritis, you are more likely to develop it.
• Smoking. You probably know that smoking is unhealthy for many reasons, and increasing the risk of RA is one of them. Continuing to smoke after being diagnosed with RA can also make the disease more severe. People who were exposed to secondhand smoke as children are also at increased risk.
• Obesity. Research suggests that as weight increases, so does the risk of RA. Extra weight can also strain the legs and feet when you walk, contributing to worse symptoms in the lower extremities.

How Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect the Feet and Ankles?

Although RA can attack any joints in the body, it’s often a particularly difficult problem when it targets the feet or ankles. Because we put a lot of stress on our feet when we walk, the pain and inflammation caused by RA may be amplified in these areas. Taking it easy and staying off your feet for a few days might temporarily reduce your pain, but if the underlying inflammation remains, it will return when you’re on your feet again. 

What Are the Long-Term Effects of RA on the Feet?

• If left untreated, RA can cause the small bones of the feet to become misshapen with joint damage.
• When walking aggravates joint pain, many patients change their gait or how they move to relieve some of the pain. Unfortunately, this can cause additional pain and problems by putting more strain on other joints and tissues.
• Some people may walk as little as possible due to the pain. This is understandable, but it can also make things worse down the road. When you move less, your joints become stiff, muscles may atrophy, and your range of motion or mobility could be further restricted. Preserving mobility and improving range of motion is one of the primary goals of treating RA, along with reducing pain and other symptoms. Physical therapy is sometimes prescribed to help with range of motion, but if foot or ankle pain prevents you from doing PT exercises, a West Jordan podiatrist may be able to help you get the pain under control first.

How Can You Get Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis in West Jordan?

Dr. Auger will propose a treatment plan to address your symptoms and goals. Here are some possible treatments that may be included in your plan:

• Medication. RA is often treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDS) or biological response modifiers (also called biologicals) to reduce inflammation and pain. These drugs can have potentially serious side effects, including suppressing the immune system and increasing the risk of infection. Sometimes, they don’t provide enough symptom relief, and they may be used in conjunction with other treatments.
• Corticosteroid injections. Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, but like many other RA treatments, they can have serious side effects. In addition to depressing the immune system, they can also increase the risk of bone loss or degeneration, and for this reason, they can’t be taken continuously. However, occasional injections into the affected joints in the feet can provide temporary symptom relief. The goal of these injections is to reduce the pain enough for the patient to increase their physical activity and sometimes do physical therapy. Or, corticosteroid injections might be used if the patient has a particularly bad “flare” of their RA and needs help controlling their joint pain.
• Limiting or increasing physical activity. With RA, physical activity can be a double-edged sword. Walking and other activities help improve mobility and reduce stiffness, increasing range of motion, but they can also increase your pain, reducing mobility. Patients are generally told to be as active as possible, but sometimes your doctor may advise you to rest and limit activity until your pain levels are reduced. Other treatments may be used to lower pain in the meantime.
• Orthotics. Not everyone can limit activity as much as they’d like. If you have to walk around for your job, for instance, you might only have so many sick days. Some patients can get accommodations, such as sitting instead of standing at work, but this isn’t possible in every job. When you have to be on your feet, your doctor may consider custom orthotics, or shoe inserts, to relieve pressure on the inflamed joints in your feet. This can help improve pain and make moving around easier. Custom orthotics are designed in your podiatrist’s office using the latest imaging of your feet, making them more effective than pre-made orthotics sold in stores.
• Lace-up ankle braces. If RA affects your ankles, the doctor may prescribe lace-up ankle braces. These provide additional support for the ankle and restrict motion, diminishing pain for some patients.
• Surgical procedures. If other treatments haven’t provided enough relief, a podiatrist may recommend surgery, such as fusion or a total ankle replacement. 
• Fusion surgery. In fusion surgery, the surgeon “fuses” two bones with plates and screws, preventing joint motion. Although this can limit movement, some foot joints only move minimally, so this may not be a significant side effect. Ankle surgery will have a stronger effect as other joints and muscles must compensate for the reduced range of motion. While some patients find this a good trade-off for less pain, you and your doctor should carefully discuss the risks and benefits of surgery.
• Joint replacement surgery. In joint replacement surgery, the damaged joint is replaced with a mechanical joint designed to move like the original. Often patients experience a better range of motion with a joint replacement, but as with any surgery, it still carries risks, such as infection and nerve damage. Joint replacement surgery is more complex and takes longer to recover from than fusion surgery. Still, some patients may decide it is worthwhile if they eventually regain typical function in the joint.

Contact a West Jordan Rheumatoid Arthritis Specialist Today

The longer rheumatoid goes untreated or undertreated, the higher the probability that your foot and ankle joints will suffer permanent damage. If you’re struggling with RA pain in your lower extremities, please contact us at the office of Dr. Elizabeth Auger, DPM, today. We’ll be happy to schedule you for a consultation so you can learn more about your treatment options.