Broken metatarsal.

Hi, . I'm so sorry to hear about your foot. My heart goes out to you <3 while I haven't experienced something like this, my mom has experience with weak bones. A long while ago, she accidentally broke one of her ribs at Disneyland. They were already quite weak due to a car accident we'd had a bit before that and aside from some small physical therapy, she seemed fine. Well, she started going on rides again at the parks, and sure enough, one day she rode decided to ride Indiana Jones and afterward felt a little snap. She's thankfully much better now, but still struggles with weak bones and whenever we do go to Disneyland, she hardly rides any rides now.
All that being said, you're not alone in this, please know that the PsA community is here for you! I hope you have a swift recovery and a relaxing week. - Abigail, Team Member

I was diagnosed with PsA over ten years ago, and over the course of that period, I've been on and off of Prednisone, mostly for flares, but sometimes low dose for maintenance. Late last spring I fractured my sacrum. I'm a distance runner, and the constant pounding probably had been causing stress fractures, and then at the start of a half marathon it just gave way while running down the first big hill. After a MRI confirmed a "non displaced fracture" of my sacrum, my rheumatologist ordered a BMD scan, and referred me to endocrinology. The scan came back showing osteopenia, and osteoporosis in the lumbar vertabrae and the greater trochanter triangle of the femur (-2.7😎. My endocrinologist (I've got a lot of ologists now) told me that rheumatoid diseases in and of themselves can contribute to a loss in bone density, and when treated with steroids, that is greatly accelerated. My osteoporosis has been diagnosed as steroid induced, and I was put on alendronate, until it cause GI complications, and then a Reclast infusion. The best thing to do when saddled with a disease that can contribute so significantly to bone loss is to avoid anything that may contribute further; i.e. caffeine (possible culprit), tobacco, alcohol. Additionally, try to consume as much calcium from your diet as possible, supplemented with magnesium, D3, and K2. Even NSAIDs can contribute to bone loss when taken in large doses over long periods of time. Also, PPI's for GERD can interfere with calcium absorption, so try to avoid foods that may cause you to have to use PPI's (omeprazole, esomeprazole, etc.). Eating a diet rich in low fat dairy, whole grains, and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits has been shown to be effective in slowing bone loss. And now for the difficult part: proper exercises to increase bone density. Eccentric exercises are supposed to be the best, as they cause the muscles to pull against (or away from?) the bones in such a way as to stimulate bone growth. Since my fracture, and my osteoporosis diagnosis, I'v been under the care of a physical rehabilitation specialist who has been prescribing these types of exercises for me. I'm a long distance runner, so am at particular risk for fractures as it is, and my doctors have all been very good at guiding me through the past (nearly) year of rehabilitation.

@Waynep I, too, have had fractures and stress fractures in the metatarsal bones in my feet, and it makes walking much more difficult and super painful. I suck it up, for the most part, because if I have somewhere I want to go or things I have to do, there isn't much stopping me. I was running at 8 1/2 months my mom told me, and I haven't slowed down much in 65 years, but I have to admit, it's getting harder and harder on a daily basis, and I'm not accepting the fact that I'll ever be what I call "normal" again. It's a big pill 💊 to swallow, and I think I'm choking on it as I type telling you about it. It's getting harder to take one day at a time anymore. I say I wish I could have at least a one hour break a day without any pain. That's not happening! I've been in an active state for close to 20 years or more. I keep hoping and dreaming about being what they call 'remission." I'm on my third biologic, the last two via infusion, and waiting a little more time to see if Orencia is my miracle drug. I've had the loading dose and one regular monthly dose with my second one scheduled today at 2:30. Please keep me in your thoughts as I thread deeper into some relief of this mess called psoriatic arthritis. I'll do the same for you.

Thank you for your comments. It's been over two years since this happened, and my left foot, which I broke, still gives me pain and swells up occasionally, too. Other times, it just aches continuously.
I've spoken to the consultant, who told me, it will because of my PsA. So, I just get on with it the best I can. Using painkillers and resting it when I can.