My Flipping Floppy Toes

Psoriatic arthritis is something I live with every day. This flipping form of arthritis causes pain in many parts of my body, like my spine, sacrum, knees, hands, and feet. Each part of my body affected by Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) feels different; some parts hurt more than others.

Today, I'm going to tell you about one of the weirdest things that happened to me because of PsA – something weird with my toes.

The challenges of lobby toes and PsA

My feet started hurting from PsA way back in 1997, but I didn't know it was PsA until 2003. At first, I just noticed that my shoes weren't comfortable anymore. My big toe joints would get swollen and hurt, and none of my old shoes felt good.

All of my toes started to want shoes that let them spread out more. The pain and trouble finding the right shoes were tough, but then I started having another problem that made walking even harder: my flipping floppy toes!

PsA can make parts of your body swell up, like joints, bones, tendons, and even things inside you. Sometimes, all my toe joints swell up, especially when it's hot and humid.

It feels like my toes are not connected right. They flip and flop around when I walk. I can't control them.

The weirdest thing is that they don't hurt unless I put pressure on them. It's a really odd feeling, kind of like what people with MS or ALS might feel when they experience foot drop, but for me, it's just my toes. It's because of the swelling in the joints, not my muscles or nerves.

Dealing with floppy toes

Having floppy toes makes walking feel weird, but I can still do it if I wear the right shoes. Flip flops or thongs don't work well when my toes are floppy.

I've lost many sandals while walking with floppy toes. That's why I like wearing Crocs. They don't squeeze my toes, let my toes spread out when they need to, and the strap keeps them on my feet.

I have tried many things to reduce the flare, like soaking them in Epsom salt and rubbing them with CBD balms, but nothing I do helps. I just have to ride it out until the swelling subsides.

When my toes are floppy, I have to be really careful not to fall. It's surprising how much something small, like toes, can mess up your balance.

Along with wearing comfy shoes, I use my cane to help me stay upright. The toes that limit my ability to walk the most are my big toes. Pressure from walking on those swollen joints tends to increase the extent of dislocation and is painful.

I'm glad that this weird toe thing doesn't hurt too much and doesn't happen a lot. But it's still really strange, and I wonder if anyone else with PsA has felt this.

If you have, does it hurt? What helps you cope with it? I'd love to hear about this from others in the PsA community!