Walking the Walk With PsA: Managing Foot Pain

My feet are very important to me. There is so much that can go wrong with our feet having psoriatic arthritis. I have experienced pain in my feet simply walking in my home. One of the foot problems that can show up with this disease includes plantar fasciitis, which can be so incredibly painful.

My personal foot care regimen

I think that because I am constantly on my feet, they deserve to be treated extra nice sometimes. Once a month I get my feet pampered due to the roughness and the pain from my psoriatic arthritis. I usually make my way to a shoe store and get a pair of soft, comfortable shoes. It’s so important to take care of our feet. They must last a lifetime. When inflammation occurs in the feet, it makes me just want to sit down and rest my feet.

My experience with foot pain

I have experienced heel pain in my feet so horrific that I literally had to stop in my tracks. It is very hard for me to exercise. I have recently started going to physical therapy because of the throbbing pain in my foot and ankle. I have laid my high heel shoes down for good because it is common to get bone spurs, which can be very painful.

My toes appreciate a good shoe. Taking care of our toes with psoriatic arthritis is crucial. The toenails can easily become affected. Ingrown toenails are very hard to fix. At one point, I had a very bad experience that ended up in the foot doctor's office. I was in tears from an ingrown toenail that I couldn't fix. It was very inflamed and painful to the touch. Due to psoriatic arthritis, infections are also an easy target.

Frustrations with foot pain

Everything that looks good seems to not be good for you. I had to attend a formal function, and I had the perfect dressed picked out. I was excited to get shoes to match. When I went to the shoe store, my eye zooms in on the perfect pair of shoes for my dress. I ask the shoe salesman for a size 8 1/2. Unfortunately, it only came in an 8. At this point, I bought them; they were perfect. This was a big mistake. I ended up having my toes very squeezed together. They were definitely not a fit. I was in so much pain that night. I will never try to force a shoe to fit that doesn't. We must treat our feet well because if we fail to love our feet, our feet will not love us back. When we have an autoimmune disease like psoriatic arthritis, we must make our feet fit for the journey.

Other lessons learned

I realize I need to examine my feet regularly. I am constantly looking in between my toes, looking at the sides of my feet making sure there are no unexpected problems. Clipping my toenails is very important, as well as keeping my feet dry and clean. There is an old saying that simply says, don’t step on someone else's foot. I love this saying because as a patient, stepping on someone else's foot would bring pain.

My take away from this would be to make sure to see a podiatrist. They should know how to help you if you are suffering from psoriatic arthritis. Try not to do too much walking and dancing. Do low impact exercises such as swimming. Get the right shoe to wear. If your feet swell, get a larger size. Also stretching your feet might help with the aches and pain that you have.

Just remember, don’t ignore your feet or just live with the pain. There are treatments out there. Let’s stand on our own two feet.