Arthritis
What is arthritis?
The word "arthritis" means joint inflammation, involves damage to the cartilage and articulating surfaces of the joints, and is used to describe approximately 200 rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect joints, tissues that surround joints, and other connective tissues. Symptoms include increased stiffness, pain and swelling, and decreased mobility, in the joints. Common rheumatic conditions include osteoarthritis, gout, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, to name a few.
There are many joints in the foot and ankle that can be susceptible to arthritis. Factors in the development of arthritis in the foot or ankle include, but are not limited to:
- foot or ankle trauma or injury
- abnormal metabolism
- genetic makeup
- infections
- immune system dysfunction
How Active Foot Care Clinic and Orthotic Centre can help
The professional chiropodist/foot care specialist in Brantford provide a wide range of products and services to reduce symptoms related to your foot or ankle arthritis:
- Footwear
Appropriate indoor and outdoor footwear plays an important role in reducing the symptoms of arthritis in your feet and ankles. At Active Foot Care Clinic and Orthotic Centres, our experts can assist you in selecting the most adequate footwear for your feet.
- Custom made orthotics
An effective treatment for reducing the symptoms of foot and ankle arthritis is custom made orthotics, which help to immobilize the joints and improve the alignment and function of the foot with each step. They are available in a variety of materials, designs, styles, shapes and corrections, to treat your foot or ankle arthritis symptoms. For more information, please visit our custom foot orthotics web pages.
- Braces
Wearing an ankle brace to support and immobilize the joint, or a foot sleeve to provide compression to help reduce swelling and inflammation, are both good choices in treating the symptoms of ankle and foot arthritis. For more information, please contact the chiropodist/foot care specialist at in Brantford today.
- Manipulation and mobilization of joints
A manually applied technique for the relief of arthritis, the manipulation and mobilization of joints is a therapy which can lessen pain patterns arising from soft tissue adhesions associated with faulty foot biomechanics due to arthritis. To further explore how this unique therapy can assist you with your pain from arthritis, please visit Active Foot Clinic and Orthotic Centre's manipulation and mobilization of joints page.
- Cold laser therapy
A safe and effective treatment for the pain caused by arthritis, cold laser therapy also helps to alleviate the symptoms of a number of other conditions. For more information about the cold laser therapy that Active Foot Care Clinic and Orthotic Centre offers, please visit our cold laser page.