The toes are a typical location for arthritis. Where two bones meet, called joints, ligaments hold them together and a fluid substance is present. Soft tissue called cartilage is found on each bone at the ends. This enables bones to move unobstructed and is often called a shock absorber. Cartilage leaves synovial fluid, allowing joints to move without pain by acting as a lubricant.
When arthritis occurs, the cartilage begins to wear down and break away, resulting in bones that are exposed and rub together. This can hinder the mobility of the joint and causes pain at the site. As a result, the body responds by making more bone in the area, which only makes things worse and even less mobile. Because of this extra bone growth, joints that have arthritis are bigger than usual.
A few medical problems such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout may result in intolerable toe pain and are associated with joints that have arthritis. Numerous people are genetically fated to getting arthritis because it is strongly connected to hereditary.
Arthritis worsens over time, and if not treated the problem will worsen and require toe surgery. Pain is a common factor of an increasing problem with arthritis but not always. Men tend to not get as much pain from arthritis as women do. Arthritis tends to occur in both males and females equally; nonetheless, the most commonly treated are women. It is accepted that this is attributed to the lower musculoskeletal mass of female bodies, which causes the joints to receive most of the body weight, resulting in further pain.
For arthritic toes, toe surgery is suggested to alleviate the problems of arthritis as well as to remobilize the joints although the treatment hardly ever remedies the issue completely.
Cheilectomy is a typical surgical treatment. This involves scraping away any excess bone, thus making the joint free. While it can only help with pain temporarily, the surgery must be done again in approximately three years.
Sometimes when the problem is major, the joint can be removed and can be replaced with an artificial joint. Normally this has been possible with joints made of silicone, which have a lifespan of around 10 years. Modern materials for instance ceramic and titanium have also recently been introduced; however, their long term effects are unknown.
Your doctor will be able to recommend the best course of action; yet, if joint pain is not constant it is a wise idea to use alternative therapies and only to resort to surgery if there is considerable difficult walking or if the pain is intense.
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