Arthritis & Your Feet: What You Should Know

Between 2 feet, there are more joints in them than in the rest of the body. Each foot has 28 bones and 33 joints. Therefore, arthritic conditions are extremely common in lower extremities.

At Central Florida Foot and Ankle in Polk County, we see a great share of arthritis, especially in geriatric population as well as posttraumatic arthritis.

According to the Center for Disease Control, Arthritis affects approximately 50 million Americans. Signs of arthritis can include joint stiffness in the morning , joint pain especially after physical activity, limited joint mobility as well as swelling and  redness surrounding the area.

Even though there are over 100 different types of arthritis, osteoarthritis is the most prevalent type. Osteoarthritis is directly attributed to excessive wear and tear of the joint cartilage and is associated with obesity and excessive Athletic activities due to joint overloading or misalignment.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune connective tissue disease associated with antibodies of your own body attacking your joints cells. This condition is complex and requires multidisciplinary medical approach with primary care physician, rheumatologist, and podiatrist working as a team to help with pain

We also see a lot of Gouty arthritis which is associated with elevation of uric acid in the bloodstream contributing to the deposition of crystals in the joints. The big Toe joint is commonly involved and it is purely a metabolic disorder. It is treated with Cortisone injections, immobilizations, proper testing and anti-inflammatory medications. The key with gout is not to wait in order to properly diagnose and treat it as delayed diagnosis can cause significant wear and tear of the joint as well as formation of tophi.

Our Winter Haven office has not only a regular x-ray but also a weight-bearing CAT scan that can improve the diagnostic techniques in identifying and treating all those arthritic conditions. An average CAT scan takes only about 55 seconds and produces over 500 images

Dr. Wellens and Dr. Jaramillo deal with all three conditions on daily basis and have a great expertise in minimally invasive modalities as well as Cortisone injections and amniotic injections

Sometimes end-stage arthritis can require surgical intervention. Our doctors are true experts in ankle arthroscopy as well as innovative minimally invasive surgical techniques to try to reduce patient’s pain and return them to activity as soon as possible. Sometimes fusion or joint replacement is necessary,

Both of our surgeons are board-certified by the American College of foot and ankle surgeons and had performed over 10,000 surgical procedures combined between the two doctors