When your foot keeps you awake at night
Metatarsal arthrosis
What is that?
Osteoarthritis is a painful joint disease. It occurs when the articular cartilage is irreparably damaged by misalignment of the joints or excessive strain, for example through sport and sports injuries, excess weight, age-related wear and tear and lack of exercise.
In addition, the joint becomes inflamed. This means that inflammatory cells migrate into the joint and the synovial membrane and cause an inflammatory reaction and thus pain by releasing messenger substances.
How does this manifest itself?
Osteoarthritis is characterized by pulling or stabbing pain in the affected region, often radiating into the surrounding area.
At first you are walking without any problems and then the pain suddenly shoots into your foot. This can also happen at night and when you are resting. After moving or "breaking in" the joint, the pain initially disappears, only to return without any apparent cause. The mobility of the ankle joints gradually decreases, which in turn puts more strain on the adjacent joints (eg knee joint). When arthrosis is activated, the joint becomes overheated and red and there is constant pain.
How do you treat this?
Movement helps! The symptoms are reduced when the joint is moved. Compresses with calming and anti-inflammatory substances can relieve the acute symptoms. It is very important to remove the "excessive load" from the joint. The metatarsal bone with the inner longitudinal arch has to bear the entire weight of the body on one side with every step and therefore needs stable support. The best way to do this is with insoles that hold and endure a lot and thus take stress off the joint so that it can recover.
Osteoarthritis does not require surgery for a long time; it improves sufficiently by reducing the load, either by reducing body weight and/or relieving the strain with insoles.
What happens if I don’t act here?
There is currently no osteoarthritis treatment that can restore damaged cartilage. Osteoarthritis treatment can only alleviate the symptoms of the disease. The primary goal is to relieve pain and prevent the progression of joint wear in the metatarsal bones. Over time, osteoarthritis also leaves its mark on the “neighborhood”: damage occurs in the joint capsule, bones and muscles. Incorrect loading also damages the adjacent joints, such as the ankle or forefoot joints, and it is essential to protect these - with insoles in sturdy shoes.