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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Diseases and Conditions > Painful Foot Joints
      Category : Health Centers > Arthritis

Painful Foot Joints

Alternate Names : Metatarsalgia

Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Pictures and Images | Attribution


Joints can become painful for a number of reasons. The reasons can range from an injury to a specific joint to an overall condition, such as arthritis, that affects many joints in the body.

What is going on in the body?

Painful foot joints are usually caused by physical stress to the foot. The stress can result from poor bone structure, ill-fitting shoes, being overweight, and overdoing certain activities.

Occasionally, arthritis can cause painful foot joints. Some of the more common conditions caused by arthritis that involve the joints of the feet include:

  • gout, a metabolic disease caused by deposits of uric acid in the joints
  • rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints and surrounding tissues
  • systemic lupus erythematosus, a chronic inflammatory disorder that affects the skin, joints, and internal organs
  • psoriasis, a skin condition characterized by frequent episodes of redness, itching, and thick, dry scales on the skin
  • venereal disease, or sexually transmitted disease
  • Reiter's syndrome, a group of symptoms consisting of:
  • arthritis, which is inflammation of the joints
  • urethritis, which is inflammation of the urethra
  • conjunctivitis, which is inflammation of the lining of the eye
  • lesions of the skin and mucous membranes
  • What are the causes and risks of the disease?

    Ignoring the symptoms can lead to the symptoms getting worse. It can also lead to permanent damage to the joints.


       

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    Painful Foot Joints: Symptoms & Signs

    Author: Bill O'Halloran, DPM
    Reviewer: Gail Hendrickson, RN, BS
    Date Reviewed: 08/09/01









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    Page Last Updated: 6th April, 2009