Many people with RA and osteoarthritis experience similar foot changes over time. It’s often a mix of inflammation from RA, joint wear from osteoarthritis, and past footwear habits contributing together. Orthotics and supportive shoes can really help slow things down and ease pain. You might also find comfort connecting with others through Antardhwani, a patient support group for ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis patients.

I have a bunion, have dealt with starting to get hammer toes, & have also dealt with plantar fasciitis. I love boots but don't wear pointed or square heeled shoes anymore or the higher heels & just wear boots or shoes that are more flat & wider & I now no longer have the constant bunion pain or worsening of it & it helped reverse my hammer toes too. I too did not wear the best shoes for my feet for many many years & paid for it. I also wore orthotics for a few years & had cortisone injections which really helped even though they were insanely painful. I don't use the orthotics anymore since they actually caused me more pain after a while. Even though the bunion pain, plantar fasciitis pain, & hammer toes are gone with the RA & PsA along with being an insulin dependent diabetic I do still get ankle & foot pain with swelling but that isn't unusual & it is so much better now with meds.

Hello again! 🙂 Finding shoes that don’t hurt is especially challenging! Orthotics didn’t help- actually made my pain worse because it shifted the weight onto my toes and the balls of my feet, my problem areas. Initially injections helped. Now I need surgery in both feet to relieve pressure on the nerves, but I’ve been reluctant to have surgery on my feet. I’m afraid!

Hi Lori!
Thanks for replying. I have Raynauds too. It was suggested last year that I also wear compression socks because I sit all day at work.
I don't have the pain in the balls of my feet "yet". 😒
What do you do to help all these issues? Are you wearing orthotics? Have you had to switch up all your footwear? I have to now wear wide toe box everything. Hard to find shoes and when I do, its expensive.

Hi! Sorry to hear about your foot issues. I too have bunions, tailor’s bunions, Morton’s neuromas, plantar fasciitis and pain in the balls of my feet - oh and raynaud’s, which affects my feet as well as my hands. It’s my understanding that RA can cause various problems with the feet. RA can affect not only the joints but also tendons and ligaments. Darn RA! lol