What is an effective therapy for foot arthritis/bad feet?

August 24, 2016 6:30 PM

I have bad feet, but an even worst time trying to find a doctor to help me. My last doctor never read my chart before seeing me (~10 times), so he gave me a lot of cortisone shots. The new doctor is shooting lasers at my feet. I don't know how to evaluate anyone.

I'm trying to find someone to help me with my foot pain, which is related to flat feet, extra feet bones, and arthritis in my toes (I'm mid-40s). I was seeing a doctor for 10 years who gave me old skool orthotics; then his office staff was impossible to deal with and I wound up wasting ~1 year trying to get help/see him/talk to my insurance. Moved to a new doctor who gave me 3 cortisone shots in less than 3 years which it turns out is REALLY BAD; other people tell me only 5 shots/lifetime are recommended for serious issues.

I started to see a doctor I thought would be helpful; he prescribed a serious drug to stop the irritation in my feet, and then in my visit today I had on my feet: hot water, for a time; hot wax, for more heat therapy; electric shock to my toes; then lasers, to continue to try to reduce irritation.

Is this normal? He says 5 weeks, twice a week, but a voice is telling me "quack"... What constitutes actual good foot doctoring?

posted by armacy to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

IANAD: If the orthotics helped you I see no reason not to continue with them - and your feet may have changed in their requirements due to age/bone movement/etc so a new pair with new measurements would be best. Ask your laser doctor for a referral to an orthoticist - we just have a bunch of tearaway pads for the local places at the clinic I work at, it takes all of 30 seconds. Insurance here generally only wants an MD to say you have pes planus (flat feet) and an Rx for bilateral custom orthotics.

I can kind of see the thinking behind the deep heat treatments (reduce inflammation) and electro-stimulation (enhance muscle around joints to prevent wear on joints) but I don't see how you wouldn't do as well at home with a bucket of warm water and some epsom salts. It sounds like a cash grab or a chiropractor, really.

If I can ask, what medication did they give you? Did it help?
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 7:20 PM on August 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

What kind of doctor is this? Podiatrist? Orthopedist? Rheumatologist?
posted by rtha at 7:21 PM on August 24, 2016

I've got extra bones (yay os tibiale) and flat feet, though no arthritis. Finding shoes that work for me, including house slippers (closer to shoes in terms of support) that I wear exclusively has been more helpful than various docs I've seen. For a while there I had X-rays and mri's and even an air cast for several months, but the biggest difference was getting good footwear.

That having been said, if you're unhappy with your medical professional, get a new one. Or advocate for yourself with the current one (ask what a treatment does and why it should be useful in your case;ask if you can replicate at home).
posted by nat at 12:39 AM on August 25, 2016

Any gout? That is a prime cause of foot pain in middle age.
posted by w0mbat at 2:07 PM on August 25, 2016