How to know if you have arthritis in your feet?

I've seen this with my mom. She had constant pain, swelling, and stiffness in her big toe and ankle, especially first thing in the morning. It would slowly get better with movement but never fully went away. If your pain is persistent, and not just from overuse, go to a rheumatologist. They'll do X-rays and blood tests. Don't wait for it to get worse.

My orthopaedist explained that foot arthritis typically manifests as joint pain, stiffness (especially after periods of inactivity), swelling, and tenderness. You might notice difficulty walking or a reduced range of motion in the affected joints. Sometimes, a grinding sensation or warmth around the joint is also present. Diagnosis involves a physical exam, X-rays, and potentially blood tests to identify the type of arthritis.

Look for swelling, pain, and stiffness in your foot joints, especially in the mornings. See a doctor.

Feet pain? That's just my feet complaining after carrying me around all day on 3 hours of sleep! But seriously, if your feet ache constantly, especially when you wake up, and they feel stiff or swollen, it's probably more than just tired feet. Get it checked out before you end up needing a chariot instead of walking!

If my foot pain is impacting my step count or running pace, my app flags it. For foot arthritis, you'd be looking for persistent joint pain, stiffness, particularly when getting out of bed, and sometimes visible swelling or redness in the foot joints. It's not just regular soreness. A doctor can use imaging or blood tests to pinpoint the issue.