Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic progressive disease causing inflammation in the joints and resulting in painful deformity and immobility, especially in the fingers, wrists, ankles, and feet. Modern drugs have been able to slow the deforming factors of the disease in people recently diagnosed, but people who have suffered for many years with the disease may have very profound foot deformities. These are the people who come into our office wearing fuzzy bedroom slippers, Crocs, or Uggs, because nothing else is soft and flexible enough to fit over their feet.
$ Self-Help
If you have profound foot deformities, but are on a restricted budget, fuzzy bedroom slippers, Crocs, or Uggs would be your least expensive first line of defense. They offer little support, but can generally accommodate a wide range of unusual foot shapes.
$$ Self-Help
If your feet are moderately misshapen, with no bony prominences on the bottom of your feet, you can get by with shoes that have elasticized synthetic or weaved leather uppers.
$$$ Pedorthist
If you do have bony prominences on the bottom of your feet, but deformities are only on the forefoot, such as hammer toes and bunions, you should have in-depth shoes with elasticized or soft dear skin uppers and custom made inserts.
$$$$ Pedorthist or Custom Shoe Maker
If your rigid deformities involve the entire foot and ankle, with bony prominences on the bottom, custom molded shoes with rocker-bottoms are the best solution.
$$$$$ Pedorthist or Orthotist
If motion in the ankle area is painful during gait, and there are multiple deformities, brace boots or AFO’s may be the solution to reduce painful motion.
