Arthritic Joints

How do I know if I have an arthritic big toe joint?

An arthritic joint will gradually become stiff and will throb and ache after activity. You may find high heeled shoes are difficult to wear because the big toe joint will not bend to accommodate the heel height.

This type of joint may respond well to injections of cortisone or Ostenil. Ostenil is a liquid lubricant which lines the joint and may allow pain free movement.

This joint shows a decrease in space between the bones and extra outgrowths of bone around the joint edges. These changes restrict the motion in the joint and cause pain. At this stage the joint may respond well to an operation to “clean up” the joint edges, or may need and operation to remove a small section of bone from one side of the joint to recreate the gap between the bones and allow it to move more freely.

This joint shows severe degeneration and a total loss of joint space. Any surgery undertaken at this stage should be considered salvage surgery as the damage to the joint is so severe the joint is no longer viable. The options at this stage are: Keller’s Arthroplasty, joint replacement or joint fusion.