I diagnosed a sesamoid fracture in a young woman this week. The presenting complaint, on Wednesday, was of "pain in the ball of the foot under the big toe joint for nearly 9 months, but 3 days ago (Sunday), whilst doing a long day shift the pain got really bad and only stops when I take weight off the foot."
Sweaty feet affect everybody at some time of their lives. The complaint can be seasonal -worse in the warmer months – but can be present at any time of year. The medical term is hyperhidrosis (excessive sweat production) and if there is an accompanying bad odour, it is called bromidrosis.
In podiatry, for the child with arthritis, we find that foot problems are not necessarily caused by the arthritis alone. Before the disease is correctly diagnosed, swelling, pain and lack of mobility are the main signs and symptoms. This usually affects the hands, knees, feet and ankles. Malfunctions of the foot, ankle and leg as a result of painful joints usually respond to medication. However, many structural problems [what podiatrists call biomechanical anomalies] remain, because they were present before the arthritis developed.
J.I.A. or juvenile idiopathic arthritis is just one of the manifestations of arthritis in children. Just like adults children get pain, stiffness in the morning that can last for some hours, restricted movement of their joints, swelling of their hands and feet. In other words serious incapacity. Unlike the adult form where we see a pattern of rheumatoid arthritis starting to affect women mainly around the age of 40, in children it can happen anytime.
