Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Over the past two years, I've suffered 8 stress fractures of the metatarsals bones in my feet. My doctors tell me that some RA sufferers have this problem. Have anyone of you heard of this before or suffered with it? I spent a full year in an air cast until I learned that MBT shoes would take the pressure off of the metatarsal bones in the forefoot. I have had a lot of muscle wasting in my feet and hands from RA (I wear a 2 3/4 size ring). I've had a dexa bone scan and have osteopenia, not osteoarthritis.
Unfortunately, I don't know too much about this. I do know that RA can predispose you to osteoporosis and other kinds of bone issues - I will be posting later this month about osteoporosis, so you can keep an eye out for that.
I can highly recommend doing a lot of research yourself. As you discovered, your doctors don't always know the best way of living with and preventing problems - they may be excellent at treating a problem once it occurs, but in your case, it's important to try to prevent further breaks. You may want to consider asking your family doctor for a referral to a foot doctor, who will have more specialized knowledge about how to keep your feet healthy and safe.