The foot: still the most important reason for walking incapacity in rheumatoid arthritis: Distribution of symptomatic joints in 1,000 RA patients

Abstract

After the hand, the foot was the most frequently symptomatic joint complex at the start of the disease, but also during active medical treatment. The foot caused walking disability in three-quarters of the cases and-4 times as often as the knee or the hip-it was the only joint to subjectively impair gait.

Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of foot orthoses for people with established rheumatoid arthritis: an exploratory clinical trial

“…Over 75% of people with RA report foot involvement within four years of diagnosis, and the reported prevalence of foot problems is between 50-90% [2]. Progressive joint destruction leads to varying degrees of physical disability with over 70% of all individuals with RA reporting moderate to severe foot pain, producing a significant clinical challenge and an international public health priority [3].…”

The rheumatoid forefoot

“…The foot has been found to be the most common reason for incapacity in patients with RA, with the forefoot the most common area [2]. The foot is second, behind only the hand, as the most common place for manifestation of RA [3].…”

Foot orthoses in the management of chronic subtalar and talo crural joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis

“…In RA, involvement of the hindfoot has been quoted as being between 17% in a Swedish study [6] to 40% [7]. The resultant pain, functional loss and disability are difficult to manage [8], becoming in many instances significant sources of morbidity [9].…”