Pain in the midfoot, just in front of the ankle is a reasonably common problem. One of the more common causes of that pain is osteoarthritis, the so called ‘wear and tear’ arthritis. The symptoms typically start out with a mild ache in the midfoot. Often that can be helped with a some mild anti-inflammatory drugs and wearing more supportive footwear. Later as the osteoarthritis progresses the pain can become more constant and become a real problem. The pain is typically deep within the midfoot or arch area of the foot and is made worse after activity.

One of the biggest risk factors for osteoarthritis is obesity and that is true for midfoot osteoarthritis, so loosing weight is a good approach to dealing with the symptoms of osteoarthritis. You should raise this with your general medical practitioner about how to approach that.

The use of a cream like fisiocrem that give a deep heat feeling is often advised as well as mobilisation exercises. There are different exercises for both stretching and strengthening the muscles around the midfoot that can be helpful. Anti-inflammatory drugs are also more helpful as the pain gets worse.

Another approach can be to use the shoe stiffening inserts for midfoot osteoarthritis. These are thin and very rigid carbon fibre plates that help stiffen the footwear to make it more rigid. Some people find that wearing more rigid or less flexible shoes are more comfortable, so in these cases they will often benefit from these types of rigid plates.

Foot orthotics for midfoot osteoarthritis are most commonly used to give some support and stability to the midfoot and arch. This is usually very helpful at helping with the symptoms and increasing the ability to walk without any pain. Custom made foot orthotics are generally a better option for managing this.

If you have pain in your midfoot, then give us a call for an appointment and we can certainly help and discuss your options..