What options are there for toe joint restoration?

Question

My mom, 51, just saw a podiatrist this afternoon who told her that one of the joints in her toe (next to the big one) is bone on bone, which is causing serious discomfort. The Dr. put her on a mega dose of Motrin for a week to see if that would help the pain, etc. But she said there's really nothing that will make it better. It's just part of arthritis and will only get worse as she ages. Has anyone else experienced this? And if so, what can be done about it? Is toe joint replacement an option? Cock's comb injections? Cortisone?

Answer 1

Sorry to say a fusion is about the only way and that may need to be repeated in 10 yrs or so. I would see an orthopedic surgeon. Bone on bone is osteoarthrits and there is no fix for that. If it were rheumatoid arthritis ibuprofen might help but with this I don't think so. I have over 12 forms of arthritits including the 2 I mentioned and have had 46 surgeries since I was 17 now 38. good luck

Answer 2

While I know that there is a limited amount that some chiropractors know about feet, being properly aligned helps prevent wear and tear on joint. Many of the hip and knee replacements would not be necessary if people would understand this, because being misaligned is what caused the renewable cushion to wear away in nearly every case.
Niacin (the non flush type) can be found in healthfood stores and with B complex helps in as little as 6 weeks.

other - Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas (natural muscle relaxers) daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.