Is Foot Pain Affecting Your Career As A Waitress? Arthritis Treatment May Be Necessary

Posted on: 15 May 2019

You've been a waitress for over 20 years and you're proud of your career. However, you've been experiencing a lot of foot pain lately and aren't sure why. You stay in good shape, eat healthy, and stretch your feet every day. Unfortunately, you could be developing symptoms of foot arthritis that need a foot doctor to properly manage.

Foot Pain Can Be Hard to Handle

When foot pain starts affecting you during a work day, you're going to struggle to finish with your shift. As a waitress, you simply can't afford to have severe pain making it hard for you to walk and stand. Your success has relied heavily on your ability to promptly deliver food and your strength when it comes to long and brutally-challenging shifts.

However, your foot pain has become so severe lately that you've often had to call in sick to work to manage it. This situation is something that you cannot tolerate because it could threaten your ability to work. Instead, you need to know whether or not you have arthritis and what to do about this problem if you do have it.

Symptoms of Foot Arthritis

Although overworked ankles and strained muscles are a common fact of life for many waitresses, those with lengthy careers may be at a high risk of developing arthritis in their feet. The following symptoms will help you gauge whether or not you're experiencing this problem:

Severe pain when standing for too long

Sharp pains when you walk on your feet

Swelling when you work for several hours

Pain directly in the joint that you can't massage away

All of these symptoms are sure-fire signs that you probably have arthritis in your foot. However, this doesn't mean you have to grin and bear it or retire and find a less demanding job. Instead, you can get treatment to improve your pain symptoms as much as possible.

Treatment is Possible

If you're a waitress and foot and ankle arthritis has gotten you down, it is important to find a treatment method that works for you. For example, you could set up a relaxation area in your restaurant where you sit when the pain gets too severe. Talk to your manager about this option and how to implement it when times get busy and you can't take a break.

You can also visit a high-quality foot doctor to get help with your treatment in a variety of ways. For example, pain medications can provide you with relief when your foot arthritis gets too severe. Try to take this medication before your shift to ensure that your pain is minimize. Also make sure to wear high-quality shoes support your feet fully through an 8-12 hour shift.

If, for whatever reason, these treatment methods don't work for you, talk to your foot doctor about surgery options. This may be necessary if your foot pain gets too severe and you can't seem to shake it during your longest and most draining work periods.

Talk to a business like Carolina Foot &  Ankle Specialists for more details.

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