loss of fat pads on soles of feet - Scleroderma & Ray...

Scleroderma & Raynaud's UK (SRUK)

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loss of fat pads on soles of feet

Gran54 profile image
16 Replies

lost fat pads on feet very sore to walk any suggestions?

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Gran54 profile image
Gran54
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16 Replies
zebbo profile image
zebbo

My Chiropodist cuts Chiropodist felt to the shape of the front part of the Feet. I also buy sheets from her to do my own.

With them on its like walking on air...🙂

Without it's like walking on pebbles on the beach 😟

Always buy thicker soled shoes.

You can buy Chiropodist felt on places like Ebay.

Hope that this helps.

Maybescleroderma profile image
Maybescleroderma in reply to zebbo

Good shoes with arch support. I wear crocks when I can. No flat flip flops…only those with built in support. It is so uncomfortable that I have shoes next to the bed to slip on when getting up. Hope this helps you.

Midgebite21 profile image
Midgebite21 in reply to zebbo

Hi I’m a podiatrist, ask your practitioner about Poron insoles (or you can buy them from Amazon). Felt padding is ok and does serve a purpose but is only temporary and now we try to avoid adhesive pads as much as possible. For hygiene reasons as much as anything, also they compress and become ineffective quite quickly. Also adhesive padding isn’t great for people with delicate skin. By using a Poron insole in your footwear it will give you the cushioning you need and last much longer, it’s not going to interfere with bathing/showering or aggravate the skin etc. Just a suggestion but obviously if your happy with felt that’s great but always good to know there are other options.

Kilncadzow profile image
Kilncadzow

Having had scleroderma in the 70s and 80s and mad a pretty good recovery, this is one problem I still have. Shoes with well padded insoles, forgetting high heels unless I’m going to be sitting down most of the time, no going barefoot and like Maybescleroderma, always having shoes beside my bed all help. Good luck!

creditcrunchie profile image
creditcrunchie

When this first happened (around about my late fifties)…….I used a brand called Fly which were on trend but comfortable and I managed. Interestingly I discovered my daughter who has arthritis in her feet and is your age uses them currently. Then I had to move onto orthotics and naively paid a chiropodist £200 to make them and then I eventually moved onto NHS who now provide my orthotics . Of course this means I now have to buy shoes/ boots with removable inner soles. But also a brand I buy is called Allegria ….. they have rocker soles and I don’t use my orthotics in them . They are expensive but unbelievable comfortable….. I use them in spring summer and have my orthotics in boots at other times. I hope this helps …..over the years I’ve spent a fortune on shoes but I have noticed more brands are offering removable inner soles and at more reasonable prices. It’s miserable when your feet hurt so I hope you resolve it.

LadyTrundle profile image
LadyTrundle

Always 2 pairs of socks; compeed patches (though I haven’t checked with the clinic if they’re ok) leave them on till they drop off by themselves. In terms of shoes, MBT do rocker- base shoes, been using them for years for arthritic toes. Also Fitflop shoes can be ok. The Shuropody shops have a brand called Joya (I think) too.

GGhere profile image
GGhere

I can identify with that Gran54 - my feet are a nightmare. Tight sore skin and the walking on pebbles thing. I've spent a fortune on shoes hope to find something with marsh-mallow inside them as the bottoms of my feet are so painful. The best I've found so far although not perfect are Fit-Flop, and Skechers Go Walk. I have several pairs of expensive shoes that I've bought in desperation which are very uncomfortable. I'm forever hunting for shoes that won't hurt the bottoms of my feet. I like the sound of chiropodist felt that someone mentioned so I'm going to give it a go if I can find some. Here's hoping we can all acquire some happy feet soon.

What is loss of fat pads connected to or sign of? you ask so called medical professionals and just get a Vacant look!

GGhere profile image
GGhere in reply to

I don't know the absolute cause but I guess it's a possible outcome of systemic sclerosis/raynauds/scleroderma that we're all lumber with. The medical term is fat pad atrophy. SRUK will send you a leaflet about foot care for people with these conditions if you request one. All their leaflets are excellent.

in reply to GGhere

Don't want to know me unless have confirmed Diagnoses of Raynauds etc

Quack said yes gave me meds for it but never put on notes!

Later one said don't have as not in there then referred to Rheumy and they said "Could be"

Yet hands/feet go all sorts of colours plus for me chill gets inside feel in lungs/chest and caught a cold breeze going down escalator on tube hit around face/neck felt ill straight away and felt cold all evening.

Also have shiny hands and feet got a wet room now as fall over in bath as no grip on skin!

truerose profile image
truerose

I know want you mean mine are the same.not much skin left on them

Sanmateogirl107 profile image
Sanmateogirl107

wild lettuce extract ebay has it mt rose herbs works great for pain, celebrex ask your doctor ok. love julie

Coldhands65 profile image
Coldhands65

Hi. I’ve also lost all padding on my feet, and yes it’s most definitely like walking on large pebbles. When I explained this to my consultant, he told me I’m walking on the bones of my feet. “What a horrible thought”. Also lost it off finger tips.

Midgebite21 profile image
Midgebite21

Hi, I’m a podiatrist (as well as a scleroderma sufferer).Atrophy of the fibrofatty padding that protects the ball of the foot and metatarsal heads is very common in scleroderma. The best way to treat it is to buy well supportive shoes, preferably lace ups with a good cushioned sole, Hotter & Ecco are great makes but many people like sketchers memory foam trainers. Only issue with memory foam trainers are the soles are not so supportive so may exacerbate knee or hip arthritic pain and aren’t a firm base for orthotics if needed.

A great insole material to buy is called Poron ( you can get precut Poron insoles off Amazon. If your shoes are roomy enough (especially in the toe box area) use 2 layers. Poron is very cushioning and has better shock absorption properties and better rebound than memory foam insoles.

Unfortunately there is no medical treatment to replace lost tissue over the area in question so treatment is purely based around footwear and hosiery.

Walking socks with a padded foot are also quite good at giving some relief and well worth the investment as they tend to be very cosy too.

GGhere profile image
GGhere in reply to Midgebite21

Thank you Midgebite that is so helpful. Having put up with very painful feet for several years due to foot pad atrophy I recently read about chiropodist felt. I tracked some down online and found this helps too. Just this week I walked round the supermarket without moaning about my feet for the first time in years. I'll certainly hunt out the stuff you recommend. I find Fit-flop (certain models) have cushioned soles.

Poppy221 profile image
Poppy221

I have the same problem plus neuromas - my podiatrist did quite a few things for me including shockwave therapy (for the neuromas) and gait analysis - one leg is a bit shorter which wasn't helping. I have orthotics he made. I also have a touch of osteoarthritis in my big toes.

I finished up with Joya Cancun rocker shoes which helped a lot - but they are not waterproof. They are very good for cushioning and putting a spring back in your step.

I have found it impossible to get waterproof with rocker as a shoe shop explained to me - runners who want rocker soles tend to suffer more from sweaty feet than going out in the rain so look for breathable mesh shoes. Trail runners who want waterproof shoes tend not to want rockers as could be too unstable over rough ground.

A key thing with all the shoes is that they are firm and supportive - put your hands at toe and heel and see how easily they bend. Not supportive if easily bend and twist. Also want them to fit well - not too tight, not to sloppy because you get no support if a sloppy fit.

All my feet problems except the lack of fat pad have responded over the last year to exercises, manipulation, shockwave therapy and orthotics and I now find I can get away with a good firm supportive shoe without rocker, so am now in wide fitting hiking boots and a pair of trail runners trainers when outdoors walking in garden or countryside (and the Joya Cancun when indoors or out shopping). Both of these have good cushioning - the hiking boots' cushioning is mostly from a thick padded insole that came with them. Shoe shopping is a bit of a nightmare but my latest purchases came from a UK wide fitting online shoe place. I will try to come back later to add links, but out of time for now. Three online shoe places have stood out for me, varying between success of shoes purchased and ease of return for all those that weren't right.

Edited to add

Part, but not all, of the cushioning in the Joya come from a thick insole which can be removed. I only need metatarsal domes and a bit of padding, so the podiatrist stuck the domes to the Joya insoles. If you need lots of padding AND an orthotic insole, Joya may not be right for you.

Another impact for me of the fat disappearing is that there is less structure in my foot to stop toes twisting and to cushion the nerves. I've got two custom made inserts - between toes 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 - made by a podiatrist with a two part rubber designed for making dental moulds. Made an immediate difference, lost a lot of intermittent shooting pains, but have made the toe space I need even greater. At the end of the day, the Joya Cancun shoes can now be a fraction tight on the toes so went looking for wide fit.

The three websites I've found helpful were

widefitshoes.co.uk/ - and you can search for wider fitting shoes that might meet your medical problems. Didn't try asking help questions

mastershoe.co.uk - they were very helpful in answering queries in technical detail and promptly. Their returns system is good and economic. (Nothing I tried suited my feet but still a good website.)

shoemed.co.uk/ - again very helpful staff who could talk you through options. I ordered five pairs for trying on and only kept the Joya Cancun - had subsequent conversations trying to find something as comfortable as the Cancun but waterproof. They were able to make recommendations, though none of them quite worked out for me. However as I say, they were really helpful and took a lot of time on considering their stock and what might fit. In the end they had to say "nothing else to try".

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