[Rheumatoid foot. Practical podiatric problems]

The rheumatoid foot may obtain relief from practical local measures that prevent the excessive use of drug therapy. These include the decrease in inflammatory phenomena thanks to local injections of corticoids (eventually synoviorthesis), the prevention of deformations through the use of various apparatuses, the protection of the skin of the palms and the nails that are fragile and rapidly altered by local hygiene care. The maintaining of sufficient support and normal walking through the use of plantar prostheses or custommade toe prostheses and by wearing shoes of excellent quality, the maintainance and preservation of articular flexibility and muscular trophicity by adapted kinestherapy and ergo therapy. Major deformations that, while they cannot be modified do not require surgery, can be alleviated with "custom-made shoes" which are at the same time light, adapted and good looking. Whatever the treatment used, local measures are the most effective at any given time.