What Is the Treatment of Foot Osteoarthritis?
Foot osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of one or more foot joints. Selecting the right first-line pharmacologic approach requires matching the intervention to the specific joint affected and to the patient's clinical profile.
First-line treatment approach
Evidence-based guidelines support a topical pharmacologic agent applied directly to the affected foot joint as a first-line option. The complete regimen — including the specific agent class, application guidance, and the clinical decision points that govern its use — is detailed in the full protocol.
Full dosing, sequencing, and management criteria are available below.
References
DOI: 10.1016/j.rdc.2022.03.009.
- Oral and topical NSAIDs are the pharmacologic agents most recommended for OA, though oral formulations should be avoided in those with contraindications and intolerances, and topical formulations are not appropriate for a deep joint such as the hip.
- Topical NSAIDs were uniformly strongly recommended for knee OA by all guidelines and were strongly and conditionally recommended for hand OA by EULAR and ACR/AF, respectively, with the strength of recommendation influenced by practicality of using topical agents on finger joints.
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