What Could Cause Redness, Swelling, and Pain on the Top of the Foot?
The skin on the dorsum of the foot is an area that is easily overlooked in daily life. However, if a patient feels redness, swelling, and pain on the dorsum of the foot, it is important to take it seriously, as it may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lumbar disc herniation, and other reasons.
Redness, swelling, and pain on the dorsum of the foot may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis, which is a common chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis of the joints. Joint pain and tenderness are often the earliest symptoms, and the most common locations are the wrist, metacarpophalangeal, and proximal interphalangeal joints, followed by the toes, knees, ankles, elbows, shoulders, and other joints. The pain is often symmetrical and persistent, but varies in intensity. The affected joints often have tenderness, and the skin around them may develop brown pigmentation.
Swelling and pain on the dorsum of the foot may indicate gout. Gout is a group of diseases caused by long-term purine metabolism disorders and elevated blood uric acid levels, leading to tissue damage. It is manifested as hyperuricemia, recurrent acute arthritis, tophus and chronic arthritis, uric acid kidney stones, gouty nephropathy, and acute renal failure. Acute arthritis often starts suddenly in the middle of the night or early morning with severe joint pain. Within a few hours, the affected joint becomes red, swollen, hot, painful, and dysfunctional.
Lumbar disc herniation can also cause swelling and pain on the dorsum of the foot. Lumbar disc herniation is a common lumbar disease, with pain as the main manifestation. However, it is not just lower back pain; it can also cause sciatica. Typical sciatica manifests as radiating pain from the buttocks, the back of the thigh, the outer side of the leg, to the heel or dorsum of the foot. Therefore, lumbar disc herniation can cause swelling and pain on the dorsum of the foot, and it is important to take it seriously.
