Naomi’s Arthritic Feet – Photo Study

As part of my ongoing photo project covering Naomi’s Life With Arthritis, I plan not only to photograph the happenings of Naomi’s daily life, but also document the effects that the disease has had on her body. Today’s photos are the first of these documentary photos, and show Naomi’s feet.

Although the arthritis effects every joint in Naomi’s body to some degree, her ankles are by far the most painful and crippling. It is due to the physical damage already done to the joints and the bone that Naomi suffers most of her pain, and is currently forced to use crutches.

As the following photos document, Naomi’s feet, and in particular, her ankles, are quite swollen. The swelling as you see it here is typical, but on some days can be far worse than this. Also note the angle of the ankle joint, especially as seen from behind. This rolling in of the ankles is due to the damage, and makes standing and walking difficult, and forces Naomi to stand with an uncomfortable posture.

It’s not all doom and gloom, however. Today we saw Naomi’s specialist, and he’s trying to get his hands on a special injection that will hopefully be able to provide a buffer for the damaged ankle joints and if it works as expected, provide significant relief for the pain for up to six months. We’ll keep you up to date.