Question
My mother currently has arthritis in her hips and has had an MRI which does show osteoarthritis in her spinal column.  She finds if she walks alot it will hugely increase her pain but her question is why does her left foot get numb and tingly when she walks on a concrete floor?  She also is experiencing her left arm getting numb and tingly in the middle of the night.  She was taking Vioxx but only breifly before it was taken off the market but she does have a history of heart disease in her family and she is 65 yrs old.  She was extremely active but this came upon her quickly and it has really caused her life to slow down and has effected her quality of life.  I just am afraid it will just get worse.  Please help.  Thanks.  

Answer
Dear Cynthia,   The numbness and tingling in her LEFT arm during the middle of the night does NOT sound arthritis related, but more HEART related and this should be addressed by her doctor and evaluated for additional heart problems...

The numbness and tingling in her left foot is probably caused by the arthritis in her spine and in her hips pinching on nerves....  Concrete is the worst thing any one can walk on or stand on for a long period of time because it just aggrevates the osteoarthritis condition since there is no cartiledge these to protect the vertibra from rubbing together...

Your mother's condition will probably get worse as she ages, and it may even be that at some point she may have to have surgery or hip joint replacements...  There is NO CURE for osteoarthritis, but there are treatments and if she is NOT seeing an Orthopedic doctor, I strongly suggest that she starts seeing one to get the proper medication and physical therapy for her condition...  DO NOT allow her to go back on the VIOXX or any of the other Cox2 drugs because of her heart and get her to an orthopedic specialist...

thank you,   karen