Why Foot Arthritis May Be More Common in Women Than Men

Foot arthritis can be painful and affect your day-to-day life—and it may be more common in women than men.

Erika Lyn Waters started feeling some pain in the joint of her big toe in March 2023. At first, she tried pain medication. Six months later, she decided to get it checked with Clifford L. Jeng, M.D., FAAOS, medical director of The Institute for Foot and Ankle Reconstruction at Mercy and an award-winning foot and ankle surgeon. 

“She came in with a big bump on the top of her toe that caused pain and stiffness when she was wearing shoes,” Dr. Jeng said. “So, when she was walking, when she would go toe-off, she would feel pain.”

“He told me to change my shoes,” Waters said. “Of course, the heels might not be a good thing to wear. So, I wanted to try Brooks, actually tried Hoka. And they did [give me] some relief.”

However, nothing really helped. Still, she was planning a wedding, so she waited.

“So, finally, I came back in February 2025,” Waters said. “Couldn’t take it anymore. Got to the point where the toe was leaning into the side. I mean, I actually had no movement.”

After they exhausted all other options, it was time for Waters to have surgery.

“It’s very simple,” Dr. Jeng said. “It’s a 20-minute surgery where you literally take a hammer and chisel, and you take off the bone spur and clean up the joint.”

Although the surgery wasn't fun, Waters said it was worth it.

“The pain from the surgery was not as intense as the pain that I was dealing with prior to the surgery,” Waters said. “With the pain prior to the surgery... I couldn’t sleep at night. Honestly, it was really waking me up.”

Dr. Jeng noted that he sees more foot arthritis in women than men, and there may be several reasons why.

“First of all, because they live longer. But secondly, some of the shoes that they wear may be less friendly to the joints of the foot than men’s shoes,” Dr. Jeng said. “Finally, after menopause, hormonal changes may make some differences in the bone joints.”

View Mercy foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon Dr. Clifford Jeng’s interview about women and foot arthritis.