Are My Feet Shrinking - Osteoporosis Center - Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Osteoporosis Are My Feet Shrinking By Dr. Rodanthi KitridouReviewed: March 26, 2007Fact-CheckedCould osteoporosis cause feet to shrink? Is this a typical symptom? I used to wear a size 9 1/2 and I now wear a size 7. — Erin, Illinois You have me stumped. I would need much more information to develop a differential diagnosis. A number of questions come to my mind:Is there any pain?Is/was there any swelling?Over what time did it happen?Have you lost a lot of weight?Is there any deformity?Do you have feeling in your feet?Was there any injury?Was there any infection in the feet?Have you had any ulcers?Do you have diabetes?Is there a history of sexually transmitted diseases, specifically syphilis?Do you feel pain in general?Do you have armadillos? (They can transmit bacteria that leads to leprosy and neuropathic joints.)Is the skin of your hands, face, and feet tight and leathery?Are the nails of the hands and feet curving over the flesh of the fingers and toes?Have your hands and feet been turning blue and/or white in the cold?Do you have trouble swallowing or breathing?Do you have scleroderma (a rare, progressive disease that leads to the hardening and tightening of skin and connective tissues)? Feet do not shrink from osteoporosis. A situation where feet can become shortened is with neuropathic joints (Charcot joints), where there is damage to the nerves and the bones crumble. This most common reason for this in the United States is diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes), where there is a metabolic problem in handling sugars (carbohydrates). Diabetic neuropathy affects the nerves of diabetic patients and can cause neuropathic joint disease. This happens mostly in the feet of diabetic patients and is a pretty serious problem that may have little pain associated with it. A rare condition that is present from birth is congenital insensitivity to pain. Patients feel no pain, may get injuries of their extremities, and can develop neuropathic joints. Another condition, inherited multicentric osteolysis with carpal-tarsal localization, can imitate juvenile idiopathic arthritis. This is hereditary and is usually evident early in life. A sexually transmitted disease that is curable today, syphilis, if untreated or poorly treated, can cause damage to the spinal cord with neuropathic joints. Leprosy, an infectious disease, is seen primarily in India, Brazil, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Nigeria. It sometimes happens to armadillo handlers, as they handle the bacteria which cause it. Leprosy causes neuropathy and can also cause short feet due to neuropathic joints. However, it can be treated with special antibiotics. A systemic rheumatic illness that affects the skin with tightness and the blood vessels is scleroderma. Scleroderma can be very insidious and can cause abnormal reactions to cold exposure with bluing and whiteness of the hands and toes. Sometimes the distal bones of the fingers and toes (phalanges) can be shortened, with curving of the nail over the shortened fingers and toes. This process could not cause that degree of shortening from size 9 ½ to 7. I recommend seeing an excellent physician to do a full history and physical for you, including important lab tests. Just a suggestion: Try a rheumatologist, and best of luck. NEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Chronic Pain Newsletter SubscribeBy subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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