I have had swelling on the top of my left foot a few times, recently it happened on both feet at the same time. The area is red and sore, the ankle joint is stiff and hard to move, but not painful. The only description that I have found to be similar is of a ganglion cyst, however, my issue is over a larger area and is not as prominent as ganglion cysts appear to be.
I was diagnosed with RA 3 years ago, my Rheumatologist says this issue is not related to my RA; she suggested it could be a bacterial infection but it goes away on it's own within 4 days, and my GP sent me to my Rheumatologist because of it. I have an appointment with a podiatrist next month to see if they can give me any insight into this issue and what to do about it.
I have attached a picture to help explain the issue, the camera takes away some of the redness, but hopefully it helps.