Feet

[cjsmith]

Back to podiatrist today. He was disappointed to hear about the extra pain I had while my foot was taped.

I explained that the pain moved outward, to my fourth toe. He showed me why:

My metatarsals have a slope to them: second one (analogous to the index finger on a hand) is very high, third is lower, and fourth is so low that he's amazed I haven't had pain in that joint for years. It just sticks way out on the bottom of my foot. Now that he's pointed that out, it's blindingly obvious to me as well. My foot is weird. (Doctor said "That's what we like here. Weird feet.")

So he recommends physical therapy to bring the inflammation down, AND orthotics (shoe inserts) to help correct the positioning of my feet.
I got plaster casts taken today. That process feels gooky and weird. Custom orthotics will be made from those and will arrive in three weeks.

The empty casts resemble ballet shoes. When set upon a counter, mine roll inward noticeably. A blue line drawn on the back of my heel before casting showed up on the inside of the cast afterward; it should remain vertical, but it was maybe fifteen or twenty degrees off. Badness. If the cast is rolled back to put the blue line in a vertical position, all of my toes but the fifth float in midair. I bet these will be some hellacious orthotics. I wonder if they and my feet will both fit in my shoes!

The doctor also drew a smiley face on the base of my right heel, which transferred faithfully to the inside of one cast. Cute. He says the first time he did that the lab called him back in a panic, wondering what the arcane marking was and what to do with it. He says my "temporary tattoo" should wear off in a few days.

Wonder if I'm too lazy and cheap to go to physical therapy. That's a strong possibility.

Comments

Orthotics

[lesliepear.livejournal.com]

I had orthotics because of my high arches. I had to step in foam stuff which was closed up in a box and sent on its way. Mine were a lot like leather insoles you see in shoes. But I did have trouble finding shoes they fit in as I have wide feet.

Physical therapy can't hurt.

Re: Orthotics

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I expected the foam method too -- maybe there is little difference in the end product?

Physical therapy often hurts a great deal :-) although I suspect that isn't what you meant! I am such a lazy-*ss.

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

i like that he drew a smiley face. i like docs with a bit of a sense of humor about what they do (though not too much, mind you). good luck with the pt and orthotics. and may the pain Go Away!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I like that too! He doesn't take himself too seriously, which is cool.

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Doctor said "That's what we like here. Weird feet."
The doctor also drew a smiley face on the base of my right heel

I like your doctor! A doctor with a sense of humor -- a gentle sense of humor, like this -- is a good doctor, because he cares.

Wonder if I'm too lazy and cheap to go to physical therapy.

Go, if you've been told to. If the pain seems greater than the benefit, try a different therapist. I've gotten such a huge benefit out of my intermittent periods of PT that I've become a big booster of it. If your therapist knows what s/he is doing, and treats you as a whole person instead of the metatarsals in cubicle 4, you'll be extremely glad you went.

I've been to PT for a variety of problems, mostly involving my arthritis, but I made sure the PT understood fibromyalgia because I'd heard horror stories of people with FMS being pushed too hard to do too much too soon. Not only did A understand fibromyalgia, she treated it along with the condition I'd been sent for.

When I had an episode of pain in my leg and foot -- pain more severe than I'd ever had in all the years of having chronic pain -- three (count 'em, three) physicians (PCP, orthopedist, rheumatologist) all ignored my protestations that it was nerve pain, not muscle or joint pain and insisted it was "just your arthritis." Finally, with the last one, I said, "Okay, fine. Whatever. May I have a referral to PT?"

When I went for the evaluation visit, within the first five minutes A said, "I think you have a disk problem in your lower spine." Half an hour later she had diagnosed a herniated disk at L5-S1 (http://www.spine-health.com/topics/anat/a04.html). She treated me with traction over the next eight weeks, taught me how to avoid postures that would exacerbate the problem, gave me some exercises to strengthen my spine, and I haven't had a recurrence since. As soon as I get a twinge I adjust the way I stand and sit (until I get sloppy again, because I'm lazy too) and it goes away.

Go. Do it. You'll be glad you did.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

He does seem like a good doc. I like him.

Unfortunately, my only experience with PT has been very different from yours -- I went for a long time, spent a lot of money (& time), and got basically no improvement at all. Bleah. That makes it awfully tempting to ignore this one... :-/

[usqueba.livejournal.com]

So he recommends physical therapy to bring the inflammation down, AND orthotics (shoe inserts) to help correct the positioning of my feet.

Bionic feet :)