Well, my years and years of walking barefoot, or formerly in Birkenstocks or now in Chacos, are about to end. I've got plantar fibromatosis, a fancy-Greek sounding name for a tear in the plantar fascia of my left foot. What that means is I have a marble-sized lump in the middle of my arch, the scar tissue from the tear. The podiatrist can't figure out why I don't also have the plantar fibromatosis in my right foot (I do have plantar fascia there) because I pronate so much when I walk. [He has a treadmill that goes in both directions so he can watch someone walk from behind and face-ward and my legs and feet are marked up with his annotations (15º on both sides)!]
Though diagnosed in April, it wasn't until this morning that the podiatrist told me for sure what I have been avoiding: I have to wear shoes all the time. I have always delighted in not wearing shoes when I can or, when that is not feasible, wearing sandals. The thought of having to wear shoes all the time makes me feel trapped, almost claustrophobic. I always thought that my high arches would spare me trouble but obviously not.
However, with custom-made orthotics (the doctor made plaster casts of my feet this morning — they looked like slippers!), and proper shoes, I can avoid surgery (to remove the lump or disconnect the plantar fascia from the heel). So I will behave.... After all, we are now looking into walking the Camino del Norte!
The doctor is a sport-medicine doctor who had to give up running because he blew out his knees, wears orthotics all the time so is sympathetic to dealing with people who want to stay active.
Most of the time my left foot doesn't bother me but after having him poke at it this morning, it is sore.
Nothing serious... just a nuisance. I'll get over it.
9 comments:
Ouch! Condolences! I had bone spurs on both feet my senior year at college. Worked in the kitchen. Was in several performing choirs. Tears on several occasions in performance. Gained 10 pounds. Doc said I could have them removed and be off my feet for months. Or put up with them for a year to 18 months. Eventually they suddenly disappeared.
Praying your problems don't slow you down. At least much.
Thanks. I am still a bit bummed but will get over it. It is good to know that the bump may disappear.
Owie! I understand your desire to keep moving, though. I once continued tap dance classes despite a broken toe. Just taped 'em all together, stuffed 'em in the shoe and kept dancing. (I was a lot younger then!) It's hard being told we have to limit ourselves in the physical activity we enjoy when our bodies rebel.
Prayers that it will resolve sooner, rather than later. And here's hoping you might find some proper shoes that don't make you feel too confined. :)
thanks for blogging about this!
my foot has been hurting for over a month, and my pod hasn't really said much....
it started hurting today when i wasn't even moving, so i had to find someone with a blog.
it's good to know there are alternatives to surgery.
so, you just have to wear orthotics and it will go away?
hey, blogger erased my comments, but i wanted to thank you for writing about this.
my pod said the MRI people said that i might have the onset of PF. booooo. i decided to search the web when, today, my arch just started to hurt when i was only sitting.
it's good to hear that there's an option besides surgery! the pod i go to is a foot and ankle surgery specialist, so i was a bit afraid he might go down that path.
how are the orthotics working out for you?
I have been using the orthotics since August and they seem to be OK but when I went in for a check-up in October, and said that I was getting foot cramps in my left foot, he said I also had posterior tendonitis: the tendon that wraps around your ankle and goes down to the arch has gotten overstretched. The main thing is that I have to lose 20 pounds. (That's easy to say.) My podiatrist says that will make a huge difference. Sigh. The lump in my foot is still there; he said that it won't really go away. But I don't have the pain in my heel the way I did two years ago when I was walking. I am convinced that the 8th or 9th day of walking in France, I must have torn everything because I was in such pain by the end of the day. Anyway, even though insurance doesn't pay for the orthotics, they have made a difference. I have the hard plastic ones and can fit them into my dress shoes, which means that my feet aren't as tired by the end of the day. Hope things work out for you. Glad you found this. (If you want to find out why I have ruined my feet, go to inspiration pilgrimage.blogspot.com. I have finished walking 1560 kms on the Camino de Santiago/Chemin de Saint Jacques in Spain and France.)
One more note for Cath:
This is what I wrote in my journal in October when I got the second diagnosis:
In addition to the plantars fibromatosis, I also have posterior tibial tendonosis (such fancy names) in my left foot. That’s the tendon that wraps around the inside of your ankle bone and keeps your arch from collapsing. Mine has become too stretched as a result of the plantars business. Actually the arch cramps I get now, according to el medico, are signs of healing from using the orthotics. He doesn’t want to do anything about the lump in my arch — he doesn’t like doing injections and surgery will only further weaken the already weakened plantar tendon (the one that goes along the bottom of the foot). So there’s no follow-up unless something drastic happens.
Hope that gives you some idea... surgery is a last-resort option for my doctor.
that was a quick response =) unfortunately, my wireless died more quickly than i could reply.
thanks again for more info. Surgery is YUCK. I've never even had it, but I also really want to get back on my feet and running again. I think my PF limit was also after doing some window shopping around SF AFTER doing a half marathon for the first time. And I would lost 20 lb but it's hard when the foot's in a boot/cast!
The arch support you mentioned seems to work wonders! I found your post because my foot was screaming one night, so I kicked off the immobilizing boot and stuffed the arch of my shoe with thos foamy ear plugs and it helps a lot! I even tried walking 2 miles the other day. It's not SO bad, not great, but much better than the boot. I swaer, my pod is a quack. Well, I have an appointment with a different one in less than a week, so hopefully things will be better enlightening. I'll try and keep you posted if there is any news from my side too =)
Happy holidays!
Hey, I wanted to give you and update and boy, there sure is a lot more info now than back whe I first found you! I'm about to start my own blog, too =p
the superfeet supports worked well, and so well that my second podiatrist said I could work out and just to let the pain guide me.
Well, I was happy, but then it turns out that the broken sesamoid bones from the MRI in november should have been treated instead of letting me get back.
I may need surgery for the sesamoids. I don't know if this is all related or not, but decided I'm going to get my facts together and write about it.
Anyway, just thought I'd let you know. cheers happy 2008
Post a Comment