Y’all! This is so crazy. I’m embarrassed by what I’m about to write but very thankful. I’ll start from the beginning and try to make headings so you don’t have to read it all unless you just want to.
History:
For probably 6 years, I’ve been having feet issues. I saw a podiatrist in Abilene and one in Brownwood so it’s been well over three years since I saw either of them. Towards the end of last year, I saw a podiatrist twice here. It started with pain when after I would sit for a while (in the car, knitting, stitching) and when I would get up, I’d have to stand for a few minutes and get my feet, always the left foot was worse, adjusted to weight bearing. Then I would hobble for a few minutes, then I could walk. After I walked a few minutes, I was almost pain free til I stopped walking and sat again and then it started all over.
Plantar Fasciitis:
I have had several bouts with plantar fasciitis. Right now, that isn’t the problem. I went to a reflexologist and while I think he may have “cured” the plantar fasciitis, I think some of the things he did may have made the other foot pain worse. I’m not blaming him . . none of us realized it was a tendon issue causing a lot of my foot pain and nothing I told him made him think it was anything other than plantar fasciitis. Heck, I was seeing a podiatrist at the time and he was only treating the plantar fasciitis.
A Naturopath:
About six months ago, Vince began having monthly video conferences with a naturopath and he liked her a lot and she helped him with an issue he was having so I wanted to see her. I love her so much! She went through all my blood work results, recommended several supplements that have made a world of difference. The thing that has helped me the most is that she set me up with a food diary app and she monitors it. She’s given me a range for protein, fats, fiber, etc. and I can plan our meals around meeting those numbers. She monitors it and when we have our monthly meetings, she gives me recommendations as needed. Now, we’re eating some type of dry beans (cooked, of course) with every meal and along with eating cream of barley for breakfast at least four mornings per week, we’re meeting our fiber goals. I’ve had to totally change the way I use fats (butter, bacon grease, even olive oil) in my cooking. I’ve failed at cutting back on cheese. She suggests 1.5 oz or less of cheese per week. I’d have a hard time eating less than 1.5 oz. per day! I love raw pepper jack cheese and have cut back to ordering one 5 pound block per month from Azure. I have been successful at giving up Dr. Pepper. I now only drink them when we go out to eat, which happens less than once a week. I also have to give up my homemade buttermilk, which I loved but there was no way I could stay within my fat range and have that. We are eating better balanced meals and I have lost a decent amount of weight . . with a decent amount still left to lose.
Friday’s Visit With the Naturopath:
We have a one hour video conference once a month and, for me, that was this past Friday. She has a range of topics to discuss with me because not only does she see the food diary but she sees the results from my smart watch. She’s accepted that 4 – 5 hours of sleep per night is normal for me. She’s happy that I go up and down the stairs 15+ times per day almost every day. She’s happy that I’m getting 10,000 (or very close) steps in most days. She wants me to do some for of aerobic exercise for 30 minutes . . maybe every day. I have not been able to do that because of my feet. In fact, we had been walking 3 miles with Oscar in the park and we stopped that, mostly because of the heat but also because of foot pain.
So, the lack of aerobic exercise got us talking about my feet.
She was still thinking it was due to the plantar fasciitis but I told her I thought this was different and explained to her where the pain was. After discussing it, she felt like it was extensor tendonitis. The more we talked about it, the more I felt like that was what I had.
She had me taking a supplement that helps with inflammation but my feet weren’t getting any better so she suggested several things, including the ice packs several times a day, stay off my feet as much as I could, use an Ace bandage, the OTC pain cream and OTC anti-inflammatory meds for three days. That was Friday. I did all that Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
She suggested that if none of that helped, I should see a podiatrist.
Foot Improvement:
Yesterday and today I still did the ice pack, the pain cream but not the Ace bandage and not the OTC anti-inflammatory meds.
Saturday I was sitting and stitching and my knee began aching. Sitting here doing nothing involving my feet or my knee, why would my knee start aching? I realized that the moment I sit down in either the recliner or on the sofa with my feet on an ottoman, I cross my feet. Almost always, I put the right foot over the left foot, with the right foot resting just where the foot connects to the leg! The right foot was kinda stretching the left foot forward. I thought . . that is what is causing my problem! The left foot is by far the most painful. The right foot isn’t pain free but it’s not often I cross the right foot over the left foot. I never noticed I was doing this and certainly had no idea it could be causing the issue. I realized that even when I sit at the table to eat, I cross my feet and am putting pressure on that left foot.
It is second nature. Four times while writing this post, I’ve realized my feet were crossed.
There’s such an improvement after just almost three days. If I flex my foot (pointing my toes) either direction – away from me or towards me, I still feel a bit of pain but just a bit. I can walk. I can go up and down the stairs . . all without pain. I have had zero knee pain since I realized the foot crossing might be causing the problem . . unless I do it again and don’t notice for a few minutes that I’m doing it.
I am being very careful not to cross my feet. It’s a habit I have to break. I’m almost 100% sure this is what was causing the problem.
I’ve started rolling up a towel and placing it over my ankles so that I notice when I’m crossing my feet. There’s a little dog here that wants to play tug of war with my towel so I wouldn’t say that’s the greatest plan but I’ll figure something out.
For now, I’m hoping this was what was causing the problem and I’m on the road to having zero foot pain.
Donnalyn says
Judy, you may have just solved my problem! I have been to doctors, had x-rays and scans and have not gotten any good answers. I got new orthotics and no relief. I do cross my feet all the time and always have. I have never thought anything of it. So now I shall have to try not doing so, and see if it makes a difference. I would love to have feet that don’t hurt all the time, wish me luck trying to stop the habit of a lifetime!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I did all the same things. My poor feet have been x-rayed a dozen times over the past 8 or 10 years and I could never figure out why any of the three podiatrists or the chiropractors had not been able to figure out what was wrong. I’m so hoping this is really going to solve the problem. I knew after 24 hours that my feet were better. I haven’t taken any Ibuprofen since Sunday morning and am still not having pain.
I do wish you luck and hope it helps. Please let me know. I also have a bad habit of putting one foot over the other one . . like putting my toes on one foot over the other foot and kind pressing down with the foot that’s on top and pressing up with the foot that’s on bottom. I have no idea why . . probably just because I cannot sit still. Fingers, toes, and mouth have to be running at all times. 🙂
I’m trying not to do anything with my feet but let them sit.
Li says
I wish you well. Same here. Cannot cross feet at the ankles. Something pulls on something else with bad results. I sit in a steno chair on rollers for most tasks. When at the computer keyboard I make sure both feet are planted on the floor. I do a toe/heel, toe/heel movement with my left foot to keep from crossing at the ankles. When I stand to cut fabric both feet are straight ahead. I don’t jut out my hip or rest weight on one side or the other. I keep weight distribution even. Same with washing dishes or boiliing water for tea. Concentrating fully has eliminated that feeling of my ankle giving out and the pain of not walking in a balanced manner. Can walk a mile or more with no discomfort or strain. Don’t cross legs sitting either.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Those are some very good tips. Thank you. I will pay more attention to how I stand . . everything I do, even if it doesn’t directly affect my feet. At my age, it’s time to kinder to my body.
Li says
Also Judy, I am mindful of not pointing my toes. Keeping the leg/foot at an angle rather than leaving foot loose with toes pointed. I also take a little liquid potassium every day. This ankle thing and the potassium seem to have relieved some leg cramps that came up over the last six months. I practice a low salt and no added sugar diet for good measure. If anyone out there has arthritis like joint pain I recommend going gluten free six weeks. My hand pain has been eliminated since going gluten free.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I have a bit of arthritis pain and I’m one of those crazy ones who, at least at this point, will deal with the little bit of okra rather than give up my homemade bread but it is nice to know that if it gets bad, that’s something I will try that might help. Thanks for that info.
montanaclarks says
I so hope this is a fix for your feet pain! It is NO fun when it hurts to walk–you and I are much alike in that neither of us sits for very long, we are on our feet a lot during the day and hurting every step is awful! I am finally after 3 years free of the pain in my sitting bone. It still hurts a bit if I bend over but just sitting does not hurt, I don’t look like a hobbling old woman when I get out of the truck after sitting. It doesn’t hurt to climb the basement stairs which I do so, so many times a day. Life is much better!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I’m glad you have some relief. I feel so bad for anyone with chronic pain. It is definitely a life changer.
Toni says
Hopefully, you’ve found the answer! I never realized that I also cross my ankles all the time until I was in the hospital last month for an unplanned surgery. They had to end up putting the IV for the anesthesia in my left foot. After I got back to my room, I was constantly setting off the IV alarm…because I kept unconsciously crossing my right foot over my left ankle and blocking the IV flow. It was really hard to not do it!! I wish you the best of luck with breaking your ingrained habit!
judy.blog@gmail.com says
It’s unbelievable how hard it is to not cross my feet. I’ve been sitting here for maybe 20 minutes and three times I’ve done it. That’s amazing that crossing your feet blocked the flow.
Joyce says
I was having neck pain a few years ago, and the doctor realized it was because I was looking down to read all the time. The muscles were strained having to support the weight of my head. He reminded me to hold the book up more instead of looking down, and that fixed it! It’s amazing the unintentional things we do to our bodies that cause pain.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Glad that was an easy fix. You’re lucky your doctor figured out the issue. I’ve seen three podiatrists and not a one of them ever suspected crossing my feet. Thanks for sharing that. You never know when someone else may be having the same problem.
Marie L says
I have calcific tendonitis in my feet that was discovered last fall when I broke a calcium deposit in my left foot last fall. Now it is a fight to keep the tendons from locking. We really don’t realize what a structural marvel our feet are until they bother us. I am so happy that you found something that helps. Good luck on your feet.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
That’s for sure and we don’t realize how much foot pain impacts our every movement. I have never heard of calcific tendonitis. There’s a lot I haven’t heard of but I’m going to do some googling on that one. What happened when you broke the calcium deposit? Did you have to have it removed?
Marie L. says
My first try said that it was lost in case 2 show up. Most people have calcific tendonitis in the shoulder. I have about egg sized calcium deposits on my heels entangled with the Achilles tendon. I just thought they were lumps. I just stepped going downstairs and there was a loud sound and an awful flash of pain. It appears my tendons were beginning to stiffen and lock my ankle and lead to the break. No one had heard of it when they first did my x-ray until they reached the podiatric surgeon. Most people can have them removed, but it turns out that I have calcium deposits all throughout my calf too. So, that makes me a poor surgical risk. Six months in walking boot and elevating and the break healed to everyone’s surprise, but my ankle locked. PT for three months improved it a lot, but it has tightened again. Back to PT. The people in PT are so good and kind to me. The hunt for why I deposit calcium continues. Some very scary things have gotten crossed off the list. More testing to come. Thank you for asking about this. I am glad to be walking even with pain. Judy, you and Jo Kramer kept me sane through the elevating period. You don’t know how many people you touch. Thank you.