Wellness

[Moonchilde]

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@SKJCPA wrote:

Thanks so much for all the comments; I appreciate it.  One last question...I'm trying to re-read my notes I scribbled during my appointment and I thought the podiatrist said I could be getting back to normal in a few weeks?  Not sure if I wrote that down correctly but does that sound right?  I want to give it enough time before I go back to the podiatrist but also don't want to wait too long if the orthotics aren't working correctly.  Just wondered what time frame others might have experienced. 

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@SKJCPA, that’s going to depend on several things: How bad the problem is, whether you have more than one thing going on, how much you rest and don’t walk, how well your body responds to all medication and treatment, etc.

I started to improve, and then still went barefoot in the house. Walking barefoot on a cement or wood floor even for 10 minutes can put you back at square one. Never, ever go barefoot on hard floors. It can undo any good the treatment does.

Don’t try to do too much, too soon. I would improve, push things, and then go back to the beginning, over and over, until I learned the hard way that you need to baby it.

It took months before I walked without pain, and times I reinjured my foot, months over again. It was about a year or a little more before I could be confident I was pain-free as long as I wore the proper shoes or orthotics.

Of course, everyone is different and you might not be that bad.

[cherry]

When my daughter needed orthotics all they had were custom made ones.

This is the truth, She got a set when she was around 14. Her foot stopped growing about that time. We have small feet

She is now nearly 50 and she can still wear them. They held up like iron ,and her bunions never got to the point she needed surgery, so far

That is pretty good in my opinion

[Group 5 minus 1]

I have known a few people that needed orthotics and the problem never resolves itself.

[willdob3]

@SKJCPA

I had custom orthotics made when I had bad PF and they did not help at all; nothing helped until I had surgery. I wasted a whole year trying everything else first.

I also had a custom orthotic once for a different foot issue and they actually made my foot worse. It was t until I went to a different doctor and was told to stop wearing the orthotic that my foot got better.

So, in my experience, custom orthotics have not only not been worth the cost, they made things worse. But others have had better experiences.

I’d try non-custom ones instead. There are some good ones out there.

[Moonchilde]

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@ncascade wrote:

I have known a few people that needed orthotics and the problem never resolves itself.

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Orthotics don’t “cure” structural foot issues in the sense that the issues disappear. They treat the symptoms so people can walk pain-free or with less pain. If you stop using the orthotic the pain (and the issue) usually returns.

It’s like diabetes - treatment can keep it under good control, but treatment doesn’t “cure” it.

[fortune]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@SKJCPA wrote:

Thanks so much for all the comments; I appreciate it.  One last question...I'm trying to re-read my notes I scribbled during my appointment and I thought the podiatrist said I could be getting back to normal in a few weeks?  Not sure if I wrote that down correctly but does that sound right?  I want to give it enough time before I go back to the podiatrist but also don't want to wait too long if the orthotics aren't working correctly.  Just wondered what time frame others might have experienced. 

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@SKJCPA, that’s going to depend on several things: How bad the problem is, whether you have more than one thing going on, how much you rest and don’t walk, how well your body responds to all medication and treatment, etc.

I started to improve, and then still went barefoot in the house. Walking barefoot on a cement or wood floor even for 10 minutes can put you back at square one. Never, ever go barefoot on hard floors. It can undo any good the treatment does.

Don’t try to do too much, too soon. I would improve, push things, and then go back to the beginning, over and over, until I learned the hard way that you need to baby it.

It took months before I walked without pain, and times I reinjured my foot, months over again. It was about a year or a little more before I could be confident I was pain-free as long as I wore the proper shoes or orthotics.

Of course, everyone is different and you might not be that bad.

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@Moonchilde

May I add that if you have plantar fascitis, don't walk barefoot at all!  I have slippers with a built-in arch support and custom orthotics for my everyday shoes.

[Moonchilde]

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@fortune wrote:

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@SKJCPA wrote:

Thanks so much for all the comments; I appreciate it.  One last question...I'm trying to re-read my notes I scribbled during my appointment and I thought the podiatrist said I could be getting back to normal in a few weeks?  Not sure if I wrote that down correctly but does that sound right?  I want to give it enough time before I go back to the podiatrist but also don't want to wait too long if the orthotics aren't working correctly.  Just wondered what time frame others might have experienced. 

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@SKJCPA, that’s going to depend on several things: How bad the problem is, whether you have more than one thing going on, how much you rest and don’t walk, how well your body responds to all medication and treatment, etc.

I started to improve, and then still went barefoot in the house. Walking barefoot on a cement or wood floor even for 10 minutes can put you back at square one. Never, ever go barefoot on hard floors. It can undo any good the treatment does.

Don’t try to do too much, too soon. I would improve, push things, and then go back to the beginning, over and over, until I learned the hard way that you need to baby it.

It took months before I walked without pain, and times I reinjured my foot, months over again. It was about a year or a little more before I could be confident I was pain-free as long as I wore the proper shoes or orthotics.

Of course, everyone is different and you might not be that bad.

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@Moonchilde

May I add that if you have plantar fascitis, don't walk barefoot at all!  I have slippers with a built-in arch support and custom orthotics for my everyday shoes.

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I personally don’t ever go barefoot except a few steps, here and there, rarely. But my PF is chronic and permanent and I have severe pronation besides.  Others may not have as severe or long-lasting a case.  So what you and I need to do, literally everyone might not.  

But I personally can get the pain again very easily if I slack off. 90% of the time I use orthotic slippers even in the wee hours to go potty.

[hckynut]

@SKJCPA

I had custom orthotics made by 2 running Podiatrists back in the early 1980's. Still wearing the same ones and considering I have ran well over the 100,000 mile mark/have no foot/knee/hip or spine issues, I would say they were well worth the investment for me.

Couldn't be feet that are any flatter than mine/right foot is 1 full size bigger than the left, and I have a slight pronation on both feet, more so on the left foot. For me having Podiatrists that both were runners, and knew I had open back surgery, they worked together for some time to get them exactly right for me.

Happy/healthy and injury free from my feet to my hips, and no real issues with my twice operated on lumbar area of my back. My L-3/L5/S-1 discs were ruptured and removed which speaks very loudly of how well these 2 Podiatrists did to keep me running and skating. Forever greatfull to both of them, who are now retired, and still running.

What is good for 1 is not always good for all!

hckynut

[akaburtonfan]

I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis quite a few years ago. My podiatrist fitted me for custom orthotics. As soon as I started wearing them the pain was relieved. When we switched our insurance company I got a second pair made. I wouldn't be without them. 

[ROMARY]

Since I'm here, any comments re: young toddlers not wearing shoes?  I've been noticing that some parents believe that kids shouldn't be wearing shoes; that their feet are better off without shoes.   I'm thinking that growing feet and bones need support early in life so they won't develop 'flat feet'.  But, I'm old-fashioned, now-a-days.