Thursday, July 3, 2014

Make a grown man cry

We often neglect our feet.  Women purchase shoes that perk up their butts, men buy shoes that "insulate" from the elements (but weight 10 pounds), we buy cheapies with no arch support boldly stating "I don't need no stinking fashion".  Then the foot pain starts, the ankle roll occurs, the knee swelling begins or the visit to immediate care for a back pain flare up.  To show how important feet are in daily living, a guy came to see me for 10/10 pain, in ability to walk, back pain and loss of work.  I investigated all his complaints then checked his feet.  There was a tiny bump that looked sparkly.  I proceeded to inquire where all his problems began....it started with a BBQ party.  I took the smallest forceps I had to explore this shiny object.  Bingo!!! this little sliver of glass came out!   I had him walk and the foot pain left, had him stand upright and the back pain was gone, within 5 minutes, his face changed.  Done!
Many of the podiatrists I know create orthotics to change the arch of the foot.  They are made to place in all your shoes and unfortunately some feet will wonder why did these comfy shoes change?   What people don't realize is if the foundation is moved, the structure will also shift.  There is a Q-angle that serves as an imaginary line from the front of the ankle to the point on the knee up to the front of the hip.  If this angle is straight, the mechanical movement of the lower body is fluid and fast.  When the angle is off (flat feet, bow legged, knock kneed, birthing hips) some friction points can develop.  The areas of irritation are angles we have carried since childhood but the weight......oh yes, the weight we carry is not from childhood.  It's from the pregnancies, the injury, the new job driving an 18 wheeler, the lack of sex, the alcohol, the persistent athletic appetite in the face of being a couch potato.   This is when childhood angles get stressed, under stretched, over used and pushed to 10 hours of day.  Time for disability, psychiatric evaluation, chronic pain clinic, diabetes/sugar monitoring, cholesterol medicine, blood pressure low salt and a scheduled orthopedic surgery.   All this because we never bothered to care for our feet.  Even in western medicine, orthopedic foot surgeons don't have time to make orthotics, they are too busy cutting, breaking and resetting.


 The ancient practice of reflexology isn't well accepted in doctor offices due to this split of not being endorsed/supported/studied by big pharma.   If there are not studies, it can't be valid.....what most of my colleagues say.  If only they would experience the rush of serotonin after I place acupuncture in the ear or sing my crystal bowl or nebulize sandalwood/lavender essential oil.
All this stuff does make a difference.  Vanity plays in as well.  Ignorance by physician community adds to it (docs are just too busy and untrained to help with weight loss/nutrition change/lifestyle modification).  The feet are a foundation to locomotion, travel and socializing, hunter gathering....when we don't honor any part of our body, that body part will deteriorate and become a burden.  Cutting it off, taking medicine, getting a handicap placard are not going to reverse the issue.  Looking for the source of dysfunction is the key.  Finding someone who will listen/brainstorm is crucial.