I finally got to see a podiatrist yesterday, who, after examining me, told me there's a lot more going on with my feet and legs than I, or my dr realised. The tendons in my feet are too tight and have caused a couple of my toes to bend in half which makes it difficult to find shoes that don't rub on them. He had trouble finding a pulse in my left leg which has suffered nerve damage due to my long standing back problems. The Podiatrist is now referring me to hospital for more physio aimed at trying to strengthen my lower legs and feet.
I did talk to a lady on here who had similar feet problems and advised me to see a podiatrist, just would like to take the opportunity to say thank you. I would appreciate talking to anyone going through similar problems.
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Margaret54
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Oh boy: you could be describing my legs, feet & tendon tightening etc...sorry, but brain fog means I can't recall if we've discussed this on here already....anyway, am so glad you've got a really good podiatrist who really cares & is referring you for specialist physiotherapy! Your podiatrist is THE best person to brief your physio. Much better than trying to explain yourself! And a well briefed physio will know how to help you.
Depending on your age, general physical condition & how far your tightening has progressed, this rehab will take more or less time & effort. My version of this was quite far progressed by the time it was finally spotted when I was in my late 50s & had finally been re-diagnosed with systemic lupus and was several years into taking systemic oral meds for the lupus....which had turned out to be infant onset & the main cause of my tendon tightening....this tightening had caused vvv painful Mortons neuromas & bursitis in both of my forefeet, which were made worse by my high arches and collapsed forefeet + my poor circulation & autoimmune inflammation (simultaneous raynauds & erythromelalgia + osteoporosis weakending my bones)....I had become very lame....but at least I had excellent bespoke full foot orthotics (including arch support & metatarsal domes etc) that meant I could walk a bit....and taking the anti inflammation lupus meds did help make my tightened tendons more able to respond positively to their rehabilitation.
My rehab consisted of intensive gastrocnemius stretching daily over a very long period. I had to be shown exactly how to position my body in order to get maximum effects in my forefeet....at first it was vvvv hard to do and hurt like anything from top of legs to tip of toes, but I could tell this rehab was really really helping: in the v first week I could actually feel my poor toes thanking me: literally..it was as if they had been in bondage & were responding to freedom approaching.
My regime involved 20 min of gastrocnemius stretching in the morning & again 20 min in the evening. I was instructed to stretch each leg/foot for 1 full min, alternating limbs over those 20 min of each session. My ortho surgeon prescribed this (he is a prof, internationally famous & highly respected). He thought I'd only need 8 weeks of this daily regime. I got my podiatrist, my GP & my rheumatologist to supervise this regime. We gradually discovered that my tightening was so bad I'd need to continue the 20 min 2x per day much longer....I actually continued this for 60 weeks before we felt I could reduce to some days only 20 min once a day....and after several weeks I gradually reduced the time per day a bit more...but I always stuck to sessions bring at least 20 min.
now, 2+ years on! I'm only doing the 20 min maybe 3 x a week...and that's good because, done properly, this stretching puts a lot of pressure on my hands, which were in bad shape already too and had begun to suffer extra aches & pains due to this stretching. My Drs etc have also been monitoring how my hands cope with all this rehab.
now I can walk much much better and am in much much less pain...but we realise that my tendons are always ready to tighten up again given the opportunity...which means I need to keep taking my lupus meds & continuing this gastrocnemius stretching indefinitely. There is a surgical alternative, but this isn't a great option for someone with lupus etc
sorry for going on & on like this, but you can see the subject is close to my heart
So, I hope you'll let us know what sort of rehab your podiatrist & physio decide is best for you....and also tell us how you get on....am wishing you all the very best
That is brilliant what you have done and continue to do Barnclown, you are certainly an inspiration for us all that you can improve, well done. I have always had high arches which resulted in bent toes as I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis so I didn't know anything else but I did grow out of this and just ended up with both hips replaced at 25 so I've not done too bad and now await a revision op as they have only just worn out and never really been in much pain but I have always done what you have done to keep stretching etc to stop this getting worse but if it ever does, I know what I need to do and Margaret54, my legs seem to have got tighter in the last few years but the doctors never do anything and that seems to be with my lower back as I know this is taking a lot of strain from my hips and my right ankle gives way sometimes too because this is weak. I will now try and pursue the physio therapy on my lower legs when ever I can and I suppose swimming and walking too will be good to keep the bones/muscles strong so thank you to you both, that is really helpful and I don't feel so alone and realise it is not just me that has those problems.
The stretching rehab I did WAS REALLY SCARY cause it was VVVVV RIGOROUS: much tougher than any gastrocnemius stretching I'd been doing in my usual daily stretching exercises over the years. The prof ortho surgeon who prescribed this regime warned me it's not for the weak or faint hearted...he was right...and at first I was v anxious cause due to a childhood fall on my head I have severe spondylosis which has meant a lifetime of chronic pain & Pain Clinic treatments inc facet joint denervations...lots of wearing cervical collars etc. but by the time the prof prescribed this stretching rehab for my legs & feet, the denervations had dulled my spine pain & the lupus meds had reduced my other aches & pains....so to my amazement I managed all that stretching with NO PROBS except in my poor hands...I have to laugh at that!
In August I'm seeing a v experienced physio at the leading teaching hosp where I'm being treated by rheumatology for the lupus etc...hopefully we'll design a maintenance rehab plan for my legs/feet that helps protect my hands...time will tell
Hope you'll let me know how you get on...the prof warned me that decades ago this type of gastrocnemius stretching had been way over-widely prescribed including to patients who couldn't benefit from it.....which resulted in Drs & physios becoming disillusioned with this treatment's effectiveness. But, he explained, in the right cases this rehab regime IS appropriate & works....well. I'm living proof he is right...it'll be interesting to learn what your medical team say....
Thanks for your comments Barnclown and Cath88 you both seem much worse off than me. At lease I now know that physio can help. I have a degenerative spinal disorder and have had slipped discs, which has left me with some nerve damage in my left leg.
I also have pain n some swelling in my wrists, ankles, and knees. A few months ago I as undergoing physio on my back as i was in horrendous pain, unable to bend my back as the muscles had locked and hardly able to walk. The physio I saw over my back spotted issues with my fee right away, my feet were flat and were pointing outwards instead of forwards. He asked had I been experiencing any knee pain.
A couple of years before that I was experiencing a lot of knee and hip pain and was referred to a consultant. He said he could only deal with 1 issue at a time, as my hip was badly swollen, hot and causing the most pain, he only dealt with my hip. I had the most painful injection in my life into my hip which seemed to aggravate my condition, but eventually t did settle down and I was ok. They did find out when they did a scan that I have tendonopathy in both the front and back of my legs.
As the consultant didn't seem to think my knees needed treatment I just got on with life never thinking for a minute that the reason my knees were hurting was because my feet had moved. It looks like my knees have moved too. I never realised that parts of your body can move on their own, bizarre.
You don't need to strengthen your lower legs you need to change your posture. This is the province of an Alexander Teacher. An Alexander Teacher will show you how the head and neck has a very large influence on your lower back and leg muscles.
You need to weaken some of your muscles to so that toes can release into a more balanced position.
To stand in a balanced position requires very little muscular effort. It does require a little mental effort to stop yourself from over tightening various muscle groups.
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