Feet: an essential body part that needs to be heard

Today was my podiatry appointment. This was a new doctor my physiatrist recommended to me. I'm always a little skeptical since the last ortho doctor turned into an ass. (more here)

In general my foot woes only seem to be slightly better, despite practically non-existent running the last six weeks. I found even after a single run, the next day, walking was painful. If I was on my feet all day or had to do a lot of mowing, that too exacerbated the pain.

The podiatrist was nice and diagnosed me as the same self-diagnosis I gave myself after ruling out a stress fracture and already knowing about the arthritis: capsulitis. So the treatment is to try an over-the-counter orthotic called the powerstep for awhile. It is supposed to raise your arch, stabilize your heel, and give extra cushion. The hope is that it offsets the pressure on my second digit and metatarsal area. If this doesn't work, and the pain continues, then I may have to get custom orthotics.

I also gave in and had a cortisone shot. For some reason, I always associate cortisone shots negatively. I think it is mostly due to hearing about athletes who must workout or compete and then wind up abusing it. So cortisone and meds and such are really the last conservative options for me.

The whole thing that boggles my mind about this is how this could have come up now (nearly three months ago with no stringent training and eating okayish). I posed this question to my physiatrist, and all she said was that it was probably in the making and you didn't know it. For some reason, it's a bit saddening to know I didn't know my body or just ignored it (very typical of me) Not like body image which is distorted, but rather the knowledge of how my body was working physically. It's a reminder how we really do need to listen to our bodies more and feet are no exception.