(post from the Ortho visit here)
Ok, first off, the one thing that NO ONE tells you when you’re handed orthotics. You cannot just slap them into your shoes and go on with life. Most of the time you have to convince your body to adapt to them. Wear them for an hour or two a day, slowly expanding the time you wear them. Doing otherwise will result in painful feet!
Monday and Tuesday this week were my first days wearing the orthotics all day at work. I might have pushed it a bit fast, my feet aren’t quite thrilled. But I’ve decided it’s worth it.
The last several months I’d get out of the car after the drive home from work, and hobble into the house because my ankles had stiffened up SO MUCH on the drive home that they’d refuse to work. And although the magnesium supplement and ankle supporting shoes helped with some of that pain-stiffness, enough to notice, they didn’t stop it completely by any stretch. Even on the best days I was hobbling into the house cause my ankles were just that stiff.
Monday I got out of the car…..and I could walk! I was stiff enough to notice, but my ankles worked, I could walk instead of hobble! And although it’s a harder measure, I’m reasonably certain that I was less stiff the next morning too.
I went to work Tuesday crossing my fingers that it wasn’t a fluke, and at the same time reminding myself that it could just be a once off and to not get my hopes up…..
Tuesday evening I got out of the car at home, and the same thing happened. I was a little stiff, a little painful, but my ankles functioned, I could walk! And again, this morning, I hurt, but not as much as I have been.
Also, while I’m wearing the orthotics I’ve had zero stabbing pains in the arches of my feet or in my ankles. When I’m barefoot (around the house), or if I take the orthotics out of my shoes, I get the stabbing pains again.
It gives me SO MUCH hope, that this time we’ve found the problem, and that this is working to fix it!