Author Archive
1/20/12 – Car Wreck
So, I am from the South. This means that I do not have extensive experience driving in snow in and ice, which were the conditions of the road on Friday, January 20, 2018. Long story short, I lost control, drifted into the next lane and a car hit my driver’s side back door. No one was seriously injured, and only one car collided with me that day, which was lucky seeing as how I ended up perpendicular to oncoming traffic with my front bumper against the middle metal railing and stuck on the large pile of snow put there by the snow plows. The driver of the other car helped me to get to the side of the interstate, and the drive home was, thankfully, not very exciting.
The aftermath:
Whiplash. It has been 9 days since the wreck. The day after the wreck my neck was sore; followed by two more days with a sore neck. Then, on Monday I happened to already have an appointment with Dr. Larry followed by a massage from Lynda. This appointment was by far the most important in starting the healing process. Dr. Larry did not treat me that day. Instead he did an examination of my neck and back where he found some very sore places. Lynda then did an intense massage of just my shoulders and back to help get everything moving (i.e. blood flowing, muscles relaxing, which was a feat that we didn’t really fully accomplish due to the injuries to the muscles). Over the course of this past week, the pain has traveled from my neck to my low back to my hips to sciatica in my left leg behind my knee and back up again to the neck. What a mystical thing whiplash is – to me, anyway.
I also went to my acupuncturist, who immediately gave me the whiplash treatment where she tapped into a strong web of energy to funnel that energy back into my spine and neck. I know it sounds hokey, but, I think it’s really helping me heal quickly. I do believe that the body is surrounded by energy that can be channeled to help heal areas of need. I also believe that the energy can be stuck or stagnate when we have injuries or scar tissue that have been left to get hard and immobile.
Anyway, the quick responses that all of these professionals have had to my injuries is really helping me get better quickly. I have not lost much range of motion in my neck, which was starting to happen by Monday after the wreck.
My Chiropractor has been spot on in having me come in often because each time I make an appointment so close to the next, I think, “Well, I might not need that next one….” only to find that my neck or some other part of my back is completely out of whack and in need of some help by the day of the appointment.
Needless to say, I highly recommend having injuries treated promptly. I am looking forward to a speedy, full recovery!
p.s. I think my posts will likely be about the recovery process rather than my feet for a while….it’s all related, you know 🙂
1/17/12 – Meet Acupuncture, the Newest Member of the Village!
When I first went to the Chiropractor, it was after several recommendations and a 3,000 mile car ride across our great and really big country that finally led me to that office. Yesterday, I visited an acupuncturists office after many of the same recommendations. My friend Ollie enthusiastically suggested it first, but I must admit it was not until my massage therapist, Lynda, told me that it would be a great idea to get any “stuck” energy moving.
Per my last post, I have been feeling really stuck lately: My right shoulder, my right knee, my left foot – all stuck in the same place. Each still hurting despite the endless physical therapy that Melissa, my personal trainer, continues to thoughtfully direct me to do. What have I done to unstick it? So far, physical therapy, massage and chiropractics. None are working. I felt like they have taken me as far as they can. What next? How do I heal?
Acupuncture.
After Lynda’s recommendation, I hastily texted Ollie for the contact information on the acupuncturist she recommended: Jenna Beem, Health Discovery Acupuncture and Herbs. After all of the first visit paperwork, I headed back with Jenna to the treatment room. She and I talked about my history, and she was really interested in the car wreck in 2007 when I hit a bus. The whole incident was not my fault – he ran his left turn arrow, turned in front of me, and got stuck in the middle of the intersection I was approaching downhill in the Atlanta pouring rain. I did not have anti-lock brakes, and I slid right into the bus. It won; my poor small car lost. The air bags were wonderful, though! No broken bones, but a lot of bruises and a really upset right shoulder to show for it.
Jenna asked about my Raynaud’s – when did it first show up? You know what? It showed up the winter immediately following my car wreck! Eureka! Connection? She seemed to think so 🙂 I might not only heal my shoulder, I might also heal my cold-numbing fingers and toes! I cannot express eloquently enough or at all how much having regular circulation in my hands and toes again would mean to me.
Ok. So, she decided that we needed to start face down so she could work on my shoulders, back and feet. She also said that she was going to do some cupping to remove some of the “stuck blood”, which she thought might be causing a lot of the problems.
I know I had more than 40 needles in me at one point. Also, she told me to tell her if any of the needles hurt, and when I mentioned the one in my left foot was uncomfortable in a dull way, she said that was good and meant that we had found an area that really needed to be opened up. Ok – now, I’m listening. My left foot is definitely needing to be opened up. She further explained that sharp, acute pains were bad, but dull, annoying ones were fine.
After she removed the needles, she did the cupping using two small glass globes. She moved them all along my back stopping in certain places and moving again. She explained that when the area was purple after the cupping, that meant that there was a lot of “stuck blood” in that location, i.e. that’s where the scar tissue is, or it is where the energy is stuck. I was skeptical at this point b/c the cup is basically making a hickey on my back. I mean it could be that she is just going to leave it longer in the areas I say are hurting so that they appear more purple. Ok. NOT what happened at all! She moved the cups equally along my back. The low back is just pink, while the upper back is purple. My right shoulder is very purple. VERY PURPLE.
After all of this, she massaged mint oil into my back, which was therapeutic in and of itself for the rest of the day. I left with a lot more mobility in my neck and my shoulders felt more open. I felt lighter in my shoulders and neck than I usually do.
After two days, my shoulders are definitely still more mobile, but they are beginning to get tighter. This is a process, like all things involving the body. It is going to take 4-6 weeks to see consistent change. When you go to build muscle, it takes 4 weeks to actually begin making new muscle. Likewise, it will take that long for my body to realize that it can rebuild those areas and be less tight. Open up old passageways, so to speak.
I am also doing two meditations several times each day. They are going really well. I am so excited about the prospects of finally continuing to heal. Hooray! Is this the missing link? It’s an adventure, and we shall see 🙂
EDIT: According to Jenna, I had around 20 needles, not 40 🙂
12/28/11 – Am I Treating the Symptoms or the Problem? TMJ Related?
Posted by admin in Reflections on December 28th, 2011
I felt it. I knew it would happen, and it did. I am now all about the workouts! I don’t know what it is about me, but I have a very difficult time doing something until I feel like it is right. Well, folks, the time is right.
I have been to the gym more times in December than October and November combined, and I hope to continue this trend through the whole of next year.
Once again, I am rehab-ing my knee – myself this time. It was not getting better with just the strengthening of the multifidi or hip muscles. So, I have brought out the tiger tail, specific area massage with my own hands, icing and the foam roller. It is responding well, but I have to stay on top of it.
Due to the relapse in the right knee as well as the right shoulder, my thoughts this week have been largely wondering around the question of “Am I treating symptoms or the problems?” The shoulder is less of an injury than the knee, but still, why do they keep walking the line of injury? Does this mean that there is another underlying problem that I really need to look into? Am I just treating symptoms?
I am also wondering about my TMJ. Is TMJ the actual problem to almost everything else?
I have been working on relaxing my jaw at all times in combination with making sure my shoulders are pulled down and back (which has gotten easier with the strength building!). The only time I cannot for sure control the jaw clenching is during my sleep. For sleep, I was wearing a night guard, but I lost it about two months ago. I decided to try it without the guard by relaxing before sleep and reminding myself not to clench or grind when I sleep. I think some of it has been getting through as I am feeling more relaxed in my neck and shoulders, but I have a LONG way to go as more relaxed is all relative. My neck and shoulder muscles still feel like rocks, just more like sandstone rather than granite.
Over the last month, I have also been incorporating a line from a short play I saw years ago, the name of which is lost in time. The line is, “Just stop it!” In the play a psychologist tells her patient to “Just stop it!” whenever the patient brings up the crazy actions in her life. I couldn’t help but think that was so brilliant at the time, and then just last week I was talking to my massage therapist who was telling me about a man who got a massage as a gift. When he showed up, he didn’t have any knots. How is this possible? No knots, not even in his shoulders? What’s his secret? Then, the line from the play popped in my head, “Just stop having knots!” Really brain? Wait. Is it possible to just stop having knots by sheer force of will?
As a side note, my husband also has zero knots. None. Zip. Nadda. No knots. Not ever. He also has a stressful job, and works out a lot. No knots. I’ve asked him about it. Of course he has no idea. I do know that he does not ever clench his jaw. Never. How is this possible? Why do I clench and he does not?
Then, I started thinking about my TMJ. I clench and grind, and I have tight shoulder and neck muscles with tons of knots. Could this be the problem that causes my symptoms?
According to emedicine health (http://www.emedicinehealth.com/temporomandibular_joint_tmj_syndrome/page2_em.htm), TMJ can be caused by clenching of the jaw and grinding of the teeth, or bruxism (check and check). People who clench might also chew pencils, gum or other objects when not eating. The chewing reinforces the clenching at all times, and can cause TMJ because the jaw muscles are not getting a chance to relax between meals like they are supposed to. Bruxism on the other hand is grinding of teeth, which largely happens at night when someone’s bite is off; when he/she is missing a tooth; or if someone has a lot of stress or anxiety.
Now, I find this reinforcing to me as I used to be a chronic gum chewer. I would not be found dead without gum on my person and in my mouth, unless food was in my mouth. I quit chewing gum over a year ago because of the other effects chewing gum has on your esophagus and digestive tract in general (Chewing gum signals the start of the digestive process by causing the mouth to produce saliva. Then, the stomach responds by producing acid that would be necessary if food were to hit it. However, with gum, there is no food that ever hits the stomach, and then the extra acid is just sitting around causing trouble.). To find that not chewing gum also helps reduce the clenching is phenomenal! Two benefits in one!
Ok. The treatment for bruxism? Medicine Net (http://www.medicinenet.com/teeth_grinding_bruxism/article.htm) says that for teeth grinding do one or more of the following:
– Mouth guard
– Stress reduction (either by counseling or medication)
– Reduce or avoid caffeine and alcohol
– Train yourself to not clench or grind (“JUST STOP IT!”)
Well, there it is! Just stop grinding your teeth, silly. Why didn’t I think of this before?
What it turns out to be with feet (sans orthotics for nearly two whole years!) and jaws is that you have to do all the work. Sure a mouth guard will help, but what about when you lose it or forget it on a long trip? The real solution is to do the leg work yourself. Figure out how to train yourself to stop. Then, “JUST STOP IT!”
Now for my continuing experiment to meet my goal of not needing any external structures to live my life to its fullest, I will continue to work toward relaxing my jaw at all waking hours. During workouts, I press my tongue against the top of my mouth, which does two things: 1. stops me from clenching my jaws 2. activates the multifidous muscles next to the c1-4 vertebrae, which need to work some anyway. So far so good 🙂
12/11/11 – Updates and Procrastination….
Posted by admin in Reflections, Try This! on December 11th, 2011
When I left off, I was working on the 5K. However, as I reflect on my performance in Oct and Nov of the past two years, I find that life has a way of really getting in the way during these two months. I am now recovered from a very busy and emotionally draining Oct., and November’s celebrations and holiday are done, too 🙂
Now, back to work. I realized that I have yet to get my running videos from Travis. I took him a thumb drive that was too small (I think it is about 10 years old – do any files equal less than 128MB anymore?), and that was the last time I tried to get the videos. Since I have reminded myself, I will focus on getting the videos from him this week or next week when my winter break from work starts (Hooray!).
With the videos I will begin a new regimen of running. The running is very difficult in VFFs in the winter due to the cold and wet conditions combined with the Raynaud’s Phenomenon, which causes my fingers and toes to go numb with the slightest chill. I find that running on wet pavement in the winter causes my toes to go numb really quickly, which leaves my feet feeling like big blocks of wood that are propelling me along. I will say that when I ran a 5K (more like walk/jog) on Thanksgiving day, my feet were numb within 1/4 mile, but at mile 2, the feeling began to return to my toes as my body heat increased. It was a very pleasant finding that I have been unable to compel myself to replicate :-/
I am continuing to work with Melissa, and we have had to scale back my workouts due to my lack of motivation (read: I do not go to the gym unless she is with me). I am also in the process of changing to a gym that has a TRX device. My first TRX workout was last week, and it was such an amazing change of pace. I will write more on the device later. To balance out the TRX workout with my regular workout (the only way to workout lower body large muscle groups is squats and lunges on the TRX, and my right knee is currently rebelling against those two moves), I am doing a regular non-TRX workout this week. I did go to the gym one time between my workouts with Melissa last week due to my interest in the “new” TRX workout. Yes, it was rather like a kid with a new toy. My new plan is to workout once between training sessions with Melissa followed by a yoga class the next day to help increase flexibility. If I can get back into the workout habit, then Melissa can up my routine, and I can start rebuilding strength. Yay!
Motivation is slowly coming back. The biggest factor is that I just turned 35, and my thighs look more like 35 year old thighs than 25 year old thighs, which is not how I want my thighs to look. I mean Cher looked awesome at 65, but I think I read somewhere that she spent 3 hours in the gym each day. I guess there’s something to look forward to. At least I won’t be bored in retirement, and I could wear a thong leotard and dance on a Navy ship with all of the sailors. Now, that’s a good retirement plan…..
9/15/11 – Another 5K (practice run, not race) and a Workout with Melissa
So, I gave myself three days of recovery before trying the 5K again. Now, that I know I can definitely run the whole distance, I was determined to do it with my 9min, 30 second mile pace that I can do when training at a 1.5 mile distance. I knew I could run faster than that stupid 10:18 pace on Sunday. I mean, I’m wearing Five Fingers – come on!
I walked down to the flat waterfront park area so that it would mimic the relatively flat terrain at Greenlake. Plus, there are no crosswalks and lights to mess up your pace, either. I was really going to show the clock!
I started out the first mile with a great pace just over 9 min per mile. Half way through the second mile I was up to 9 min 30 seconds. No problem. See, I knew I could do this! Then, I got to the start of mile 3: Pace up to 9min 55 seconds. YIKES! I can still beat this! Now my goal has become to finish with ANYTHING under a 10 min pace.
Let me just say that the third mile kicked my ass. I ran the whole way, but it was really tough. I did knock 14 seconds off my race pace, though, to finish at 10 min, 4 seconds per mile. Woohoo! I knew I could go faster.
My new focus is improving my time on the 5K. I am also working on leg extension while running. I think if I get my legs extending back, then I will have an automatic decrease in time or increase in speed due to more efficient propulsion forward. However, leg extension is hard. It requires a lot of strength in your hamstrings and glutes as well as flexibility in your hip flexor and quads. This is going to be another big push of exercise and stretching. My quads are super sore from the run when I was trying out the extensions.
I told Melissa all of this, and she, that same day, gave me a bunch of hip and glute exercises to help facilitate this goal. Man are they killer!!! Boy is she great!
I am going to get my video from Travis on Tuesday of next week. I will then post the video and his notes, which will elaborate on all of this.
What a great week of running and working out so far. Woohoo!
9/13/11 – PT, My Jaw Story, and a Workout!
I am moving toward a goal of posting more, again, on the blog 😉
So, today was a visit to Travis about my right shoulder. I originally started visiting him concerning an inflamed biceps tendon, but since then, it has changed to more a slightly sore infra-spinatus. The cause seems to stem from my lifelong habit of clenching my jaws together,which I am also seeing a different specialist for.
Anyway, over the weekend I had to get a massage to relieve my shoulder pain due to excessive clenching, which causes a chain reaction of my levator scapula getting tight and causing a downward rotation on my shoulder blade, which then causes the rest of the rotator muscles- that are already a little too weak – to work super hard to get the upward rotation on the shoulder blade. The end result is an inflamed small muscle or tendon in my shoulder and a very tight neck and top of shoulder area. Argh.
The massage enabled me to run the 5K Iron Girl on Sunday, but by today, I was already super tight again and feeling some discomfort in my shoulder. Travis, being the incredibly knowledgeable PT that he is, did a very specific massage, which loosened up the muscles enough so that we could actually do some exercises. He, then, took it fairly easy on me due to the inflammation of the new area.
I also told him what I had learned about my jaw from the specialist at UW. It goes something like this:
I broke my only crown, which I had had for 10 years, in January of this year and had it replaced in February. After the replacement is has hurt and continually extruded (or pushed up). My dentist filed it down three times before determining that it was probably something more serious and sent me to an endodontist due to my long tooth roots.
Cut to endodontist: She determined that I had a cracked tooth, which had been held together with the old crown, and opened up with the new crown, which equals a ROOT CANAL! Yay! The root canal was supposed to solve the problem and stop the tooth extrusion.(She also measured my tooth roots b/c I was wondering how long they were and why they were considered so long. It turns out my tooth roots are 25mm long, and a normal tooth has roots approx. 22mm long. And now you know….)
Note: this whole time I am wearing my night guard religiously each night. My night guard is basically a mold of my teeth with some kind of plaster built up on the front part to keep my teeth from touching in the back. The only teeth that touch are the front ones, and boy can I feel it in the morning on the front teeth when I’ve had an exceptionally clench-filled night.
Well, the root canal on August 16th did not stop the tooth from continuing to extrude. My endodontist even did a file down to help ease the discomfort about one week later.
In the mean time, I set up an appointment with the TMJ specialist at UW. I explained the whole process to him, and he immediately was impressed that I knew how long my tooth roots were. 🙂 I’m such a nerd sometimes. Anyway, the result of the dissertation I made and the observations he made were that my night guard was causing the tooth to extrude. WHAT?! The freakin’ night guard that I dislike anyway is causing this entire catastrophie?! ARGH!
Here’s what was happening. He said that it is well known and thought of that a tooth on the top of the mouth without a tooth to oppose it on the bottom will overtime extrude because it does not have any force to oppose it and keep it in place. It is still known, but not really thought of (as in it is not the immediate conclusion) for bottom teeth, which is what my tooth is. So, my bottom tooth was inflamed, which means that the bone is building up around the root to help protect it, and the tendon surrounding the roots are working overtime to try and get the inflamed object to go away (i.e. extrude). Normally, after the root canal the tooth has a chance to calm down and stay in place b/c at some point in the day, it will hit the opposing upper jaw tooth and stay in place. However, due to my unfortunate nightguard, my back teeth NEVER touched, and my poor inflamed tooth was able to continue to push out each and every night.
He told me to throw out my nightguard because he was going to give me a new one (the temporary is a simple sports self-mold model – this thing is huge, but all of my teeth can touch the bendy plastic substance it is made out of). His theory was that with the touching of the teeth on something, the back tooth would begin to intrude, which it has, happily, done! Woohoo!
The second part of my treatment is all behavioral, i.e. I have to change my clenching habits during the day. I also learned that your teeth do not actually touch when your jaw is in a resting position. Many of you already knew that – lucky for you. I had no idea! I’ve been clenching my whole life thinking I was relaxed! No wonder my shoulders are like rocks.
So, my homework is to continually remind myself to relax my jaw – keep the tongue resting behind the front teeth while the teeth remain slightly apart to give the jaw joint space. I have been completely amazed by how often and how severely I clench during the day, even. It’s crazy! I especially clench during upper body (specifically shoulder) exercises. I also clench when I run, get really stressed at work or just sit and read facebook. My day now consists of me checking the status of my jaw and relaxing constantly.
I told Travis all this today, and he also added that the levator scapula is very tight possibly due to weakened multifidi on the C1-4 vertebrae. So, I now am working in pushing my tongue against the roof of mouth to fire those extremely tiny muscles along my spine. Woohoo! I’m just afire with crazy crap to keep up with.
Travis also finished analyzing my running video that we made several weeks ago. Due to the file size, I will not have it in my possession until I am able to get a thumb drive to him to download them. I will save his findings for the video.
I also ended my day with a workout from Melissa. Woohoo! I’ve gotten it all in this week. I’m going to try and run tomorrow as it will be day three after the race, which should be enough time for recovery, maybe.
Things are very exciting right now. I really believe if I can tame my jaw clenching, then I will see a huge reduction in my various discomforts and ailments. Never underestimate how connected the entire body is.
p.s. Travis measured the flexibility of the achilles tendon by measuring how far away from the wall I can stand and touch my knee cap to the wall. I’ll explain why in the video post, but for now the numbers – so I don’t forget them.
The right foot (big tow) was 5.5cm from the wall, and the left foot (big toe) was 7cm from the wall. These numbers are new measurements that I look to improve to the goal of 10cm for each foot over time.
9/11/11 – Ran the Athleta Iron Girl 5K
Posted by admin in Training (running, cycling, etc.) on September 11th, 2011
What a momentous day. I remember where I was 10 years ago when the first plane hit the World Trade Center in NYC – in Atlanta getting ready to go to class. I had The Today Show with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer to keep me company while going through the morning ritual of getting ready when all of a sudden, a smoking WTC was the only thing on camera. I had no idea what was going on. Then, while watching the smoking tower, a second plane hit.
Yes, I, and millions of other people who were just drinking their morning coffee, watched it happen in real time. Shocked beyond the ability to actually process what was going on, I went to class only to find that no one knew what had happened. I ended up leaving class and going back to the TV for the latest news and to hopefully get some guidance as to what was happening and how I should deal with it.
Was I in danger? Should I leave Atlanta for a safer place, like my hometown? Should I be scared, outraged, sad? All of the above? So many thoughts, such a helpless feeling.
Through it all, I clung to fact that we are a strong nation. We are a people who, like siblings, will not let others put us down. That day was also my cousin’s 16th birthday. What a day 10 years ago. What a difference 10 years makes.
My cousin is 26 today and planning her wedding. I live 3000 miles from Atlanta. Katie Couric is no longer on the Today Show. The USA is still recovering, but very much alive and free. AND in my own personal battle, I have overcome prescription orthotics, and I ran my first 5K in my VFFs!!!
The Iron Girl races always focus on women and overcoming adversity be it weight, health, cancer, disease, etc. Today, they also paid tribute to the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. One big motivator for me was a woman who ran my pace right in front of me. On her back she had a sign saying, “I am running this race in honor of my dad who lost his life in the WTC 9/11/01.” I felt that I would take that and run with it. I ran this race not only for myself, but also for all those who lost their lives, gave their lives or lost loved ones to 9/11 and the aftermath of war that followed.
It was not a great distance in the whole scheme of racing, but it is a huge accomplishment, none the less.
Just as before the energy was infectious. I ran much slower than I do in practice b/c I was afraid that if I went too fast, I would have to stop to catch my breath. So, I ran more conservatively than I would have liked. Had I to do it again, I would have picked up the pace, at least on the last mile. However, my stats are as follows:
Total Time: 31:55 (32:50 last year)
Pace: 10:18 per mile (10:34 pace last year)
Division place: 64 out of 268 (I was 65 out of 303 last year)
Overall place: 312 out of 1433 running the 5K (371/1371 last year)
I am happy about the slight decrease in pace. (Although, I have been averaging 9 minute miles on my shorter training runs of 1.5 miles). However, now that I see I can make it 3 miles in my VFFs and still walk (am still able to walk and move my ankles, which I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do), I think I will up my mileage considerably – at least to 2 miles in a few days. 🙂
I am also pledging to continue updating the blog regularly as it is a very useful training tool as far as keeping me honest when doing weight training and rehab.
See y’all soon!
5/15/11 – Sans Orthotics
Posted by admin in Reflections on May 15th, 2011
Yes, I have been without my prescription orthotics for FIVE DAYS! Let me explain how this wondrous milestone came to fruition:
Over the past few months, I have been increasing my time in my Vibram 5 Fingersâ„¢ very slowly each week. I tried to remember to wear them daily, but sometimes I would forget. I also started trying to run in the 5 Fingersâ„¢ for approximately 10 minutes on the treadmill. I struggled with not aggravating that posterior tibial tendon on my left arch. I struggled with my right knee.
However, last weekend I decided to dig out my Newtonsâ„¢ that I had purchased last September. The Newtonâ„¢ is a running shoe that is designed to train you to run on your toes. I figured it would probably be a good transition shoe to running in the barefoot shoes because the Newtonsâ„¢ have regular running shoe structure. I was in a hurry, and I did not have enough time to put my prescription orthotics in the Newtonsâ„¢. I thought it would be a great experiment, if nothing else.
Away I went with a goal of one mile. I ran approximately .6 miles and walked intermittently. I felt great, but with all those endorphins from the run, it is truly hard to judge just how good my feet and tendons felt.
I woke up the next day to sore hamstrings (good, tired sore from working so hard) and happy feet! Wow! I couldn’t believe it! I ran some distance without my prescription orthotics and I could still walk! AWESOME!
So, on Tuesday, I decided to try the run again sans orthotics. This time I went for 1.5 miles. I ran for .4 miles, then walked .25 miles, then ran .25 miles, then walked and ran the rest of the distance in short bursts.
Now, here’s the weird part. My right arch was really wanting to cramp up on me in a way that reminds me of how plantar fasciitis is described. I had my Vibram 5 Fingersâ„¢ with me as well as a pair of shoes with my orthotics in them (yes, I am a veritable walking shoe closet – I have a large backpack). I put on the orthotics thinking that was what my feet really needed was a break from doing any work, but, you know what? The shoes with orthotics made it worse. Much worse, in fact.
So, I quickly, mostly out of curiosity, put on the Vibram 5 Fingersâ„¢.
After several steps, relief. My feet were so happy to be able to spread my toes and arch. It was like the Twilight Zone. I literally was walking on cloud 9. My feet preferred carrying their own weight to having the help of the prescription orthotics. Truly amazing!
So, since Wednesday, May 11, 2011, I have been ORTHOTICS FREE! I have worn my regular shoes (Keensâ„¢ for those who are curious) with their original inserts on the walks to work, and I switch to my Vibramsâ„¢ at work. If I’m feeling saucy, and it is not raining outside, I walk home in the V5Fs.
Yesterday, I decided to push the envelope and really challenge my feet – OK, I was actually just doing an experiment to see just how much my feet could take. At the beginning of the day, I put on the Newtonâ„¢ running shoes and ran .6 miles to the gym sans orthotics and did my workout, too. After that, my husband and I had a big day of walking planned, and I really wanted to wear my V5Fs all day. So, I did. I walked 1 mile to our first destination, which was a chocolate festival. Said chocolate festival equalled 3 hours of walking around vendors. Then, we walked about .5 miles to another festival where we walked for another hour around vendor tables. Our third stop was an art gallery, and finally .5 miles back home.
The result: My feet were tired, but fine. I woke up today with store hamstrings and really super happy feet!
Can it be true? Is it real? Am I actually free of the oppressive orthotics? Will I be able to simply purchase shoes and wear the original inserts home?
I cannot believe this day has arrived. I may have to wear the orthotics again for short periods of time as my feet continue to adjust, but to have gone for 5 days with no pain already. It is like I have real feet just like everyone else.
Now, it is onto training for a 5K or maybe, if all goes well in the next month, a 10K in September!!! 🙂
2/27/11 – One Year Pictures!
Posted by admin in My History on March 10th, 2011
I cannot believe it, but, yes, it has been one whole year since I began this journey. I think you will see that the differences in my feet are quite noticeable. Without further adieu, the pictorial evidence:
Before 2/27/10
One Year 2/27/11
In picture one, you can see that my left foot is noticeably less thick just below the toes than my right foot. Also, the second toe on my left foot is very far away from my big toe, which is due to the inside sesmoid bone having been removed years ago. One year later, the left foot is not only noticeably thicker, the second toe is not nearly so far away from the big toe. Awesome improvement for me 🙂
Here’s the money shot:
Before 2.27.10
One Year 2/27/11
Holy crow! Are those even the same feet, Batman? YES, yes they are the VERY SAME FEET!!! I cannot believe it myself in looking at the pictures. Of note, the left ankle still looks a little unfortunate, but not nearly so everted (I think) as before. The ankle bone looks to be more toward the center, and, overall, the ankle looks stronger and more able to provide support upward.
THE FEET!
One Year 2/27/11
The first picture was from 2/27/10, and just look at the splaying of the toes on the left foot. Now, compare the 2010 splay to the 2011 splay – WOW! It has really been reduced.  I cannot begin to describe how good it feels to know that my feet are not without hope. The thickness of the left ankle has improved s has the definition of the muscles coming off of the foot and up into my shin. I’m not sure of the names of those particular muscles/tendons at present, but that is part of what is helping to realign my foot, I’m sure.
So, I’ve made a lot of improvement, but the journey is not over as I am still unable to commit to a full-time barefoot life due to continued weakness in my posterior tibial tendon. My next steps are (and I have already started the ones with a *):
*1. introduce the VFFs into my daily life for 2-3 hours each day with increased duration in shoes over time
*2. workout in VFFs as my body permits (i.e. I will not workout in VFFs if my tendon is still sore in order to help decrease the chance of inflammation. Sore is okay, but inflammation stalls workouts.)
*3. ease back into running using VFFs and a treadmill (currently walking 2 min, running one min, walking 1-2 min, running one min, walking until reach 10 min)
4. running outside in VFFs on softer surfaces such as grass or gravel using the alternating running/walking method
Here’s to freeing your feet! CHEERS!