The Toe Bone Is Connected To The....

Well I went to the podiatrist this morning and let me tell you.... I walked in to a building that looked like a tiny village shop that had been shut down... 

The receptionist was wearing a twisted bandana in her hair like a headband and a fanny pack! Yes that's right, a fanny pack! 

I filled out my paperwork and waited my turn. 

Once in the room, the doctor came in to talk to me and I was instantly teary eyed by the ridiculous amount of body odor this man had!!!! Not even kidding, I almost barfed, twice!!!! 

He then took me over to a xray machine that was possibly the very first xray machine ever created!!! Took pictures of my feet and told me to smile (which actually made me smile). 

Turns out I have Hallux Rigidus on both feet. Because I have super flat feet, my foot bone that connects to my foot bone falls when I step down, causing my two bones at the joint to jam into each other instead of one gliding over the other. The jamming of the bones is causing the pain on the right toe and the left toe is soo irritated that it's affected the nerve now and I have numbness on that side. 

So what can we do about this situation you ask....  I have to wear high quality running shoes from the time I get up in the morning, to the time I go to bed.... Not a big deal for most people but I hate shoes and socks, if I am not wearing flip flops, then I am barefoot... This is a problem and over time will make it much worse. So he has recommended that I go and buy two pairs of good running shoes on sale because I will need a day pair and a pair to jog in. He said to get them on sale because I can only wear them for 3-4 months... and then I have to throw them out and get new ones. He doesn't want me to wear the inside cushioning to much otherwise, it's not helping.

We are going to give this a try until early September and see how the pain is. If it's not any better, we may have to have orthotics made... Awesome!  Why don't you just give me leg braces and head gear? UGH! 

Then he asks if I have pain on the top of my left foot where my foot and leg come together. I tell him yes, but I thought it was just a sore muscle. He tells me that I step harder on this foot causing the arch to fall even more and the bones to be thrown out of whack... So the running shoes should help this as well... 

So no surgery, no cortisone shots, nothing serious... Just a pain in the butt recommendation to wear shoes! YUCK!!!