So I went to see a foot doctor about the pain I've been getting in my left heel. He struggled to diagnose the problem because I simply did not fit into any textbook definitions. It seems I have multiple competing issues, and that makes it harder to determine what the true problem is. He even considered Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (nasty stuff) which is a very small possibility if you are hypermobile. Luckily I have no other symptoms, and am quite sure I am EDS-free.
In the end, he believes I have tendonosis; small tears in the tendon connecting to my left ankle. The probable causes are:
- Calf muscles are way too tight
- The tendon was abused by a pair of shoes I bought 6 months ago
- General misalignment of foot joints
He's going to schedule the creation of some orthotics for me to try and sort things out. I also need to look at getting shoes with higher heels as that will reduce the angle between my foot and my leg and so reduce the strain on my tendon. At a later stage I will have to look at stretching my calf muscles, but nothing can be done about that now. Stretching them in the short-term will just make matters worse.
2 comments:
You don't look like an EDS; it's hereditary n they have super-elastic skin. I think attributing the pain to hypermobility may actually divert the attention from other contributing factors. U spend long hours sitting at the desk. This causes all sorts of postural pain so u need to check that the height and position of desk, chair etc r ergonimically right for u. I would suggest regular breaks from the desk; get up n move all your limbs. Good posture is v important; u do slouch a fair bit. Slouching gives back pain. Is your pain worse first thing in the morning or after work? If it is in the morning, hopefully you have been checked for some form of arthritis, esp ankylosing spondylitis (Google/Wikipedia this). STRESS does weird things to people, so have relaxation sessions eg meditate. You have to mentally not allow stress overwhelm you. Don't go looking around for other people's problems to take on, you have enough to deal with. Make choices that r right for you, cos u need to look after yourself first. Since last year I have been paying attention to all my decisions n have consciously made choices that r better for me n not let myself be thrown to the whims of fate. Life has improved. Stay OPTIMISTIC. Pessimism never did me any good. N there is nothing to lose being optimistic. Sometimes life has its disappointments but what we need to do is learn n move on n keep making better decisions for ourselves.
Hey Pete. Just letting you know that about 2 years ago I went to my doctor about severe pain in my left heel. He diagnosed a heel spur and jabbed the area with steroids. It made a bit of a difference, but time was the best healer. And I forgot all about it until I read your blog!
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