Day 6 post op the Hyprocure TM by Dr Graham and a whole new world of a non wobbly - albeit asymmetric- foot is opening up.
It will be 4 weeks before I can safely (ish) assume that fibrous adhesions have formed sufficiently to be less nervous of it, but so far so good. No pain. Able to walk up and down stairs and did a Mum stint around Asda, as you do, with a wrapped up foot and a sock on as unable
to put on a shoe that we (me , myself and I ) agree on.
The most difficult thing is what to wear. All old shoes are out, no need for orthotics and new shoes yet to be bought or worked out! Still too early for heels.
It may be wellies yet. Hunter of course.
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
My Flatfoot correction
I am officially the new owner of a new foot! My Supplefoot has a stent in place and I have a non wobbly, arched foot. The longterm problems of hyperpronation are resolved and I am delighted.
The operation was yesterday and I am in no pain. The surgery was fine, done under local anaesthesiae with barely any pain and my sub talar arthroeresis went well.
The implant used to transform my foot is the Hyprocure TM and we have amazing before and immediately after xray pictures.
The surprising find from the motion analysis tests was a rigid beam of a 4th metatarsal that has supported my feet despite all the flexibility around it.
By getting this hyper pronated foot corrected I have headed off a bunion later on, early hallux limitus, neuromas and capsulitis in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal heads (seen moving around alarmingly!) no wonder I had shearing stress and paraesthesiae there. And that is just the front part of my foot!
It immediately feels like the arch has been restored(it has) and I guess it might be like having old fashioned (now discredited) electric current treatment to "strengthen arch muscles."
So despite having worn orthotics since podiatry college aged 19, the flat feet were not going to improve. They - there is still another one to do- deterioate over time and cause all sorts of conditions up and down the skeletal frame.
Thanks to Dr Graham, DPM for designing it, performing the surgery and looking after me!
He is a genius.
The operation was yesterday and I am in no pain. The surgery was fine, done under local anaesthesiae with barely any pain and my sub talar arthroeresis went well.
The implant used to transform my foot is the Hyprocure TM and we have amazing before and immediately after xray pictures.
The surprising find from the motion analysis tests was a rigid beam of a 4th metatarsal that has supported my feet despite all the flexibility around it.
By getting this hyper pronated foot corrected I have headed off a bunion later on, early hallux limitus, neuromas and capsulitis in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal heads (seen moving around alarmingly!) no wonder I had shearing stress and paraesthesiae there. And that is just the front part of my foot!
It immediately feels like the arch has been restored(it has) and I guess it might be like having old fashioned (now discredited) electric current treatment to "strengthen arch muscles."
So despite having worn orthotics since podiatry college aged 19, the flat feet were not going to improve. They - there is still another one to do- deterioate over time and cause all sorts of conditions up and down the skeletal frame.
Thanks to Dr Graham, DPM for designing it, performing the surgery and looking after me!
He is a genius.
PS As soon as I can I shall share with you my pictures of my foot. In the meantime the image is of the stent in place, from the Gramedica website. For more info go to www.hyperpronation.com
Best wishes
Emma Supple
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Communication
Supplefeet has just hosted a seminar on surgery. It was very good, although I say it myself! We had great feedback and there was a real engagement from the delegates. Thanks to Steve Kriss and Grahame Mann for their contributions, very valuable.
Judith facilitated it for us and was, as always, an inspiration. She looked at communication and pointed out that the average time given to a patient by the medical profession to explain their problem is 23 seconds! We did some exercises just to drive home the point that listening is essential. Many clinical histories are to be found in the story of the complaint and taking the time to hear the story is so important.
When I worked in Chicago for the great Lowell Weil, he was excellent at this. He had a great deal to teach on approaching patients and making a difference to their care.
So I am off to the States tomorrow to join a conference on flatfeet. My new intent, after today, is to listen more!
Judith facilitated it for us and was, as always, an inspiration. She looked at communication and pointed out that the average time given to a patient by the medical profession to explain their problem is 23 seconds! We did some exercises just to drive home the point that listening is essential. Many clinical histories are to be found in the story of the complaint and taking the time to hear the story is so important.
When I worked in Chicago for the great Lowell Weil, he was excellent at this. He had a great deal to teach on approaching patients and making a difference to their care.
So I am off to the States tomorrow to join a conference on flatfeet. My new intent, after today, is to listen more!
Thursday, 29 January 2009
Athletes foot
How is your january going?
On the wagon,lots of exercise and an annoying itch in between your toes?
Seriously; Gyms and public swimming pools are notorious places to pick up foot fungal infections. So beware. It is something to do with the pH and lots to do with the plentiful barefeet around in a warm, damp environment.
If you suffer from this common skin infection then you are aware of how unpleasant it can be.
It is a fungal infection that sits in between the toes and gets very itchy and sore. It also has a tendency to be very smelly which can be distressing. As a fungus thrives in dark, moist areas. So athlete’s foot thrives in between your toes.
It is a fungal infection that sits in between the toes and gets very itchy and sore. It also has a tendency to be very smelly which can be distressing. As a fungus thrives in dark, moist areas. So athlete’s foot thrives in between your toes.
Treatment
As with most things, prevention is better than cure.
Keeping toes clean and dry is the best way to avoid infection.
Wearing flip flips or our Beech Sandals (http://www.supplefeet.com/) is very important whilst swimming or at the gym.
Management
Use an anti-fungal to eliminate the infection.
At Supplefeet we do not recommend using the talcs or creams as they can make the area being treated more moist and so the cycle of infection is not broken.
We recommend anti-fungal sprays if possible:
Grisol™ - an effective anti-fungal spray that is easy to apply.
Lamisil™ - cream or spray.
We do use the cream in the early stages if the skin is broken and sore, as the cream is soothing. However it is best to move onto the spray as soon as is feasible and keep that in your gym bag.
This is an uncomfortable condition that is easily rectified.
As with most things, prevention is better than cure.
Keeping toes clean and dry is the best way to avoid infection.
Wearing flip flips or our Beech Sandals (http://www.supplefeet.com/) is very important whilst swimming or at the gym.
Management
Use an anti-fungal to eliminate the infection.
At Supplefeet we do not recommend using the talcs or creams as they can make the area being treated more moist and so the cycle of infection is not broken.
We recommend anti-fungal sprays if possible:
Grisol™ - an effective anti-fungal spray that is easy to apply.
Lamisil™ - cream or spray.
We do use the cream in the early stages if the skin is broken and sore, as the cream is soothing. However it is best to move onto the spray as soon as is feasible and keep that in your gym bag.
This is an uncomfortable condition that is easily rectified.
Monday, 26 January 2009
High heels
One thing that always seems to surprise our clients is that we are not averse to, and positively encourage, the use of high heels. The image of chiropodists is such that unless we extol the virtues of "traffic warden shoes" then we are not conforming to our image!
At Supplefeet we truly believe that along with a perfect heel height for all, there is lots of scope to continue to wear and enjoy high heels.
If you are walking up hill and dale everyday then you need a shoe that can accomodate all the mountain paths, steep climbs etc. Clearly this is not everyday occurence nowadays and so wearing a heel can actually enhance your natural foot arch and be more comfortable on hard flat surfaces.
Top tip: look for a heel that suits you (the Supple perfect heel height test) and sits under your true heel.
Men: Best to avoid too flat shoes also. The old fashioned brogue has a heel, the flat Converses do not.
Friday, 23 January 2009
Painful Nails
I am being pathetic about a bashed thumb nail. I caught it on a padlock today and it hurts! I can see the blood blister forming under the nail. It occured to me how super sore bashed up nails can be. When you get a blood blister under a nail it increases the pressure and is called a subungal haematoma. Common in marathon runners who need the nail pierced at the end of the race to alleviate the pressure. If you get it fast enough the blood can really spurt out! Otherwise the blood dries and the nail blackens and often falls off.
My poor thumb is nothing compared to that but it is always good to be reminded just how sore nails can be. If necessary we can numb the toe to sort out the nail properly.
So do as I did not; avoid hitting the nail if you can.
My poor thumb is nothing compared to that but it is always good to be reminded just how sore nails can be. If necessary we can numb the toe to sort out the nail properly.
So do as I did not; avoid hitting the nail if you can.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Dirty feet
Dirty Feet are a fact of life. If you walk barefoot or in sandals etc (which you should when you can) they will get dirty. Keeping the dirt on feet can be a precursor to callus and hard skin formation. Small bits of grit and grime being pushed into the skin on the ball of the foot act like irritants and cause hard skin to form over many years. So scrubbing feet is a crucial part of your everyday routine. As vital as cleaning your teeth.
I recommend proper nail brushes, even good pan scourers will do. We use a Heals pan scourer, very colourful but quite harsh. I know this as my daughters little friend used it to scrub off some eye make up! When I told her Mum she had used a pan scourer that was kept by the bath it explained why she had scrubbed off a layer of skin! So these things are not gentle.
The skin on your foot is 5 times thicker than anywhere else so scrub away the dirt. Don't rely on the shower soapy water just sloshing over your feet. Get scrubbing!
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