A Mile in My (dorky) Shoes

[nozenfordaddy]

I walk funny. I always have walked funy, this isn't a new thing. As a child I was a toe-walker, who knows why there have been a number of possible reasons bandied about by family members and doctors the most common being some sort of muscle spasticity (like cerebral palsy) and something called idiopathic toe-walking, which means really that the doctor's don't know why.

Lately, in response I assume to my attempting to do 5 plus miles a day on the treadmill, my feet have been hurting and generally making walking painful. So after a lifetime of walking funny, and being admonished by my parents (and anyone else who knew me) to walk on my flat feet I saw an orthopedist today.

Generally idiopathic toe walking is something you grow out of, I didn't apparently because today the orthodoc informed me that I'm still a toe walker I've just compensated by doing a bunch of weird things with my feet/ankles/knees when I walk.

Apparently I under pronate (put my foot down crooked to lateral edge) and roll up onto my toes funny, which puts stress on my plantar fascia, cocks my ankles weird limiting the shock absorption in my feet and thus causes pain. Additionally I am a 'pounder' (heavy walker) because of the lack of mobility in my ankles (as they are already fully pronated when I touch down) and have a pair of the highest arches the orthodoc said he's seen in a long while. All of this goes back to my life long toe walking in that I am compensating for a tight Achilles tendon.

So now I have these special totally dorky shoes that were specially fitted and I can go back as many times as needed to get them re-fit and a stretching band to do exercises and we'll see if they help.

If in a handful of months time the stretching and shoes don't make things better we'll be discussing a shot of cortical steroid into my foot which I am not into and possibly surgery to lengthen my tendon and casting to keep me stretched until it heals. Also not high on my list.

Yeah.. mostly this was all informational to get to shoe everyone my dorky freaking shoes.

Comments

[snowbunny22.livejournal.com]

How do the shoes feel? Are they comfy? This makes me want to go see an orthopedist just to see if they have any suggestions for me because I know I'm not as successful in walking as I could be, though I don't think I'm a toe walker (though definitely a toe-runner).

Has anyone said anything about your shoes? I kind of feel those shoes deserve a picture where you're wearing them >.>

[nozenfordaddy.livejournal.com]

Nocomments thus far but I keep feeling like people are staring.

[snowbunny22.livejournal.com]

If I saw someone wearing them, I'd probably ask about it. I'm that kind of person. Cause mostly, I'd be like 'are they comfy?' and think about getting my own pair, though then I'd learn it probably wouldn't be useful for me.