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rest, patience and trust
Ah! My favourite subject. I don't think anybody wants
to hear that they should rest, be patient and trust that their foot
problem will heal with time. I am usually trying to come up with ideas
to help people heal as quickly and with as little effort as possible.
Sometimes we get lucky and a problem goes away quickly and doesn't resurface.
But, there are a number of problems that have a nasty habit of being
chronic and hard to heal - they include plantar fasciitis, sesamoiditis,
neuromas, achilles tendonitis and traumatic foot injuries.
Rest
Let's be realistic. How can you heal an injury or inflammation in a
part of the body that you're stepping on all day long? It's just not
possible in some cases. The ultimate form of rest is staying in bed
and being carried to the bathroom. Can't imagine it? Okay, the next
option would be to be in a wheelchair and to have someone transfer you
into and out of the chair. Sounds pretty drastic, doesn't it? But, this
is what total rest actually is. Hardly anyone ever completely rests
the feet. Most people don't need total rest, they need what we call
relative rest. If you were running marathons, cut back to half marathons.
If you were walking 5 nights a week, cut back to 2 nights a week, or
cut your walking time in half. This is relative rest. Do less than what
you're used to. For many people, this will allow the foot problem to
heal. For others you simply have to listen to your body and rest until
the pain subsides. A foot problem should always be evaluated if rest
hasn't alleviated the symptoms within one week or if there is swelling,
redness or warmth associated with the pain.
Patience
Pain affects people in different ways. Some people experience pain -
and they say to themselves, this was caused by my walking 10 flights
of stairs in flip flops. I'll just stay off it for a few days and I'm
sure it will heal. Other people, say to themselves - I didn't do anything
to cause this - why does this have to happen to me, now - this is the
worst possible time - I want this to be gone tomorrow. Other people
experience pain and don't say anything - they just don't pay attention.
We all have our own unique emotional responses to our body pains. But,
a lack of patience will never be productive. The body almost always
heals, if we listen to what it needs and respond. Impatience causes
us to ignore the symptoms and insist on continuing on as though nothing
is wrong. It also makes us anxious and we may start to imagine the worst
possible scenario. Obsession may set in. It can get pretty ugly. This
will undoubtedly make the problem worse. Take a deep breath, go inside
and try asking your body what it needs. Just taking the time to do this
may make you realize that slowing down is the number one priority.
Trust
Sometimes the reason for a foot problem is very clear - wearing the
wrong shoes, walking too much, gaining weight - these things can be
dealt with and the problem may respond directly. Sometimes the reason
is elusive. We can't find a logical explanation. There is no arthritis,
infection, fracture or other medical diagnosis to explain a pain that
has developed. It's just there and it won't go away. You've tried resting
it, icing it, massaging it; you've seen your doctor, physio, podiatrist
and it's been x-rayed; your orthotics have been updated....... it's
still there. You've had to give up your favourite pastime. How could
this possibly be good for you? Often when the pain goes away, we find
out why it came in the first place. Sometimes we may simply develop
a deeper appreciation for the priveliged state of being painfree.
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