Sue Turner, D.P.M
I am a podiatrist (foot doctor) based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Since 1991 I have had the privilege of treating people and their foot problems - I've seen over 18,000 pair. Wow, that is a lot of feet, and a lot of people attached to those feet! I love every challenge that comes my way and have a keen interest in attempting to solve what appear to be unsolvable problems for people. Sometimes people come in limping and they leap away!
Rest and Patience
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.
The Singing
Podiatrist
604-736-1910
943 W. Broadway, Suite 530
WHAT IS A FOOT DOCTOR? >
A foot doctor is a medical specialist who treats feet. Any foot problem (and some knee, hip and back problems) can be evaluated and treated by a podiatrist. More...
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