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 Posted - 08/15/2007 : 08:55:49 AM
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From the Charleston Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.com/story/Life/2007081451/Insoles-are-a-quick-fix-for-foot-pain/
Reversing the almost debilitating pain on the top of my foot simply required the lengthwise half of an inexpensive foam shoe insert. It's a mere three-sixteenths of an inch thick, but, as the doctor predicted, it does the trick.
The pain just in back of my toes had become bad enough to threaten the daily dog-walking trek. It also made household tasks agonizing at times.
I put it on the list of questions for my annual physical exam.
"Stand up and let me look," the doctor ordered.
She scarcely glanced at my feet before she made the diagnosis, something about pronation.
Huh?
"The arches slip; it pulls on nerves and can lead to fractures," she said.
In other words, the high arches of my youth are flattening and my ankles are leaning inward.
"Usually we see this in woman around 40ish," she said.
I delayed it by more than 20 years, which is just fine by me.
The wear on feet as we age is hardly surprising. After all, the amazing collection of 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments that make up each foot take a lot of beating over the years.
Yet problems, whether corns, bunions or flat feet, often require little more than over-the-counter treatments, the experts say. If a problem doesn't go away after six weeks, seek professional help, they add.
In my case, the pain receded with the cushion insoles I bought for less than $2 per pair and cut in half lengthwise to lift the inner portion of each foot.
I also could buy half-insole transferable inserts for $20 to $25 from a shoe repair shop or catalog.
The insoles do the trick, but I can't stroll around in my bare feet, a summer habit for many years. I've tried, and it isn't long before that sharp, top-front of the foot stings or burns or itches.
Surprisingly, there's no link between such symptoms and pronation on Web sites I checked for symptoms and treatment of foot problems, including those of the Mayo and Cleveland clinics, American Physical Therapy and Podiatric Medical associations.
Fortunately, my doctor recognized both cause and cure. Even before we discussed the problem, she inspected my feet.
That's exactly as it should be, according the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Consumer Magazine.
"Pain in the feet can trigger pain in the legs, hips and back," the online magazine states. "Some foot problems can even signal a larger disease, which is why the American Podiatric Medical Association suggests that people take their socks off when they go to their primary care physician for a regular checkup."
People with diabetes, osteoporosis and arthritis are at greater risk of foot problems, but, like it or not, normal wear and tear of aging increases the likelihood for all of us, the Podiatric association states.
"As persons age, their feet tend to spread and lose the fatty pads that cushion the bottom of the feet.
"0lder people, consequently, should have their feet measured for shoe sizes more frequently rather than presuming that their shoes sizes remain constant."
As we all know, size isn't necessarily consistent in footwear. Shoes should be comfortable from the get-go, but the FDA Consumer Magazine has a suggestion for double-checking the fit.
Stand on a blank piece of paper, trace the outline of your feet with a pen and take the sheet with you when shopping. Any shoe you're considering should cover the outline with no lines showing outside.
The process may entertain other shoppers, but at our age, who cares?
Contact writer Evadna Bartlett at evadna@dailymail.com
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Insoles are a quick fix for foot pain
