It has been a few weeks now since I visited a doctor for the pain in my foot that I thought was posterior tybial tendon dysfunction. So here's what's happened since then.
The doctor acknowledged the pain in my foot, but her diagnosis was a misaligned hip. Apparently, my hamstrings are super tight, one side pulling one side of my hip away so that my hip isn't parallel to the ground. This results in my right shoulder dropping lower than my left shoulder, and also all my weight naturally resting on my left foot. Hence all the pain in my left foot. I'm basically stiff and inflexible physically as well as mentally!
The cause of all this "premature rigor mortis" as Bob Anderson calls it in his book Stretching (Disclosure: this is an affiliate link), as far as I can guess, is my years of sitting at a desk hardly moving anything other than my fingers.
So, after a series of massage therapy (that was excruciatingly painful) and being taught a number of stretches and exercises, I am on my way to being more flexible.
What about the pain in my foot?
Blood is an important ingredient in our healing process. Unfortunately, the heel of your foot does not receive as plentiful a blood supply as the rest of your body. That means that healing takes a longer time. The doc advised me to use a hot-cold-hot method to induce better blood flow in my foot. So basically, I keep my feet in very hot water for five minutes, then very cold water for five minutes, and repeat, but end with a soak in hot water. What this is supposed to do is expand blood vessels (hot), then contract blood vessels (cold), simulating a pumping action to get more blood flowing around there.
I did do this religiously for the first week and I have noticed some improvement. However, I haven't really been doing it for the past couple of weeks. I can now push off with my toes on my left foot, something I was unable to do earlier, and the magnitude of the pain in that foot is decreasing. Slowly, yes, but it is decreasing.
I've also noticed inflexibility in the big toe of my left foot, as well as stiffness in my ankles. So strengthening and stretching of my toe, as well as improving the flexibility of my ankles is also on the agenda.
The stretches
The stretches are mostly for my hamstrings, hips, and lower back. I have also been Taught a few good stretches for my neck and shoulders. I do these at least once a day, and often twice a day. I think it is too early to comment on improvements in my flexibility. However, I do know that a regular stretching routine is essential to overall range of motion, so I am planning on studying more stretches and incorporating them into my routine.
This is what I'm doing for now:
⦁ Hamstring stretch lying down
⦁ Hip rotator stretch lying down
⦁ Hip stretch lying down
⦁ Neck stretches
⦁ Triceps stretch
⦁ Shoulder stretch
Return to Exercise
The doctor also told me to avoid calisthenics till my skeleton is better aligned. She told me to walk once the pain in my foot became better, and I think it is now at a stage where I can take a brisk 30-minute walk without worry.
So... my plan for January is to keep stretching and recuperate. And also add some walking into the mix so I don't become too round. I am also thinking of going through this 4-week program to reset my skeleton. Once I am better aligned, I will then proceed to a calisthenics program for strength and muscle mass. Hopefully this won't take longer than a month!
And before I forget... Happy New Year!
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