Saturday, July 17, 2010

Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome Jacking My Style!!

I've lost 8lbs and now my working out has come to a crashing halt! Why? Because about a month now my right foot has been getting more and more numb. I figured it would eventually go away, until last week I realized it wasn't just getting numb it was staying numb to the point of not feeling anything from my bottom of my toes to the middle of my foot, with some blinding pain here and there. I was terrified to go to the doctor before my BFFL's wedding on Sunday in fear that he'd tell me I had some type of tumor or something outrageous that would require surgery.

Alas, neither is the case. I have Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, you've heard of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in your hand? Well, this is the same thing but in my foot. The podiatrist wrapped my foot with an arch to be worn all day every day for a week. (except baths and to sleep). Let me tell you how much this thing hurts coming off at night. Ouch! I've been wearing my Crocs sandals because they have an arch in them instead of my regular flip flops for the crazy summer heat waves we keep having. His hope is to see some improvement over the week where I will just hopefully need to just wear it when working out. Speaking of working it out, I had to put a halt to exercise until I could find a "good" cross training sneaker with a decent arch inside.

People I'm telling you it must be some sort of conspiracy! Doctors, trainers, specialists, all agree that you need specific shoes for specific tasks. Running shoes for those that like to run exclusively (not my ass - boobs too big to be running anywhere), walking shoes for walking, basketball shoes for basketball...you get where I'm going, right? So please tell me, why is it that I spent 4 days shopping for a "cross/athletic trainer" sneaker with a "decent" arch in it?! They don't exist! I'm talking NIKE, ADIDAS, NEW BALANCE, just to name a few. You walk into a sneaker store and there are rows upon rows of running sneakers! When I asked each salesman why so many? You know what the consensus was? "People buy them because they're more fashionable". So people are jacking up their feet to look cute? (myself included, until now!)

I finally had to go to the outlets and found a decent pair from Reebok. You know what the other scam is, and I had a nurse point this out (well, future nurse anyway). Most sneakers look to have a good arch on the outside of the shoe, but if you run your hand on the inside of the shoe the majority of them are flat, flat, flat!! WTF!! Talk about optical illusion. I had the NIKE salesman come over to me after I ran my hand inside my 5th shoe, "Um, Miss, what are you doing?" I told him that I was feeling for an arch. "But you can see from the outside that it has an arch." When I had him run his hand through the pair I was holding, all he could say was, "Dag, I didn't know that!" Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Anyhoo, back to my broke up, non-exercising behind. Since I finally purchased a decent pair of sneaks, I will resume workout activity tomorrow (two weeks to Myrtle Beach and bathing suits). Hopefully, when I see the podiatrist on Thursday, he'll have good news for me. What are some of the possible outcomes? He might need to make me some type of orthodic, I may need occasional cortisone shots, physical therapy, or just to wear a simple arch in my sneaks from now on...or maybe nothing at all (I can hope can't I?)

Tarsal Tunnel...I tell you!

7 comments:

Ms. Understood said...

What?!?! Running shoes that aren't good for running? Crap. I just bought some Nike Shoxx. I'm gonna check those soles as soon as I get back into house. I'm sorry that you got that foot issue. I hope that the brace helps.

Chocolate Mom aka Blupoetres said...

@Mrs. - Thanks gurl...make sure you do an arch test!! LOL

demilove said...

I found a regimen for an upper body workout on glamour.com by a woman who had an injury (from her physical therapist). The entire workout is done in bed!!I watched the video and it was captivating to say the least. Hope you get to return to your work out regimen!!!

Kristi {at} Live and Love...Out Loud said...

Crazy! My friend had the same thing. She has to wear a shoe with major arch support. All the time, even around the house. That's about the only recommendation she's received at this point. She's hoping to skip the cortisone shots altogether.
I hope your workouts go well and that you're able to manage the condition. Congrats on loosing 8 pounds. That's awesome!
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day.

Kristi, Live and Love...Out Loud
@TweetingMama

PS Following you via Google Friend Connect.

Chocolate Mom aka Blupoetres said...

@Demi - Thanks for the info I will definitely look into that upper body bed workout, cuz that's always a woman's hardest thing to lose...the gut!!! Lol

@Kristi - Eesh! Hope I don't have to wear something all the time! Thanks ;-D

Unknown said...

I feel you on the foot issue. I lost my cuticle on my left big toe because my old sneaks were too small (I gained a 1/2 size during my pregnancy). The pounding of my toe against the tip of the shoe cause me to lose the cuticle. It's gross. When I was a runner I swore by the Mizuno brand, a small Japanese company.

Anyways, thanks for stopping by Marlie and Me and leaving comment love. your blog is wonderful. I'll be visiting often!

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