Painful feet can make life so difficult! Not to mention discouraging and even debilitating. I understand this COMPLETELY! When I was just 12 years old my feet all of a sudden started hurting me and made it difficult to walk. I was not over weight and was a pretty active child. My parents took me to a podiatrist (Foot specialist) and I was diagnosed with very flat feet which caused my leg bones to be twisted and for me to be pigeon toed. When I stood, the bones in my feet would collapse, thus causing my pain. I got custom orthotics which were helping but it was so hard finding shoes. My parents and I decided it would be best to have my arches corrected through surgery, where they would put a peg between certain bones in my feet that would hold my bones up into the correct position. The surgery worked, but my body rejected the pegs and started attacking them. My ankles swelled up and my feet were painful for a whole new reason. Because I was just a young teenager and my growth plates in my feet were not closed yet, the doctor decided to leave the pegs in for 2 years in the hopes that my feet would grow and stay in the correct position. At the age of 14 the pegs were taken out and I had arches. But my bones were not stable and were still collapsing when I walked and caused me pain. More custom orthotics was the only answer I was given.
After getting married I stopped wearing my orthotics and started wearing more supportive shoes and was working 10 hr shifts as a medical assistant. My feet did pretty well but I still dealt with some pain and discomfort in my feet most days. I pretty much became accustom to the pain. After I had my second child I was having a lot of nerve type pain underneath my third toe on my right foot. The pain was awful. I could feel about a pea sized lump and I knew right away it was a ganglion cyst. I had met my maximum out of pocket amount with my insurance after having my baby so I decided to have it removed when my baby was 9 months old. It turned out that the cyst had a nerve running right through it and was the reason it was so painful. I opted to alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen instead of taking the pain medication they wanted me to take because my baby was still nursing and refused to take a bottle. It was a more painful but I got through it and it was worth it for my baby.
Recent Struggles with Orthotics
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After so long without my orthotics and walking barefoot in my home taking care of my children, my feet started hurting almost unbearably. Certain shoes would ease my pain but not enough. I really liked the foot specialist I had seen while I was a teen so I went back to him to have new orthotics made. Same problem as I’ve always had, collapsing bones while walking. Also found out that I have 2 neuromas in my right foot and at least one in my left, which were caused by my collapsing bones rubbing on my nerves and causing inflammation. New orthotics were made right before my extended family’s trip to Florida. I was dreading walking around all the parks (Disney, Universal, and Sea World), but was hoping the orthotics would help. I was in ANGUISH! Hobbling and fighting back tears with each step I took. When we got back home I went to my follow up visit and found out they messed up on my orthotics. The doctor did his best to fix it and it was a lot better. My feet did better for about a year, but still had pain when I was on my feet too long. My feet started hurting more and more over time so I decided to go and get my orthotics readjusted. It just wasn’t doing what I needed for my pain. I couldn’t keep paying for the adjustment appointments as I was self pay, and was to the point where I would probably be better off having brand new orthotics made again. I did not want to pay $600 for new orthotics but knew I needed better support for my feet. I decided to get on Amazon and see what kinds of orthotics they had. I was told by my foot specialist in a previous appointment that I have high arches now…. when I had very flat feet before my surgeries. I looked at orthotics for high arches and decided on a pair with the hopes I would not have to try multiple different kinds.
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They are soooo supportive!!! they work so well for me. So much more support than my custom orthotics and WAY CHEAPER! For the first few days I could feel aching in my hips, thighs and knees from the orthotics straightening out my bones. Which is to be expected and is a good thing. Had I not been wearing orthotics before I got them I would have worked myself into wearing them. 20 min a day and then increase an additional 20 min every day after until used to them. Now I can go to the grocery store and do my daily work without hobbling in pain. My feet only hurt mildly at the end of busy days.
VALSOLE Heavy Duty Support Pain Relief Orthotics: I got the Blue ones. Not all of the options are for flat feet and high arches. only the blue ones and the brown fuzzy ones for winter are.
Ganglion Cyst
5 and a half years after my ganglion cyst was removed, it decided to come back. It was hurting just like it was last time. I was discouraged. I did not want to have surgery again. The doctor also wanted to remove my neuromas. I believed that there had to be a natural way to help my cyst go away and help my neuromas to heal. I prayed to the Lord for help to know how to help myself. I knew that he knew a way to help me. Every time I was overwhelmed and frustrated by the pain and wanted to consider surgery, I felt that it wasn’t the right thing to do. One day as I was checking my cyst in my toe that was the size of a large pea, I had the impression of gently squeezing it. POP! with very little force it popped and the discomfort went away. I was shocked at how easy that was. Because the sack of the cyst was still there I knew it would probably come back. A few days later it started growing back. I found myself popping it at least once a week. I remembered that ganglion cysts grow out of a joint. I decided to take my thumb firmly on the side of my cyst and drag it across my toe in the attempt to pull the cyst out from my joint. It was not overly painful, but it seemed to do the trick. Since then my cyst has not gotten bigger than a tinny bump and the pain and discomfort is gone.
Neuromas
Knowing that my neuromas have been caused by my collapsing bones in my feet, my new orthotics I bought from amazon have helped a lot (see the link above). Before I got my new orthotics, or even thought to get some off of amazon, the pain of my neuromas made it so hard to walk at times. With the nerve pain shooting through my toes with each step. Not to mention the pain from my collapsing bones. Again I prayed for the Lords help to know what to do to help the pain and inflammation. After some time of researching, I felt good about putting castor oil mixed with frankincense essential oil on my feet.
Organic cold pressed hexane free Castor oil: A few things Castor oil is known for its ability to deeply penetrate the skin, helps with inflammation, and eases muscle stiffness.
Frankincense essential oil: Frankincense has many wonderful benefits, such decreasing inflammation and pain.
I used about a nickel to a quarter size of castor oil and three drops of frankincense. I’d mix them in the palm of my hand and rub it on the tops of my feet to the tops of my toes, and then the bottom of my feet at the base of my toes and in between my toes where my neuromas are and then put on a sock (the oil has not ruined my socks). The pain in my feet was so much better!!! I’d put it on in the morning, and sometimes at bedtime. An unexpected benefit i experienced was the really tight and painful muscles in between the bones on the top of my feet finally relaxed (they’ve been tight for most of my life). I went to an aquarium with my family and using the oils on my feet before hand kept my feet from hurting. For the first time I was not hobbling half way through at a place where I had to walk a long time. Using the oil in addition to the new orthotics has been a life saver! I thank God for blessing me and guiding me to what I needed to know. It is my prayer that now my neuromas will have the opportunity to heal themselves.
Strengthening your feet
One important way to help your feet if you have flat feet, fallen arches, or bone instability is to strengthen the muscles in your feet. Specifically the muscles in your arches so your bones will naturally be more stable.
- Towel scrunch:
- Sit on a chair and lay a hand towel down in front of your feet.
- Grab the towel using only the muscles in your toes until you can’t pull the towel any more under your foot. Do two sets per foot each day and increase the amount of sets when you feel ready.
- Arch lifts:
- Stand with your feet hip width apart. Keep your feet relaxed.
- Keep your heels and toes on the floor and scrunch your arch by dragging the base of your big toe backwards towards your heel.
- Gently push the tip of your big toe down onto the ground.
- You should be able to feel the muscles in your arch and bottom of foot contracting.
- Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 20 times.
- Banded ankle adductions:
- Sit on the floor or in a chair with your legs straight in front of you.
- Loop a resistance band around the ball of one foot.
- hold the ends of the band with one hand.
- Pull the band until it is tight, keeping your heel stationary on the floor. Turn your foot in and then back to the starting position.
- perform 2-3 of 15-30 reps on both feet.
May God bless you as you are dealing with your own feet pain and I hope this information will be a blessing to you.