When I last wrote, my doctor had referred me to an Orthopedic Specialist, and since then I’ve seen that doc… Just slow to update this blog when I’m not skating. 
Sorry!
About 2 weeks ago I went to the specialist, and he examined my X-Rays, felt my pulse in my feet/ankles, and did the same “does it hurt when I push here…here…” stuff. Then he asked if my feet or legs ever tingle when they cramp up. Nope. Do they get discolored? Turn blue/purple-ish? No way!
Apparently, those are also signs of Compartment Syndrome, and without those components, he was not convinced that I have CS. Which is good since that requires surgery most cases, but also not good since that just ruled out the one thing I had come to see him about! What’s wrong with my legs then??! He did say that he wasn’t totally happy with my circulation in my feet… I have a very healthy blood pressure, but my pulse wasn’t very strong in my ankle area. The only way to chase that rabbit though is through an MRI, which would help understand what’s going on, but would mainly just be expensive without necessarily getting closer to an answer.
He then asked about my stride, how my feet hit the ground, do they roll this way or that… Which really is a hard question to answer. My feet hit the ground the way they have for just over 24 years now, so even if it is very abnormal, it seems pretty normal to me. So, I kicked off my shoes and walked back and forth across the cold tile while he watched my feet. I really became very aware of every step I took, until finally he said that my arches are very low. He said he’d recommend insoles for my skates. I told him that’s something I implemented several months ago. He started to explain that Dr. Scholl’s may not be enough and I should try some from a running store, when I told him that’s exactly what I did. It’s frustrating sometimes being told by doctors to try the things I’ve been trying already, but I needed him to understand that I’ve been dealing with this for a while now, and there has to be something different I haven’t tried already!
So, he said from here I have basically 3 options:
- Have an MRI done to see what is going on with my circulation
- Get custom shoe supports made
- See a physical therapist to relearn how to use my leg muscles to stop straining the ones I’m obviously relying too heavily on right now
It took some pro’s and con’s weighing, but I finally decided to go with the custom shoe supports. It seems this one will help no matter what. Even if I do find later that I have circulation issues, my arch will still need the support. Also, if this direction doesn’t completely, immediately heal me, I can then go to PT to work on using the right muscles along with my insoles. If push comes to shove later on, then I’ll look into something more in depth/expensive with the MRI.
So, that’s it. I’m finally updating today because today is the day I go to get the molds of my feet made for the arch supports. I also picked up a $30 Groupon to Red Coyote a couple weeks ago, so once I get my supports in, I think I’ll take those with me and go get some new running shoes. Hopefully they’ll also be able to pick out some good shoes for me based on my stride, step, etc.
A friend joked that I need to get some Sketchers Shape Up, but if anyone ever sees me wearing those, please just shoot me on the spot.
