Foot issue

[Laurs]

According to him the shoes are so comfortable that he doesn’t experience any foot problems. I bought a pair myself for work, since most of the time I'm on my feet. They're great, my feet don't hurt as they used to while wearing other types of shoes.

It's great to hear they are a comfort to you, Andrian! Actually, yesterday I checked out some video's about the mechanics of problematic feet, exercises and shoe recommendations by The Foot Collective, as per @gottathink's excellent advice (thank you so very much!!), and i think that with my genetic disposition of my feetsies PLUS wearing tapered shoes (like all of my shoes) for so long, I kind of exacerbated the problem i have now. I like how they put it on their website (and so far I haven't come across them recommending insoles):



Today, I made a tour of available shoe shops in my region, but to no avail; only tapered shoes on the market here and that's no longer an option for me. But i found some suitable options from the Barebarics and Groundies brands, which have a wide toe box, neutral drop (no heel), minimal cushioning and are flexible (can fold/twist/bend). I will have to order them online, but at least it's within Europe so it should not be too difficult with shipping.

Thanks @loreta for the article, phew, i am happy that i walk barefoot around my house and garden all the time!

With what I've learned so far though, I'm optimistic that surgery can be avoided and that with discipline (doing the exercises) and sensible shoe wearing, i should be able to go on walks outside my house in the foreseeable future without problems!

 

[Mari]

If you find something online on German portal and if they don‘t have shipping to Portugal, you can order it to my address and I’ll ship it to you.

On that note, I‘m flying to Croatia in one week and I‘m back after 19.8. So if you find something that has fast shipping, I can then resend it to you before I leave the country.

I hope you‘ll find something perfect and that it will all sort out.

 

[hlat]

You might consider seeing another doctor for a 2nd opinion. Often the 1st doctor we see isn't the right one.

wide toe box, neutral drop (no heel), minimal cushioning and are flexible (can fold/twist/bend).

I've been wearing "barefoot" dress shoes like this for more than a decade. The ones I use are by Vivobarefoot called Ra, and there are several other barefoot brands. My wife doesn't like the way they look, though I like how my toes can spread out and are not constricted. I have a very stylish pair by Carets that my wife likes, and I can't wear them because my feet are extra wide.

Carets - The Most Stylish Barefoot / Minimalist Dress Shoe

Shop our stylish, zero drop, barefoot / minimalist dress shoes. Look great in the office so your coworkers judge your work, not your feet. Your feet will feel free with our wide toe box. 90%+ 5/5 star reviews. Free shipping and 365 day return policy.

carets.com

For sports shoes, after Vivobarefoot discontinued my favorite shoe, I wasn't able to find a comfortable replacement, so I went with a traditional shoe by Brooks called Ghost in extra wide.

 

[gottathink]

Today, I made a tour of available shoe shops in my region, but to no avail; only tapered shoes on the market here and that's no longer an option for me. But i found some suitable options from the Barebarics and Groundies brands, which have a wide toe box, neutral drop (no heel), minimal cushioning and are flexible (can fold/twist/bend). I will have to order them online, but at least it's within Europe so it should not be too difficult with shipping.

Thanks @loreta for the article, phew, i am happy that i walk barefoot around my house and garden all the time!

With what I've learned so far though, I'm optimistic that surgery can be avoided and that with discipline (doing the exercises) and sensible shoe wearing, i should be able to go on walks outside my house in the foreseeable future without problems!

That’s great Laurs, yes The Foot Collective is a great resource.

I think it’s worth mentioning in this thread that there are times inner soles are appropriate it all depends on the individual, some environmental and personal factors such as: is the person standing or working on a hard floor/surface all day, what’s the integrity of the foot structure, and how much work are they willing or can do to correct and strengthen the feet and body? Dr. Mercola has highlighted this all earlier this year, but he went a bit too about face on the barefoot philosophy, IMO.

About ten years ago I review a lot of footwear research and found that light flexible correctly fitting shoes was overall always best. But there is always a spectrum of individuals in research studies. Some people are just not flexible in their psychology to match. Or something like that.

 

[France]

I regularly bind the two big toes together with an elastic band and push the rest of the toes toward them (hope I make any sense in explaining this exercise).

This is a good movement.

When the feet have problems or the knees and hips are out of balance, the three points of support need to be redone. There is a disturbance in the metatarsals and in the muscle fibers. So I suggest starting with a ball on each of this point and try to push against the ball without raising the heel and outer edge of the foot. The other foot should be next to the one with the ball, so that the hips and knees are in alignment and the body weight is distributed over both feet.

Look at the picture with the 3 support points drawn.
Look at the position of the foot when the ball is under the joint.

 

[France]

other suggestion:
Another day, you could create space between your metatarsals by placing a small stick under the foot, starting at the 2nd toe and middle of the heel. If you lift one joint, the others on either side will release, creating space. Start with the least painful foot before moving on to the next. Align each toe, placing it firmly on the stick and the middle of the heel. The 2nd then the 3rd, the first, the 4th and finish with the 5th toe (the little one).

You finish this short 10-minute session by aligning both feet with the two chopsticks under the 2nd toe and mid-heel, mid-ankle, knees and hips in the same alignment.

See picture below.

 

[France]

other suggestion:
Easy movement. This will help rebuild the transverse arch of the foot, which often collapses and needs to be corrected with orthotics. With a pool fry cut in half, we place our feet on it with the 2nd toe and heel on it, in line with our knees and hips. Remain on it for 2 to 5 minutes (incorporate it into your daily routine, for example, every time you brush your teeth, you place your feet on the half-rounders).

See the picture below.

 

[France]

you also can do that:
It is very good for the arch of the foot

 

[France]

with the ball. I often do that after the 3 points.

The ankle needs to be aligned. If you look at your standing position, do you stand on your inner heels, or more to the outside of your heels (if both feet are spaced a little apart and the big toes are equal)? Often, foot problems are caused by the transverse and internal arches misaligning the position of the ankles, and the bones of the feet have to change to be able to stand, walk, ...

Foot re-education is a conscious approach to developing proprioception of our feet in our daily lives.

Massage your feet regularly.

I used different objects or balls to reeducate them, because massage wasn't enough to keep my ankles aligned.

 

[France]

Yes, when i started researching what it could be, i thought it was Morton's neuroma and mentioned it in my first visit to the orthopaedic doctor. After examination she concluded it wasn't, as the bump was not on the foot sole and i didn't display any other symptoms such as tingling and pain on the bottom of the foot when walking.

Good, if you don't have that. You can do the movement with the sticks just above.

Try some of them, if you want. But when you have too much pain, take just than one: Foot issue with soft objet or rool a ball under your feet.

 

[France]

and I did a little video (in english) for the tonus and for the nerves of your feet. Don't worry if my english is not good but you can see what I try to explain.

I was wondering if you'd been to see an osteopath or physiotherapist to release the cartilage and tendons so that the muscle fibers can feed and regenerate. This way, the nerve that wants to jam can have a little more room and release its tension.

I've already had a bunion and as soon as I felt pain, I massaged it with olive oil and tea tree (1 drop) and relaxed it with movement and, above all, toned the arch of the foot, which had lost tone.

 

[ClaudiaYG]

Hello.

Doing exercises with a small ball, massaging the foot can help you relax and lower the pain.

Because of the rheumatoid arthritis I suffer from, I changed my shoes, you need shoes that are a little wider so that they do not irritate the bunions.

Here are some brands that I have tried, for me they are a little expensive but I do invest in my shoes.

Dansko.com
Fitflop.com
Abeofootwear.com

I like to follow this page from a lady who has Rheumatoid Arthritis and tries out shoes, maybe you will find something else for you.

BarkingDogShoes.com

Comfortable Shoes for Women: Reviews and Recommendations for Picky Feet

www.barkingdogshoes.com

 

[France]

And I finish with this one. I do this one when I loose my sensation at the tips of my toes or when I have new shoes, or just because I would like to strech my toes like that.

Take care of our feet is so important for me. I hope those movements can help you.
You will see, be patient.

 

[Laurs]

Oh dear @France, thank you very much, so grateful for your help ! I wrote down all your exercises on a sheet, will get a (tennis?) ball and the wooden sticks today, so I can get started to get into a routine. Especially from the last video (and your English is really good!), it can be noticed that you treat your feet with reverence, something I can learn from as I always just took them for granted, so thank you once again.

I was wondering if you'd been to see an osteopath or physiotherapist to release the cartilage and tendons so that the muscle fibers can feed and regenerate. This way, the nerve that wants to jam can have a little more room and release its tension.

I went to an osteopath about a year ago and she went over my entire body, including the feet. The bunions were there (no pain), same way as today. I also had to stand up straight and she checked my posture and hips/knees/feet position, and said it was all fine, so i didn’t give it another thought.

Over the past few days I tried some exercises, also those from The Foot Collective, and notice that the arch muscles in the feet, and the muscles/tendons around the ankles are on the weak side. Something to patiently work on! I will report back in a few weeks and let you know how things are going. The bump between the 2nd and 3rd toe has come down a little already, so hopefully, by the time my new shoes arrive, I can go for a little walk and try them out.

Many thanks again, also to you @ClaudiaYG for your suggestions. I had a look at the barkingdogshoes site, but ordered Groundies shoes, a barefoot type, wider at the toes. Hope they will work out!

 

[France]

Look at the position of the foot when the ball is under the joint.

When I do the three point, I use a little ball like squash ball. The tennis balle is too big for this movement but if you don't have this ball just massage often those points.
The brain will have registered these 3 points so that in the standing position, the foot can stand on these 3 points of support. I'm often aware of this because I put a bit more weight on the big toe, so the inner arch of the foot will collapse in the long term. It's a preventive measure.

I used different objects or balls to reeducate them, because massage wasn't enough to keep my ankles aligned.

will get a (tennis?)

For this movement, the tennis ball is OK. If you have pain, don't do this every day.

My feet are like warm little treasures that I like to touch, massage and take care of, not to make them beautiful but to make sure I can walk in comfort for a long time. There are fascias that start from our feet and go all the way to the occiput. The more flexible and toned our feet are, the better the body can rest on them and trust them.