Pressure Makes Diamonds

In this day and age your feet deserve the absolute best. After months of being cooped up indoors in fear of the novel Coronavirus, your feet are yearning to be used. Imagine all the traveling and excitement that lurks in the near future when this is all over. I can say with confidence that our physical, mental, emotional condition has truly taken a toll, yet our spirit has not broken. It is important to focus on that which lies on the other side. Set goals, make plans, and look forward to something in the future that inspires or gives you hope personally. The deconditioning and lack of sunlight your body has endured with stay at home orders will and has taken a toll on your feet. While the journey has been stressful, always remember that stress and pressure make diamonds and that we will get through this!

A known phenomena in the orthopedic world of bone healing and remodeling is something called "Wolf's Law". This is the physiological principle that states that our bones remodel according to the stresses placed onto them by exercise, gravity, and physical demand. While sitting on the couch has certainly strengthened our sacrum affected our gluteal muscles, our lower extremities have taken a hit. Returning to the baseline activities that one had been doing before the quarantine right away would be undavisable. There has to be a break in period for our bones and soft tissues to remodel. Like re-learning a new language your body will need a refresher course. Overuse and overload can be detrimental and lead to commonly encountered stress fractures or broken bones as a result of being deconditioned.

The best investment is always in yourself. With that said, if you are diabetic or have peripheral neuropathy (loss of sensation to the toes or feet) it is imperative that you walk around the house in slippers or house shoes. Peripheral neuropathy is no joke and I have experienced horror stories. A patient once came to my office with the chief complaint of "Doc, when I walk on my tile in my kitchen I hear a click with every step. The minute I walk on carpet that click goes away." The patient went on to discuss how he had his symptoms for 3 weeks before coming into the office with fevers and chills. To my surprise the patient had a BEER BOTTLECAP stuck to the bottom of his foot! The click was the metal scratching his tile floor! Peripheral neuropathy is all too real. He couldn't feel that there was a bottle cap stuck to his foot and given his body habitus he was unable to check himself. This unfortunate story ended in myriad of surgeries to save the limb. If this patient had been wearing shoes in their home and had been looking at their foot regularly with a mirror or a selfie stick all of this could have been avoided. Invest in yourself!

Are you are a runner itching to hit that pavement again? If so, did you know that the average lifespan of a pair of running shoes is only 400 miles! A general rule of thumb for avid runners is to replace your running shoes every 6 months or get used to appreciating the tread or wear to your shoes. Do you have a high arch, neutral or flat/no arch? Now would be the time to identify what foot type you have and make the biomechanical adjustments accordingly. Do your research and if something looks off or if you just want a proper biomechanical evaluation, see your podiatrist. Get back to doing what you love and perhaps find a new adoration! Use this stress and pressure to better yourself knowing that a diamond lies on the other side.

I'm Dr. Albert Elhiani and I believe in you athlete!

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