Healing my Foot

You may have noticed I am not barefoot while I work. I am not happy about it, but it is necessary—for now. 

I have enjoyed working barefoot for most of my career. I love being barefoot! That’s part of why I love teaching Nia and Ageless Grace—two techniques done barefoot! Lisa also likes working barefoot. I bought the shoe rack in the office so that we had a designated spot for our shoes. 

You might remember in my post about office updates, when I mentioned the shoe rack, that I said there are many reasons you might keep your shoes on. Well, I know one really good reason firsthand (or foot, ha!) now.

In January, my right foot, which is flatter than my left, “fell” during a Nia class I was teaching. It was nothing dramatic—my arch just started to hurt. Basically, my posterior tibialis tendon got inflammed aka PTTD (D for Dysfunction). 

I went to two chiropractors, an ortho, our PT Jen Speri, many shoe stores, a podiatrist, a foot reflexologist, a couple bodyworkers, an acupuncturist (next week) and now back to Jen. I believe the more perspectives I can gather, the better. Sometimes it takes a village to heal.

I saw Molly Hall at Active Chiropractic, who miraculously healed my back after a year of getting all kinds of therapy. I go to her mainly for her Active Release Technique, which is like magic. In lieu of traditional adjusting, I ask her to use the activator method, which I can tolerate better. She helped me hone in on trigger points in my calf, work with my toe joint, and activate my right glute. All of which could be part of the problem.

The other chiropractor is just around the corner in Cheshire Park! I received Network Chiropractic from Julianne Trell with Body Wisdom Chiropractic. This technique is very different from traditional chiropractic work. It is subtle and feels more like energetic work. Julianne has a way of deeply listening to the body and spirit and had me ask what my foot was telling me. It spoke loudly and right away: “You need to slow down and simplify.” I immediately suspended my Monday Nia classes. I am only teaching Nia on Saturdays now. I hated stopping the class but knew it was the right move when I felt relief after the decision. Julianne was also the healer that referred me to Raleigh Orthopedic.

The ortho gave me an ankle brace I can use to still teach my Nia classes barefoot. After a small break from teaching and then using a chair for a few classes, I am thrilled I can teach a normal class again! I know the techniques in Nia will ultimately heal my foot and keep it strong. 

The podiatrist I went to advised me to be barefooted with intention. I am choosing to save my bare feet (sort of, it’s with the ankle brace for now) for my one class and use better support when I do massage and go on long walks. When I had the carpet redone in the office, I asked for extra padding, but the concrete underneath is probably not great for my flatter right foot. I used to love working barefooted—much to my husband’s dismay—but now rely on my clogs for more support when I work and Brooks when I walk.

I highly recommend Phaedra Neely for foot reflexology. The couple times I went were very healing. This past week I saw one of my favorite massage therapists, Dotty Uhl. She is highly skilled with over 35 years of experience. Her work is unlike any I have ever received combining lots of techniques and structural reeducation. Next week I give acupuncture a go with Ginna Browning of Remedy Clinic. Ginna was a massage therapist and gave me one of my first massages before switching to acupuncture.

It has been awesome working with Jen at my office! She assessed my gait and foot strength and gave me specific exercises to address my weaknesses. I brought the pages the ortho gave me, and we whittled down what was good and not so good for me to do. She did dry needling and lymphatic drainage for the swelling. After getting more dry needling, I will say it is sort of rough, but I need this tendon to heal, so it has been worth the discomfort. I love the lymphatic work she does. She reassessed my foot and gave me a few more exercises to further strengthen my foot.

After my third visit with Jen, I had no pain the next day and was able to walk a much longer distance without any discomfort! It flares a bit when I push myself in class or wear different shoes, but I can feel improvement. This is my first time getting any sort of tendonitis. It has definitely increased my empathy and understanding for my clients weathering the ups and downs of stubborn issues.

Some of my healing tools.