Me & My Flat Feet are Horrible at Following Doctor’s Orders

I need to whine a little. It’s been a challenging few months for me. Ever since around May, not only has the weather been only sporadically nice, but I’ve been battling with an injury that has kept me from running, much less walking. If you use exercise as an anti-depressant like I do, you totally get why it’s extremely rough when you can’t move your body the way you want and need to. Initially I thought the injury was an overuse issue, so I rested for a bit only to have it become more and more unbearable. And frustrating. Very very frustrating. I went to my doctor, got an x-ray and had visits with a physical therapist, but still I wasn’t feeling any better. I had to back out of a road race that I wanted to do more than anything earlier this summer, which hurt way more than my muscles would have after the running the 10 kilometers had I been able to participate. I went back to the doctor feeling discouraged, but on a mission to get answers. I had concerns of a stress fracture, so my doctor referred me to a podiatrist. I was actually eager to get in for that appointment even though I was also nervous about what he might have to say. He examined my feet and assured me it was not a stress fracture, but rather a mechanical issue due to a sudden, or not so sudden according to him, case of flat feet. As in, flat as a pancake. No really. He said that to me and I knew what was coming next.

Are Insoles the Best Treatment for Flat Feet?

He showed me a strengthening exercise to add to my routine and recommended I buy insoles and put them in my shoes right away, even suggesting I go out for a walk that evening. I was beyond thrilled that he was telling me I could at least go for a walk, but my thrill was short-lived after he told me the distance I was allowed to walk. He told me to walk for a half mile every day for a month to see how I feel and as a way not to overdo it. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time because I get the fact I need to ease back into running slowly, but a half mile? Really? How was I supposed to force myself to stop after a half mile, especially if I wasn’t in any pain or discomfort while walking? Yeah, good luck with that doc. Needless to say, I’m a horrible patient and even more horrible at following doctor’s orders. That’s not entirely true. The first time I walked, it was for a half mile, but the times since then have been at least a mile and actually closer to 1.5 miles, which is still a challenging stopping distance for me. The most important thing, though, is that I feel so much better already. I’m told there is definitely an adjustment period with insoles as my body gets used to them and learns the proper way to walk when a little support is required. Because of that I’m definitely a little achy at times after I have been wearing the insoles for a long period of time, but again that’s supposed to be normal during the breaking-in period. My hope is that I will not have any noticeable pain or discomfort after a couple of weeks, at which time I plan to write and share a review of the exact brand of insoles and how they have worked, or have not worked for me.

Cross your fingers for me, would ya?