@Jen When my feet become painful I know I need to up my rather high dose of Vitamin D. The pain goes away quickly when I take extra Vitamin D. I don’t know if this is playing a part of your problem or not. Here’s hoping you find answers which help!
I saw you mentioned orthotics. I had them made for me years ago and they do work. The doctor who ordered them made a point of telling me they were designed to be thinner to fit into dress shoes, but would work equally as well in sneakers. They do help and perhaps if you had them made with the thinner materials it might make a difference for you.
Interesting about vitamin D. What kind of pain did you have in your feet? Does it show up as changes on x-rays?
The orthotics I have are pretty hefty, and in addition I also use a heel lift. So that’s probably a lot of my problem. The first time I got orthotics I was given a pair for running shoes and a “half pair” for dress shoes, but when I saw an actual podiatrist a year later because I could still barely walk, he said the ones I got made were terrible and not much better than off-the-shelf ones. He made me ones that were much heftier and when I got another new pair the lady toned it down a bit. However, the podiatrist I saw this summer said I may need the hefty ones again, so who knows. It turns out my insurance won’t cover new orthotics (it only covers one per lifetime, like insulin pumps…ridiculous) so I’m going to see if I can get my current ones repaired. If I have to, I’ll shell out the money for new ones, though.
@Jen The pain is sharp and severe. It feels like every bone in my foot, the metatarsal area, is breaking/broken with each step I take. There aren’t any changes on the x-ray, but the x-rays I am referring to were taken about 18-20 years ago. I don’t recall having had any recent x-rays of my feet taken.
How is the pain you are experiencing?
I came across the Vitamin D fix by accident really. A blood test revealed very low, single digit, Vitamin D level. I was put on rx and otc Vitamin D and the pain in my feet went away. Now, when the pain rears its ugly head, I take additional Vitamin D and it goes away! I can tell when my numbers are running low, by how my feet feel. It used to be the doctor (rheumy or endo) would put me on a three-week (or three-month - losing one’s memory is awful!) course of Vitamin D and then I’d be off of it. As soon as I’d feel the pain, I’d ask for the test and sure enough it was low again and I’d be back on rx and otc doses. After several years of these “rounds” of Vitamin D I asked to just be kept on it, which they agreed. As a general rule, I take 50,000 iu two times a week and 2,000 iu daily.
That’s unfortuante the insurance won’t cover another pair, but we all know how that goes. I remember they were expensive, but I don’t remember the actual cost or if they were even covered by insurance.
Have you considered putting the heel lift on the outside of the shoe? That would help keep the height limited to just the orthotic. My husband had to have a lift on the exterior of his shoe - pre hip replacement surgery - very long story. We just counted the number of surgeries he’s had on his hip(s) since childhood. A few weeks ago he had his first “hip revision” which became his fifth hip surgery. He’s had two hip surgeries in childhood and three over the past 21 years. The soles of the shoes had to be leather for the lift to be attached, which became difficult to find.
I’ll ask about the difference in orthotics, from the dress shoe kind to the heftier ones, and see what our podiatrist says (a family friend). I’ve had mine for years and except for the label wearing off, they still look very good and are functional.