The verdict on my foot!

[telophase]

Winkle picker's disease. OK, so that's not what the doc said, but it's what my mother internet-diagnosed me with a few months ago. :D But it's the same thing: hallux limitus, basically arthritis of the big joint of the toe, and it can eventually turn into hallux rigidus, when the joint is completely frozen.

This doc basically said to continue doing what I'm doing: the occasional course of prednisone when it starts hurting too badly*, maybe a cortisone shot every now and then and eventually, if it gets to the point where it's seriously interfering with my daily life, surgery to put an implant in - he mentioned it was a cobalt implant.

So the diagnosis: hey, your foot hurts, deal. :D



* This current course has actually taken away all my pain. Whee!

Comments

[assume-a-virtue.livejournal.com]

My mom's big toe got so eaten up by arthritis that they had to replace it with a plate. They told her that the bone had gone spongy. Oo But she has a plate and she doesn't have much trouble except when there's a cold snap.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I suspect I'll be getting the surgery before it gets that bad. :) Or before it gets bad enough that the only thing they can do is fuse it, which sounds like it's a step before your mom's procedure.

[assume-a-virtue.livejournal.com]

Gaah. I know she wears inserts, too (reminded by the poster below), and that helps with it some. Good luck, either way!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[riofriotex.livejournal.com]

My son has this too. He'll be 23 on June 1. He's 6'6" and wears mens size 16 shoes, which apparently has something to do with it in his case. He needs to be careful about what shoes he wears, especially for sports (basketball and running) - like it's real easy to find size 16 shoes in the first place. Also supposed to wear inserts - but again, because of the shoe size, they have to be custom made.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I remember some radio show I listened to way back when I lived in San Antonio. A guy called in complaining that he couldn't ever find shoes large enough for him and the host suggested he call up the home office of the Spurs and ask where the players got their shoes. XD

Yeah, some reading around online tells me that this condition is also known as tennis toe and turf toe, often seen in athletes who use their feet or in people who've injured their feet, even sometimes just stubbing the toe. I've stubbed it a few times in the past, but don't engage in anywhere near that level of sports, so it's Just One Of Those Things, I think. XD

[riofriotex.livejournal.com]

There are some good places for size 16 shoes - the New Balance store near Central Market, and Nordstroms when he needs something dressier.

I'm sorry about your toe - I know from my son's experience that it HURTS.

Biiiig Shoooooes

[sparkylibrarian.livejournal.com]

I drive past the place whenever I've stopped at the Whole Paycheck before work: Big Shoes (http://www.bigshoes.com) in Austin, TX might also be something to look into...

Re: Biiiig Shoooooes

[riofriotex.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll send my son the link since he's in school in Florida and going to Eugene, Oregon where his dad lives on Friday for part of the summer. We also have family in Austin, so we'll try to go by next time we are there.

[chomiji]

My plantar fasciitis foot commiserates with your hallux limitus foot!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

My hallux limitus foot appreciates it! XD

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

UR A WINKLE PICKER!!!
XD

That's the funniest name for it I've ever heard. XD

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Yup! When my mom told me that, I had to look it up, because I knew winkles were a type of shellfish and I thought winkle pickers were people who gathered winkles and wondered what that had to do with it, but it turns out that winkle pickers are the pointy objects that you use to get winkles out of their shells, and that's the nickname that stuck to the tremendously pointy-toed shoes of the 1950s, which can cause hallux limitus. :D

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

At least it's something treatable with cortisone---when you described it, it sounded like a developing bunion, and those are awful. Hope it stays low-level!

Isn't it amazing, when they give you the prednisone and everything works again?

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I had a friend in college who had bad bunions on both her feet and our junior year got them both operated on, and spent most of the academic year on crutches, yuck. Mine didn't seem in the least like that, and the pain was pretty definitely on the top of the joint, with limited range of motion up and down, which didn't quite seem like a bunion.

I even walked halfway across campus for lunch and the slight soreness from that went away very quickly! XD

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

At least you've got a cool name for yours?

I'm glad the prednisone's working.

Dude!

[mustangsally78.livejournal.com]

Are you a mod or a rocker?

You have Mod/Teddyboy/Rockabilly disease!

Feel better.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Good luck! If you do need surgery, get a woman with small hands. They do better with the little picky stuff.