If the shoe fits...

I wear these in my dreams

I am grateful to all of you collagen-normal people who hang on with me, supporting my blog and getting the word out to those of us who are collagen-challenged. I have tried to pick subjects with Universal appeal, and this one is no exception. I'm the canary in the mine: what kills me, will eventually hurt you.

One of the first problems I had as a young adult, misdiagnosed with “fibromyalgia,” was debilitating back pain. I was a 20 year old Nursing student, and I could barely make it through clinicals. I went to a pain specialist, who told me there was no medication he could give me that would help my chronic pain, not even narcotics. I would have to just learn to live with it (This has profoundly shaped my life. We’re going to talk about his later on…). He noted my very tight hamstrings, and gave me a TENS unit for pain control during my hospital shifts, which was really effective, and helped me move normally. But that was it: no referral to PT, no mention of lumbar support, or abdominal weakness, and not one mention of the shoes I was wearing. How far I have come since then.

80% of Americans will suffer from back pain in their life, and according to most sources, the causes are poor posture, lack of exercise, excessive sitting, poor diet, and bad footwear. 

Which one are you?

The reason why I am here with you today, is Jennifer, my physical therapist, met me at a party. I was wearing ridiculous footwear (Earth shoes. Don’t buy them). I was sent to a “healthy foot store” by a chiropractor, and the sales people talked me into uncomfortable, expensive sandals that were not at all appropriate for my suspected condition. Jen asked me why I was wearing them, and the rest is herstory…But until then, I had been living in UGGS and flip flops, with the occasional heels for special occasions. And why wouldn’t I? I had been to countless specialists for 20 years: pain doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists, internists, orthopedists, and not one of them ever asked me what I was wearing on my feet or taught me what to wear. But even if they had, I’m not sure I would have listened. I’m a funky girl, and the “orthopedic shoes” of yore would have turned me off immediately. Fashion was always very important to me. It wasn’t until Motherhood sucked the life out of me, and I spent five years in yoga pants, that I had lost so much of my personal identity, I was ready to move into a look that was more responsible and fitting of my new, uh, lifestyle.

But have no fear! In many ways Fashion has gotten more responsible, and we have much better choices now. I am happy to report that I have still got it (snap!). I am on a mission to find funky, healthy shoes and accessories, because I have learned that limping for three days is not attractive. I have also discovered that by doing the things I need to do to take care of my body, I look better than I did in my 20s. Eating right keeps me thin. Doing my ab exercises, which strengthens my back, gives me a tight, flat stomach. I may be the weirdo with the skull fanny pack, but I look pretty damn good in a bikini at age 41!

Ditch the UGGS: try these instead

True health is true beauty, and that’s what I never knew back then. I now see the fashionistas shuffling through the mall in their UGGS and flip flops, with their sagging ankles, and cankles (really, those shoes do nothing for our legs, ladies), and I cringe not only from an aesthetic point of view, but also as the Ghost of Chiropractic Future, knowing what is in store for them.

Do you have foot pain? Jen says foot and ankle pain of any kind is not normal, not even when we get out of bed in the morning. If you change your shoes to  a "healthier" version and continue to have pain, you may need to use an orthotic or insert. Try an over the counter insert first, Super Feet or Lynco which also has children's sizes (you want to get one with a posted heel and arch support). If pain continues, you might need a custom orthotic made, but not all custom orthotics are created equal, she cautions. It depends on the lab where they are created. Want to know more about that? Ask her!

So here is the Malleable Mom’s guide to picking good footwear, based on my research, and awesome medical team. (Men, these pictures yell at women for their fashion choices, but the rules apply to your shoes too...)

• Has arch support built in
• Cannot easily be bent in half or twisted side to side
• Holds your heel (not a slip on)

  

  This flip flop won't flop

• Could snugly hold an orthotic (not a slipper shoe where it would slide around inside)
• Absorbs shock: doesn't have a flat or flimsy sole
• Bends at the ball of your foot only

If you want to wear a heel, choose a platform so the slops of the heel is not severe. If you have a high arch, and you naturally pronate (feet turn in), a wege shoe will correct you. But, wear it for short periods of time, like an evening out, not all day, or for times when you will do a lot of walking. For example, to replace my beloved gold sparkly heels, I got these:

They are just as eye catching, but I don't limp the next day. And I get more compliments from these shoes, especially from men, than any other pair I have owned!   

So go through your closet, run the test on what you own, and then use this as an excuse to go shopping keeping the new rules in mind. Let's teach our daughters that their health is more important than fashion trends, and that they can still look good and feel good. 

Get these from Clarks

Stand Up Straight!

I don't think I'll tell this story chronologically. That's boring - at least it bores me. The details of how I got here over the last 33 years are often painful and frustrating. Rather, I will reveal bits of that story from time to time as needed. Suffice it to say, I was not diagnosed, and then misdiagnosed for a long time, and because of that, it was bad. People who have hypermobility have a very specific list of things they need to do and more specifically NOT do. I think I had been doing everything on the DON'T DO list for some time. By the time I got to my physical therapy office, I had years of injury built upon itself. This can really complicate the picture, especially when your flexibility causes you to be, well, inflexible. It can make it hard to get an accurate diagnosis (it did for me). My whiplash was so bad, I could barely move my neck for about 20 years, and yet, after one month of proper therapy, I could touch the back of my head to my back. (Sidebar: that's not normal. And it's gross, according to my friends). So don't think just because you can't touch your knees/shins/feet that you don't have this. That's not normal either...

The first lesson I learned in PT was that our posture was going to make or break us. Jen proved it to me by testing our limbs - we couldn't resist her muscle test at all, arms or legs. She rolled up a towel, stuck it behind our lower back, and "supported" it. After about a minute, she tested us again. Boom - stronger. Hypermobile people have weakness in their arms and legs caused by poor posture. It is simply harder for us to hold our spines up, because they are too loose. By adulthood, many of us have scoliosis that we were not born with. I've seen my MRIs: they're a hot mess. The "migraines" I were getting were not migraines, but were cervical headaches caused by my neck falling forward and constricting nerves and blood vessels. Many EDS people have instability of their atlas/axis joint, which holds their head up. You're head is about 10-13 lbs, and on a rubbery neck, that makes you like a newborn baby.

Normal  Cervical Spine

My cervical spine, straightened by chronic whiplash...yuck

So, I became fanatical about our posture. I bought back rolls for chairs, for my car (you want your hips to be above your knees), lumbar support for the kids chairs at school (which everyone told me they would get teased for, and really, all of their friends think they are "so comfortable.") I stopped crossing my legs (that was hard. It took me about a month to kill the urge) 

I had to think about this stuff all of the time, and what was harder, remind the kids all of the time. That first summer was rough. When people want to change a habit, they need to really focus on it: it doesn't happen on it's own. The first 24 hours I thought "chin tuck, chin tuck, chin tuck..." and then it was just a few times a day I checked in with myself (chin tuck?) Now, maybe once a month, I say to my PT, "How's my posture?" Perfect...it always is now. It became a habit.

My work station. I have two pads on my chair, I prop up my iPad so it is at eye level and I don't strain my neck looking down, and use a remote keyboard so I can support my arms on the table to type.
When I need to use a laptop, I have it up at eye level, and I  go back and forth from sitting to standing, but it doesn't support my arms. I won't buy a lap top again. When I next upgrade my computer,
I will make sure my monitor and my keyboard are separate...

My kids are a different story. They need me. They are not mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions. They love slouching on the couch, and lying on their belly, propped up on their elbows to read. They like to sit at the table and lay their head down when they are writing their homework, slouched over. And crossing their legs feels good. What can I say that convinces them not do it? The consequences are too far away...I bought pillow pets, pillows with arms they can read against, anything to make supporting their spine more fun. In the beginning I was very strict, and cued them all of the time. I took a lot of flack from well-meaning people for my Drill Sargent demeanor (I didn't care. They don't have to pay our price.) I have tried it all: lengthy explanations as to why we can't do ___ anymore, brief one word barking ("Chin!"), non-verbal physical cues, (gently uncrossing legs, putting prop pillows in place, pushing necks into place). On bad days, I resort to, "You don't want to turn out like ME someday!" I make a game out of it as much as I can. For example, you may catch my kids and I playing "Who has their core muscles activated and can take a stomach punch?" 

Don't judge me. It makes them laugh, it keeps them strong, and I can always take the hardest punch.