We take a lot of aspects of our health for granted, and a lot of time we only recognize how good we had it once an injury or health condition develops. This is especially common in our feet. We don’t pay our feet much attention despite the fact that the average person puts anywhere from 6,000-12,000 steps on them each and every day.
So when a problem develops in your foot and now there’s pain or discomfort with every step, patients often ask if their foot will ever feel “normal” again. We can’t say yes or no with absolute certainty, but there are some things you can do to help your feet along in their recovery. We share how you can do your part to help your feet feel normal again in today’s blog.
Will My Feet Ever Feel The Same?
Since every foot injury is different, there’s no way that we can say your foot will always get back to normal, but if you do a few things, you’ll increase your odds of completely putting the injury behind you. Here’s what you should do.
1. Take The Injury Seriously – For starters, don’t just keep doing the same things that led to the injury in the first place. If you sprained your ankle playing basketball or noticed an issue with your toes after a long day in your work boots, don’t keep playing basketball or stuffing your feet in your work boots and hope that everything will just work out. If you keep doing the same things that contributed to the injury, you stand a good chance of making the problem worse, and more significant problems are less likely to respond well to treatment. Give your feet some rest and protect them from common stressors.
2. Consult A Professional – Serious problems require professional solutions, so don’t just try to fix the problem on your own. If you’re serious about putting the injury behind you, have it professionally examined and care for by a doctor. We can help provide you with treatment plans tailored to your individual needs, which will help with your recovery.
3. Participate In Physical Therapy – For a number of foot conditions, activities like physical therapy, exercise and stretching movements will be a key part of expanding your flexibility and strengthening supportive structures. Take these exercises seriously! Oftentimes they can help make the difference in your foot feeling “fine” or “back to normal” in the wake of an injury. Don’t settle for good enough when physical therapy can get you back to feeling normal!
4. It Might Take Surgery And Rehab – Finally, it’s important to realize that the best chance at getting your foot back to normal may be with a surgical procedure. Surgery and rehabilitation can take weeks and months, but it’s important to keep your eyes focused on small wins and your end goal. It might not be the easiest route, but it may be the best for your foot in the long term, so weigh your options and come to terms with putting in the work during your recovery, and you’ll be giving your foot the best chance to feel normal once again.
If you need help putting a nagging foot injury behind you, reach out to Dr. Silverman and the team at Silverman Ankle & Foot today.