I think I made the right move

I just got back from seeing Dr. Hasenback about my ankle. I've been back and forth in my head about going to a podiatrist vs. seeing Dr. Hasenback and pursuing a more non-traditional approach. After spending a solid hour with Dr. H, I definitely feel good about my decision. He poured out a TON of information and looked at not only my ankle but my arches, toes, calves, ITB, posture, the whole 9 yards. He did a very thorough Q & A with me. We looked at my shoes and my orthotics (which I don't normally wear). His goal was to provide me with enough information about the functional aspects of my issue so that I would know for myself what was going on with my body and be able to self-treat and prevent this issue FOR LIFE.

What I paid for on my initial consult was 1 hour with Doctor H where he looked at my issue. Had me stand in a lot of positions, without my orthotics, and with. Then he modified my orthotic a bit and had me stand in certain positions. It was absolutely amazing how different parts of my body, my ITB, my inner calf, my lower back, were all so much less tight, just by putting a tiny piece of foam under my orthotics. So much so that it was VERY noticeable. NO hocus pocus. It was noticeable. He made the point that once we get my feet working (not only with the orthotic modification but with some other very simple courses of action) running will become so much more natural and easier. I can so see how just these little tweaks to the way my foot absorbs shock and then propels me off my big toe will conserve energy and give me a more natural feeling. It's all very interesting.

With the initial consult, I also get another appointment which they refer to as the "Report of Findings". This is where Dr. H provides in great detail with pictures and images what he found during his exam and what our exact course of action is. Again, his whole emphasis is on educating the patient. What a concept in this world of waiting 2 hours to see a doctor for 10 minutes. Like I said, he poured out sooooo much information today that it was kind of hard to digest everything, so I'm looking forward to the full report. I'll update the blog Thursday after my appointment.

Oh, one thing I do know is that I was in the wrong shoe... I wear a Nimbus. Dr. H says I need to get a Nimbus. LOL!!! Evidently, the Nimbus 11 is majorly different than the Nimbus 10 which I wear. I don't know what that part of the shoe is called but it's the part right in the middle, under the arch. The Nimbus 10 is VERY flexible there. You can easily bend the shoe in half. The newer Nimbus 11 is stiffer in that part of the shoe, supporting the arch and providing more lateral support. Now, here's the cool thing. The reason Dr. H knows this is that he went over to Luke's Locker just last week and did his own research on the different types of shoes and came up with his list of recommended shoes. So, hot off the presses from the latest research, I got to choose between 5 of the best shoes for lateral stability (I have a propensity to put my weight "laterally" towards the outside of my foot because of my high arches). I went to Luke's and gave Luis the list of shoes I wanted to try on and my fav was the Nimbus 11. Luis told me that Dr. H was just in last week testing out shoes. LOL. Pretty cool, huh?