Friday, November 4, 2011

1 Year After Both Surgeries

It's been a little over 1 year since both my surgeries. My quality of life has changed dramatically. I have almost no back, sciatic, leg, or shoulder pain anymore. I can walk around, exercise, and run with no pain. If I'm on my feet for 5 or 6 hours in a row... my feet start getting fatigued and I get some sensitivity and soarness around the  implant areas of my ankles... but I think it's normal for people with non-flat feet to also get fatigued after being on their feet all day. Every now and then when I step wrong, I feel a minor sharp pain around the implant area of my ankle. The implant area also gets achy sometimes - especially when the weather is changing. However, these are rare and minor pains that I'd trade in any day in place of the unbearable back and leg pain I had before the surgeries. This past summer, I also walked on the beach barefoot for the first time without pain and discomfort! The sand actually felt good on my feet. Those of you with flat feet know how uncomfortable and painful walking on sand can be. I also wore flip flops and even walked around barefoot... not possible before the surgeries. In conclusion, I definitely 100% recommend anyone with flat feet to get this procedure done ASAP!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

7 Months After Surgeries

It's been 7 months since I had the Hyprocure implants put into both feet. I have no back, leg, or should pain anymore. It has literally been life changing. Since I don't need to wear orthotics and my feet aren't flat anymore; I can wear any sneaker or shoe I want! No more struggling to find the right sneaker as most weren't comfortable. I suggest getting a sneaker with cushioning and stability. The New Balance I got ended up being too firm; not even cushioning. I also tried motion control sneakers (shoes for people with flatfeet that prevent over/hyperpronation), and they were too restricting and uncomfortable. Now that my arch doesn't collapse; I don't need major arch support in a shoe anymore - just a minor mix of cushioning and stability. I found that old school Nike Air Max sneakers were the most comfortable as they provide some arch support, and have the perfect combination of cushioning and firmness. The newer Nike Lunar series sneakers are too spongy feeling - they felt unstable like I was walking on a water bed. My feet still do ache if I walk around all day or when the weather is cold. However, I think that's normal. Aren't normal feet supposed to hurt if you're on them all day? ...I don't know as I've only had normal feet for 7 months :) I can't wait till the summer so I can wear flip flops for the first time in my life!