Orthotics

Yesterday I met with Dr. Chang at Blue Ridge Foot and Ankle to make the casts for my custom orthotics.  I was honest with him about the pain I felt toward the end of the two weeks, which had not yet completely subsided.  After re-assessing my gait he decided that the structure of my calves may be part of the problem.  I inherited my dad's large calf muscles, which are great for strength but not so good for skinny jeans, knee high boots or - apparently - shin splints.  It's kind of complicated but essentially my girth of my man-calves may be causing pulling on the tendon and bone equating to some of the pain.  Thanks, Dad.

That said, I had success with the taping for most of the time (and there's really nothing we can do about the size of  my calves) so we think that the orthotics are going to be a big help.  The process is like getting a cast on a broken bone, only much faster.  Dr. Chang casted both of my feet in a straight prone position.  I just sat in the chair while he worked his magic.  About ten minutes later they were done and ready to be sent to the lab.  Here they are.  Pretty, huh?

It takes a few weeks for the lab to create the orthotics so I will be wearing temporary inserts in the meantime.  I ran with them this morning and though they felt really weird when I first put my shoes on, I felt great after the run.  They definitely provide support that I need and kept my foot in the proper position.  

Now, what to do about those man-calves???