Orthotics, A.R.T. and Fro-Yo?

I worked from home today because I had not one, but TWO doctors appointments. Both appointments were new experiences for me, so I share them with you in case you ever find yourself in similar situations.

Appointment #1 – Getting Custom Orthotics

After all the feet problems that I’ve been having, my podiatrist strongly recommended that I get custom orthotics. I was apprehensive to get them because custom orthotics is really expensive. But I did some research and learned that my health insurance covers 90% of the cost so I decided to go for it.

Today was my casting appointment, i.e., to get fitted for the orthotics.

When I arrived at the doctor’s office, the nurse had me sit in the patients’ chair, which is very similar to the chairs you find at dental offices. I had no idea what to expect so I watched her intently as she prepped for the procedure.

She filled a tub with water, laid out a bunch of gauze paper and then handed me a towel and bib that she said was for my face. I had absolutely no idea what she meant by this.

When the doctor arrived, he examined my feet again, looked at the current inserts I’m using; looked at the shoes I’m currently running in (which he whole-heartedly approved of) and then had me walk up and down the hallway to watch my gait.

Next he had me sit back in the chair, then he reclined it so he could measure my hips to my feet. The left side was 1/8th longer than the right, but he said that was normal.

Once he had all the data he needed, he had me lie face down (so that’s what the nurse meant by using the bib for my face!) with my feet hanging off of the end of the chair. Then he proceeded to wrap my feet in the gauze paper with the water. It created a plastered mold that is going to be used to create my custom orthotics.

It was *that* quick and harmless!

The orthotics should be ready in 2 weeks. I’m told that it’ll take a couple of weeks to break them in and I should only walk in them during the first week.

Fraiche

I had an hour to kill in-between appointments so I headed to Fraiche frozen yogurt.

It’s my favorite kind of treat, but being that I am been trying to reduce my processed sugar intake I have not any this summer – at all! (And quite proudly I might add!) Being that it is still so warm in the Bay Area, nothing sounded better than fro-yo.

But I make an exception for Fraiche. It’s different than other frozen yogurts. It’s homemade, organic and made with probiotic cultures. It’s creamy and doesn’t taste as sugary as regular fro-yo places. They even post the nutritional information on their Web site:

{I got the chocolate 4 oz’er with toasted almond toppings}

It hit the spot on this warm summer day and didn’t do too much damage to my diet.

Appointment #2 – ART on my Shoulder

My second appointment of the day was my monthly visit to see Dr. Eva, my chiropractor!

She adjusted my neck, back and hips (all three areas really needed it!) then asked me where I needed ART this time. Being that I ran just 25 miles in June (so sad) I really wasn’t hurting anywhere other than my shoulders.

I don’t know about you, but sitting at a desk, and hunched over a computer all day does a lot of damage to my right shoulder, specifically my scapula and rhomboid. I get weekly chair massages at work, but it usually only provides temporary relief. I had only had ART performed on my shoulder blade once before and it felt so good so I asked her to work on it today.

After examining the area she determined that my rhomboid needed the most work. Oh-em-gee — I didn’t think that ART on my shoulder would hurt as much as it does on my lower body, but it did. As she applied pressure on the rhomboid, she had my arm positioned in a “U” then had me extend it. It was very painful and I had very little range of motion.

But true to form, as soon as it was over, the shoulder felt much looser…better.

To try and correct my shoulder pain, I’ve been conscientiously trying to improve my posture while sitting at my desk by pulling my shoulders back. It is not an easy thing to do. After a few minutes I find myself hunched over again. Do you find yourself having this same problem?

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