Merrell Shoes... another twist

[Stephanie Pierson]

Hi, Mac.

Once again, thanks for the great info!

I'm going to call my orthopedist today and I just left a message for my
chiropractor friend.  We'll see what they tell me!

With all the money we're spending on this trip, I suppose another $300
to make sure I finish the walk is well worth it!!

Take care.

Stephanie
>>> macsquartaYAHOO.COM 03/03/02 05:47PM >>>
Wow, I am very jealous of your opportunities to hike!  These insoles
took about
2 weeks to be made when I got them, but I am sure that they can be
done
quicker, not to mention that my chiropractor had to send molds away to
Kentucky.  I am pasting here a letter I sent to another person on the
list
about this that gives a pretty general overview of the whole thing.
What I
love about them is that even when I get a new pair of shoe, I have the
same
insoles and so the new shoes don't hurt and the shoes conform to my
feet
instead of my feet conforming to the shoe.  The insoles themselves are
a hard
plastic arch covered with a very nice foam rubber type cushion.

I began having a problem on the Camino.  The outside of my left leg
was going numb.  I went to a chiropractor who was offering a free
consultation
and mentioned it to him.  Without knowing any of my medical history,
he
suggested that I may have flat feet.  He said that most people have
flat feet
of are losing their arches because we walk on flat hard surfaces in
shoes with
little to no support.  If you think of the structure of the body you
can see
how the flattening of the feet will have a domino affect.  Your feet go
flat
which causes more stress on the inside of the knees due to the bones
not being
supported straight up and down.  On up to the hips and the backbone and
neck
and even jaw.  He pointed out that all this would cause things like
torn
cartilage in the knee, hips popping in and out, appendicitis,
gastro-intestinal
problems, back problems, kneck problems, twitches in the muscle under
the eye,
and even TMJ problems- the numbness in my leg would be a result of the
muscles
over working to support the now stressed bones.  I did have twitching
in the
muscles around my eye as well as a torn meniscus in my knee and
clicking in my
hip and had my appendix taken out about two years prior.  This all made
logical
sense to me (I began schooling as a bio-physics and anatomy major) and
so I
asked two other doctors and they seemed to agree and I got the insoles.
 They
were expensive (about $300 with exams and such), but I have found them
to be
well worth it.  It is important to get the insoles by someone who will
mold
them to your natural arch (lean forward on your toes and you will see
your
natural arch form again) as opposed to many doctors who will just mold
your
arch that has formed out of many years of misalignment.  I know that I
sound
like an infomercial, but I feel so good after all of this that I tell
everyone
I know about it.  Even my dentist has begun telling some of his
patients who
have TMJ problems. Questions are most welcome and I can even ask my
chiropractor if he can recommend anyone in your area to get you more
info or a
consultation.  Good luck!

Mac

=====
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.  Willing is not enough; we must
do.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - sign up for Fantasy Baseball
http://sports.yahoo.com


 =============================================================================
This e-mail, including attachments, contains information that is confidential and may be protected by the attorney/client or other privileges.  This e-mail, including attachments, constitutes non-public information intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s).  If you are not an intended recipient, please delete this e-mail, including attachments, and notify me.  The unauthorized use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction of this e-mail, including attachments, is prohibited and may be unlawful.

 =============================================================================