Generally, my work doesn’t cause me a lot of pain, and I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I get tight shoulders like everyone else in the world, and my left hip, which has always been my vulnerable spot, sometimes has me limping a little at the end of a long day. Those are common pains, and ones I’ve always managed quite well with a little chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage work. But lately, my feet and shins have been killing me. I mean a lying in the floor grasping my ankles and whimpering kind of killing me. My doctor father used to say that when any pain gets to the point where you’re ready to get a hand mirror and a steak knife and deal with it yourself, not only are you truly in pain, but you need help . . . really fast.
So I first began asking questions about our floors. As it turns out, the carpet in my room is covering hard tile, which probably isn’t helping matters. At the place I worked previously, the carpets were extra thick and had extra padding underneath, which may explain why this problem is new to me. So one possible answer to my problem would be re-carpeting the room—extremely unlikely. Another solution might be impact mats, but those can get to be a real problem too, as most of them don’t make very tasteful room decorations. Not only that, but I don’t want to hurt myself worse by tripping over mat edges or getting my stool caught on them.
Hmm. So if new carpets and mats are out, that leaves better shoes, perhaps. I have really nice work shoes (Landaus), which I wear with my orthotic inserts, but they weren’t necessarily made for standing in one place for five hours. My boyfriend got me a pair of athletic Sketchers, but only two hours in those made me feel like I’d been standing strapped to concrete blocks, and they went right back into their box. I’ve been researching all sorts of shoes from Z-Coils (another possible way to break my neck) to Nike Shox, but I just really have no idea which would be best and I need to do something fairly quickly. Any ideas out there? This Massage Princess needs to find new slippers before her feet turn into pumpkins!
3 comments:
Hi,
I also stand alot in one spot doing massage and before that I worked as a chef. I have found that my work shoes had to adapt to the environment. For example in the kitchen I would wear shoes with a dual density soles. This means there was an extra layer of padding in the sole of the shoe that went from the heel to the toe. I had two pairs, one for the morning shift and one for the evening shift. I often had to work 12 hour shifts and double back the next morning.
As a massage therapist I change my shoes often but I just wear tennis shoes that I can lace. I discovered that I needed to have shoes with enough support that allowed me to lunge and press into the sides of the shoe. Doing massage I have also developed techniques that allow me to sit more so I can get off my feet which is a luxury I did not have when working as a chef.
Finally, have you ever considered laying good quality throw ruggs/carpet over matts that are used for heavy exercise equipment. You will have a cushier surface to stand on.
Good Luck
I appreciate the advice! I went shoe-shopping a bit a few days ago, but didn't end up buying anything. It's just so hard (for me) to spend so much on shoes when I'm simply not sure that they will help the way I need them too. Also, my research is telling me that many cheap shoes lose the best part of their support in 3-6 months, meaning you'd have to spend a lot on some of these to keep up!
Study taiji - a program that will teach you standing meditation... you need to find movement in your standing.
I agree with the comment to figure out places within your routine for sitting occasionally.
I am a massage therapist with no foot pain issues, but my practice is more oriented to pain management than relaxation. I do not do 12 hours of continuous work. I think it is very important to periodically mentally check in on whether my body mechanics at the moment are the best they can be - I am always making small adjustments in my own body while I am working on the client's body.
Another thing to consider is strengthening arch support muscles (e.g. tibialis anterior) - lift your toes, check in mentally whether your weight is balanced evenly on all four corners of your foot.
Pain is a sign that you are using your body incorrectly - start observing what you are doing so that you may make corrections.
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