Foot Fusions - my history

[Guest guest]

I had foot weakness that resulted in my feet rolling outward. The

left was around age 17 and the right became a nuisance around age

20. I had bone fusions in the top of the feet by an orthopedic

surgeon. (pediatrists don't do this) I am now 46.

My right foot has done well over the years and doesn't give me any

problems. The left foot has developed a deformity (most likely due

to asymetric muscle/tendon weakness). It's not a growth but a

deformed shape that causes the outside edge to bear the brundt of my

240 lbs. with every step. I developed a callus that hardened and

then split open and became infected. This has healed after lots of

attention and I use a polishing stone to soften the callus several

mornings/week.

My orthopedic surgeon prescribed custom made shoes with a

strengthened outside so they don't roll when the weight comes down.

In the last 3 years we have added a T-strap to the shoe and a fully

articulated metal brace. The strap pulls against the brace to help

the foot stay aligned with the lower leg on each step. This reduces

the sheer forces on the outside edge of the foot and has allowed the

callus to reduce in size over time.

They didn't call my foot bone fusion a triple arthrodesis in those

days. Maybe it isn't a triple but I have come to believe it was an

arthodesis of sorts. I had it as a teenager and it gave me 20 yrs

of mostly normal walking.

I have read that some forms of CMT accellerate muscle wasting in

decades 2 and 5 of our lives. Sure enough I had my first real

issues from 17-20 years of age. Now my second round of issues (the

foot callus) set

in once I hit 40. I hope by age 50 my CMT symptoms will peak and

level off. Time will tell and we all have to play the cards we're

dealt.

Regards,

Dirk