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What percentage of people dealing with PN get hammertoes?
Neuropathy | Last Active: Jun 4 9:16am | Replies (14)Comment receiving replies
I’ve gone to the Brooks Ghost sneakers for shoe-wearing. Runners wear them for the support and comfort, but they also have a soft “netting” type top that allows the hammertoes to rise up and not rub on a hard shoe under-surface. In the house, I wear non-skid socks- the PT recommended those indoors for safety and to give lots of tactile stimulation to the soles of my PN feet. I gently stretch my hammertoes most nights while sitting in my Lazy-boy, then wear Yoga toes for an hour- stretches the toes and the foot bones/tissues out gently. It’s been 7 years and the hammertoe joints still aren’t “fixed”, so I’m hopeful to keep them that way.
Orthofeet has a MaryJane style shoe with soft netting on the top. I bought a black pair for “dress-up”, wore my regular black shoes once and the rubbing on the top of the toes was very painful.
Replies to "I’ve gone to the Brooks Ghost sneakers for shoe-wearing. Runners wear them for the support and..."
Brooks are great. Hoka is also a good shoe recommended by my podiatrist. I think they’re kind of big and ugly looking (but I also wear a size 11) but they’re very popular with runners and hospital workers because they have a very wide and roomy toe box. On another note, I suffered from PN from diabetes for years, was taking Tramadol for the pain/burning. I was falling and using a cane for awhile, then I started taking Lyrica. I felt like it saved my life, it really worked good, I stopped the Tramadol and cane. I was on it for maybe 6 years. If my prescription lapsed, it only took about 5 days for all my symptoms to come back. Then I got got breast cancer and took letrozole for 5 years, which gave me osteoporosis. The DEXA technician told me Lyrica was hard on bones and also statins, which I was also taking. I immediately stopped the Lyrica and went to a naturopath to find out what I could do for my PN. He had me start on a complete B complex and later I added additional B12. It’s been almost 3 years since I stopped the Lyrica and my symptoms of PN have NEVER returned. It’s hard to believe. I still have PN, it just doesn’t hurt. B vitamins help with nerve function. Don’t know if everyone can fine relief with this easy “cure” but it’s worth a shot.
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Thank you for sharing your experiences and for your suggestions. I will definitely look into Orthofoot shoes. I’d not ever considered non-slip socks but have worn slippers with leather soles for years. They have made a big difference.
I hope that your stretching, etc your toes is helping in some way though my understanding is that the benefits of this type of exercise is limited to hammertoes which have not become “rigid”. Some change can occur as long as a toe is still able to move in the middle joint. I’m unsure how, but I missed this part of my toe’s deterioration so cannot personally speak to this. Again, thanks for your help and all the best.