I haven't been able to pick up marbles or pick anything else up with my toes for years. And I never will again. Nothing will change that. Just the way CMT is

Twenty Eight Days Later ............

My big toe is flat again .......... 90% back to normal

My 2nd toe is 70% back to normal

My 3rd - 4th - 5th toe is has not show as much improvements (maybe 10%) > YET - but am thinking they will also. My forth toe was the first to go (claw or hammer) so it may be more "entrenched".

When I looked down at my feet (28 days ago) and saw all five of my toes bent bad and "locked in place" (when my ankle was at 90 degrees) ....... I got right on it.

I set up ten different toe "exercises" (more like PT) plus several foot exercises and a few other related exercises/treatments.

I would suggest - everyone treat their feet to ......

"Toe Treats" .... that is what I call a big chunk of the things I have been doing.

I got some of the ideas off the net and some from just normal logic.

PLUS ...... unless I am nuts (could be) even my PN *seems a little better.

To me it is only logical that all of this toe/foot exercises could help the overall feelings in your feet.

For sure more blood is getting somewhere - more so than not doing the exercises.

I am very pleased with the improvements so far. Besides PN there is nothing "wrong" with my left foot but ...... it is getting the very same care. Preventative maintenance is what I like to think of it.

I spent about $75 on items - and used many things that I already had and cranked up my creative knob and went to work.

Happy feet to us all

WHOOO! WHHOOOOO! Hooray and all of that.
The marbles are cheap, therabands can be about $10. for a 'useful' length and the rest is .... as you say Ron? Common sense!

Can I ask? Which 'ten' exercises did you do? I think this could help many more... others that merely cruise here and don't participate..ya know?

What tools/toys did you get/use for all this? There is soo little about foot rehab out there!

Rite now you are an inspiration to me to be more diligent about my own program. Thank you for that! Truly!

's - j

Gotta ask? 'TOE TREATS'????? Sounds kind of Kinky? Of course, that goes with kinky toes? BUT.....

dahlek - I am a computer geek. Apple computers since 1981 (heavy user).

I have very elaborate data bases - think big websites. I use FileMaker Pro and it can have pictures links and so on - just like any website (many use it for websites).

Anyway we are taking links pictures - sound (counting the reps/speaking the count - subtracting from goals as I do them and so on) for any exercises right here at my desk. That has been going on for several years. Things like spring grips - squeeze balls - abs device - tubing and such are (and have been) right beside me here. I also have large equipment down in a room in the basement but ........ too cold for me down there now.

The “Toe Treats” was a name I came up with for this new toe section of exercises. When I write scripts to automate things - it helps of the group of scripts have a common name ..... so that is where that came from lol.

Some of these exercises cross over into other exercises and sometimes - there are like three different ones going on at the same time.

Mostly just setting here at my desk. I do walk around with toe stretchers on but mostly it is sitting in this chair.

Just the Toe Treats I added .....

Bend (toes up and down - I do that about 60-70 times in a session)
Massage (spend three minutes massaging my twos - then three on the other foot)
PickUp (I lucked off and found gel items about the size of marbles - right in my desk - the were headset ear plugs - much nicer on my feet than marbles or the board game items and dice that I was using)
Soak (self explanatory - have not done that much yet but will do it more soon)
Stretch (smash my toes up hold for 3 minutes - down hold 3 minutes) I made some “props”
Twist (I twist the toe stretcher back and forth while they are on my feet) for three minutes each foot
Walk (with the gel toe stretcher on - I put rubber hose as a way to keep the toe stretcher in place while walking around the house)
Angle - that is my term for sever smashing my foot down while my toes are on a fixed item to hold them up
Pull - I loop a rubber exercise band around a desk drawer - pull my foot down - (stretch the long muscle that controls the big toe)

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Related things are using this industrial strength foot massager/vibrator/heat/programs that I bought 5 years ago when the PN hit.

I often use it when I have my toes stretch out (toe stretcher) the machine is big-ish and very powerful.

I don’t want anyone to think I am promoting any items but .... I think a good toe stretcher (YogaToes - HealthyToes) is a very very very good investment. I had to alter the set I got - my feet are big but narrow - they had my little toe bent at almost 90 degrees ugg. I am so sold on the benefits I am going to get some for my daughters.

dahlek - you have always been pleasant to me here ... I would be happy to email you some pictures - give you some links to some exercises etc - if you would find that useful.

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Just added - today my feet (both feet) in their entirety - feel better than they have in five years (PN hit in April '04) ..... it IS this exercise that has brought this about. I will keep going - it feels too good to stop it.

on your success with the toes. I can certainly relate as I've had PN for some years now with one manifest issue being all claw and hammer toes and having the great toe on each foot pulled out of alignment - much of the time it feels as though all of the joints are breaking.

I know the exercise you describe as you pull your great toe down to stretch the muscle, I do it for as long as I can stand the pain every AM. It gives a modicum of relief but onyl until the toe snaps back out of alignment. Regardless, I'd be interested to learn more about your successes and to see the pics too.

Again, congrats on your success - hope it continues for you.

alkymst

Alkymust .....

I did a good amount of research on the net.

Most all of the blurbs on hammertoe or claw-toe excluded the big toe. Well all five of my toes went crazy. My big toe caused me the most problems so ....... I kept digging. I was trying to figure out what really could be wrong with the big toe. The other four were more or less obvious for claw or hammer but ....

Since my big toe did not really look like a bunion (hallux valgus) I had to keep digging and digging.

It could still be a bunion. If it is it is very mild but ..... my toe was bent down not at the foot - at the joint. It did move in some but not like the pictures I saw of bunions. I also don’t have the telltale bump on the outside of my foot - like a bunion.

For all I know the big toe was/is some kind of arthritis or something. BUT .........

If nothing else I am logical ..... to me it was something to do with my Extensor Hallucis Longus EHL and or the brevis.

Right or wrong I set out to “stretch it” ..... (that was obviously a good assumption)

Shin Stretches (seems to me) was what I was after - a few of my “Toe Treats” is my versions of Shin stretches - esp the thing above I call “Pull”.

Alkymst have you looked into toe spacers or toe spreaders? Or maybe even toe crest cushions ... These items are not really for “repair” more for help coping but ..... I also use them for some of the overall plan.

Along with the big toe stretchers - which I feel are very useful (I got the HealtyToes but there are other brands - I would get the gel ones not the foam type) I also use the spacers as part of what I am doing.

I collected pictures (off the net) of all the foot bones/muscles and so on. Pictures of foot & toe exercises

While I did an elaborate - website-ish systems ..... (the pictures flash there and gone with the ending of the particular exercise)

Some of the ideas came from here > http://www.dr-l.co.jp/e/Genkikun.html

Other exercises I kind of “concocted”. Variety going toward the same goal helps reduce the “boring factor”.

I have the toe stretchers on for 2.5 hours a day or more. I started with 30 minutes sessions and now 90 minute or even 2 hours. They just do not “bother me” anymore. I am use to them and I think they are playing a major part in this improvement.

If anyone gets some of these gel toe stretchers .. things to remember

1. They are hard to get on - until you get use to them.

2. They can be altered (Dremel tool is your friend) to fit YOU better - mine no longer put my little toes at 90 degree angles (too much) and they are easier to get on - I made the slots bigger - that reduced the stretch on toe 3-4-5. Peoples feet have different shapes so - your milage may vari.

3. You get use to them and any pain starts to subside

4. I am convinced they are a must have and a must use

I read hundreds of user reviews (on the two or three major brands) ..... not 5 or 10 ----- hundreds. 95% of the people were raving about them and they did not even have toe or foot problems (some did). They mostly talked about how they relaxed their tired feet.

I am now very convinced (the improvements are very obvious) that we can make our feet feel much much better - regardless if we have some specific foot problem or not. My toes on my right foot went crazy - that got my attention. But even this PN may very well receive some benefit from foot/toe exercises. Personally I think it very well could help my PN. It is already fixing (helping my toes) and a real noticeable better feeling in my feet.

I hope there is something in this wall of text - that helps someone.

After mostly ignoring my feet for these 63 years ..... and now seeing them respond to some attention - I can’t help wondering if this could have prevented or slowed or put off my PN.

Ron for the info. I checked out the Genkikun site and it has some really useful ideas. Hope you continue to have much relief in the future.
Alkymst