Tips on desensitizing- learning to wear socks
 

I have RSD in my right foot (I also had the fibular sesamoid bone removed, that was before we knew about the RSD). Long story short--I have progressed from shoes I sewed together myself to some priceless Reeboks with hardly any seams on the uppers. I can't wear crocks or the like, have to have a structured sole. I have tried torturing myself and wearing socks with and without shoes. I always just end up in agony at the end of the day, even after the socks come off. My RSD has gotten a lot better in a lot of ways except for this socks thing is still a disaster.

Now I'm hoping someone tells me about this magical way they learned to wear socks. Or some magical socks.

It's getting hot. My feet are sweating and I think I already have athlete's foot. How do I learn to wear socks???

Hi TBDE!

Welcome! How long have you had RSD in your foot? Is this the initial site? You can wear shoes but not socks? Is that because socks are just too binding? I worked for a LONG time at desensitization and I still work at it with my right foot desensitizing it. When I woke from surgery my ankle felt shattered and my foot could not tolerate a sheet on it, or the water from a shower to hit it. The only shoe I wear is a croc. That's too bad that they won't work for you. Too much support for me in the arch of my foot only leads to severe cramping and spasms.

Tips & Tricks: Well... touch it... often. I would do this in the bath. I would bathe often. Water also helps desensitize it. I would take lotion and rub it on. I would force myself not to guard it and just do it. eventually I would rub different textures on it. To this day I make myself touch it. Especially if it is heightened.

My foot stays SO COLD that I welcome socks. I wear them in summer and look nuts doing this!

Gosh, not sure if I helped, but there it is, and I wear crocs and socks lol :D And I can even tolerate a shower now. It takes a good deal of time and I think it will always be very sensitive.

In a really bad flare now but wanted to offer up my experience...going to keep it shorter than usual since my hands are really swollen and burning...

Have RSD in my left leg, both arms, both hands, whole trunk, and neck.

Started out with really soft fabric. Rubbed it on my RSD areas. First just a very short amount of time (kept track in a journal) and then gradually increased the amount of time. Then I tried different fabric and started at the beginning with just a short amount of time and gradually increased. Then started with normal clothes...wearing for just a short amount of time at first and gradually increasing until I could go a whole day.

Never have been able to wear my old shoes...my ankle is just far too sensitive to touch still for something that firm/hard. Buying new shoes requires lots of testing and trying on, different lacing techniques, and so far I have only found one kind of gym shoes that work...and only if I don't lace them up all the way on my RSD side. Mostly wear flats now because I need the good sole and protection around my foot...but still really struggle with anything touching my ankle other than a sock or clothing. Some days...even the sock is too much even after all the desensitization therapy...but that's only on days like today with bad flares...

Completely what Vrae said :winky:

I have CRPS in both feet, worst in my left. The only thing you can do is to keep touching it as often as you can... Don't force yourself to wear socks for long periods yet - work up to it, so try wearing very soft thin socks for five minutes, then work up to ten, then twenty, then move to a warmer sock.... The worst thing for me is tight socks, of they're soft and looser I can bear them much easier.

Different textures are good, start with a soft cloth and work towards rougher textures. Don't let that foot get away with it :rolleyes: Just walking around barefoot is really good too, on different textures - just steer clear of really cold surfaces like stone floors, as I find that makes my feet react and burn. Different rugs and carpets are good, as they gently rub your foot as you walk.

I know it's hard, but it's really worth it. I stil get burning, but it's mainly in the evenings now, and by and large I can wear most things except heels...

Good luck :)

Bram.

TIMELINE
May 2012- initial injury, running and stepped down hard on the edge of the sidewalk
October 2012- finally diagnosed as a broken sesamoid
June 2013- had surgery to remove the now shattered and necrotic sesamoid

BACKGROUND:
I was in nursing school and I refused to take a semester off for a broken foot as it would have meant starting completely over since the curriculum changed. I continued to run 20-30 miles per week and ride horses in between May and October. I believe that staying active might have helped keep it in check, but the horseback riding was definitely a bad idea. I went to 5 doctors who all gave me bogus diagnoses. Some put me in a surgical shoe for a few weeks--did not help, almost made it worse. They tried a steel/carbon fiber metatarsal plate--definitely made it worse. I had a lot of RSD symptoms before the surgery- couldn't wear socks, riding in car very painful, cold hurt, vascular rashes if anything touched it for too long, etc. After the surgery it turned into a disaster. I couldn't move any toes and my foot was blue or bright red for the better part of 8 weeks. Three sympathetic nerve blocks at L4 did help and medications have helped too--but NO pain meds. They do not help me at all and I hate them.

DESENSITIZING
I have been walking barefoot on a variety or surfaces, hardwood, fluffy bath mat, rough carpet, those grass carpets, gravel, sand, grass. Some of those still are unpleasant but they dont make me want to jump off a cliff like socks do. I think that's not doing much to help with socks since the bad part of my foot is the side and top of big toe and 1st metatarsal (everything to the left of my second toe is the worst part). Socks are such a constant contact. Shoes even I do not feel like create this constant contact with the worst part of my foot, which is why I can tolerate them. I am hoping to start work as a nurse soon since it has gotten so much better. I really need to get on top of this sock learning before then. I ordered a couple different pairs of socks last night on amazon.

DOG
I have an Australian shepherd I got as a puppy few months before the initial injury. She knows when my foot hurts and she licks it and then lays on it with her silky soft, fluffy fur and extra warm body. Might sound terrible to y'all and it did take me several months to build up to her laying on it--but this is the only thing that has ever "fixed" it when my foot hurts. I also try to take her with me wherever dogs are allowed because she helps my anxiety about my foot and protects me. When I have her with me I know that nobody is going to accidentally bump into me or step on my foot. Dog is God spelled backwards for a reason. She is also the inspiration for my overly optimistic motto it's "The Best Day Ever" (TBDE).

I have the classic burning, searing pain and it is miserable, but the deep pain that feel like my bones are being ripped out of my foot is what I hate. I got a job training puppies to force me to walk for a few hours several days a week. Best physical therapy.


When I am practicing sock wearing--should I take them off BEFORE I am in agony or should I push the envelop and wear them through some pain??? Maybe I am wearing them too long and should try taking them off while I still feel OK?

Thanks everyone,
TBDE

TBDE, I would say to take them off BEFORE your feet explode if you can. The idea is to get to flare state less often, so if you can wear your socks for a while and remove them before the bad burn starts, you've kind of headed it off at the pass, as it were :rolleyes:

Your foot is busy overreacting to every kind of stimulus with terrible pain and burning. You need to try to reduce the frequency of that if you can. Anything that helps, including short rests, is a Good Plan. Just no ice or cold surfaces. Elevation is good to head the burn off sometimes too...

Take care of yourself. I know how miserable it is when feet just go mad with this thing. It's horrible....especially if you're out with folks and there's no way you can NOT rip your shoe and sock off....yikes.

Bram.

Take them off before you get to full blown flare. You want them on just as long as you can tolerate it (it will hurt a lot...but there's a difference between pain and pain so bad you think you'll explode and you need to familiarize yourself with the difference).

I would time how long you have the socks on and gradually work on increasing the time period you can wear them. It will take a while...it wont happen overnight...but you can work your way up to a good amount of time. That's how it worked for me. If the socks are too much at first then just try laying them on the part of your foot that is worst at first as opposed to putting them on.

When I rip my shoes off in public, other people actually believe I have ants in my shoe! It is at least entertaining.

I was talking to my mom and she was thinking, what if there was something I could put over the bad part to protect it from the sock. Maybe like those silicone gel scar sheets? I guess I can try it. Anyone ever done that?

I tried quite a few things to reduce the contact between the bad bits and the sock....but tbh nothing really helped. They either blocked air flow and make that area sweat and fire up anyway, or they moved or rubbed or caused irritation. In the end I gave up and just stuck with the desensitisation and working through it. That was just me though, I'm not saying don't try anything!!

You'll get there, honest :) Never give up hope that it will improve. I found the early months so much worse than now, there seemed no end to the burning pain and redness...now I still get it, but less often and for less time, and I've learnt what I can do to minimize it when it happens.

Bram.