Stress fracture/cane use
After a long conversation with a consulting nurse, and some internet investigation, it seems a strong possibility that my enthusiasm for movement post hardware removal surgery has resulted in stress fracture(s) in the long mid-foot bones of my toes. This supposition will be confirmed, or another diagnosis offered, when I see my doctor this coming week.
I have been icing, elevating, resting and using a cane when I walk. Pain is reduced by all of above. I had learned how to direct well with a cane when I had a full length leg brace, and now can apply that learning again: don’t lean on the cane, but think of it as an extension from my hand to the ground, so that the cane becomes a source of gravity. Then, I can spring upward from the ground from that contact. Allow a whole self rhythm so that the cane swings forward as my injured foot swings forward, naturally and without interference. Look up and out rather than only downward. Enjoy the view, relish the slow pace, mourn lost mobility, but know the loss is temporary.
To say I am weary of recovery project is to wildly understate the case. But, what can I do? Life has happened, and all I can do is learn.