My foot had been getting worse and the hobbling around was getting pretty old, so I made an appointment with a podiatrist.
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I was almost back to normal before my appointment rolled around, but an aggressive swim put me back to \u201cokay, this is bad\u201d and I kept my appointment.
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The nurse had me fill out the stupid and pointless paperwork, then collected my co-pay, and from there it was to the exam room where I took off my shoes and socks.
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She collected my symptoms, then checked in with the doctor who wanted an x-ray. I had to stand on a platform and get irradiated, then it was back to the exam room to fold some paper (naturally) and wait for the doctor.
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When he arrived he had good news for me – no fracture. Once he started to manipulate my foot, the diagnosis came pretty quickly:
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Capsulitis of the Second Toe
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Which means that the ligaments and tendons around my toe are inflamed. It gets a little better when I don\u2019t bend my foot – and much worse when I do. Apparently, not that uncommon for this particular toe since it\u2019s the longest one and moves the most.
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He taught me how to wrap the toe in a particular way and called in a prescription. In about a month or so – if it\u2019s not much better – then it\u2019s a cortisone shot and a boot. I hobbled my way out of the office, hurting worse with the manipulation and the tape, and I was on my way.
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I looked it up today and okay, wow, this could get much worse. If left untreated, the tissues could degrade and permanently dislocate my toe unless I get surgery.
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