I had been on my feet much of the day, cooking for Pesach, and been noticing a worsening of my back pain. While quite used to a little chronic back pain, this was much more than I could take. Over the years, physical therapy helped keep my chronic back pain tolerable along with acupuncture, exercise and hot or cold packs, but I long accepted that my pain would never be completely eliminated. Usually when my pain becomes more noticeable, a new pair of sneakers will bring me back to my baseline. My husband overheard me saying that I needed a new pair of sneakers and suggested I try a special shoe store that would analyze my feet and make recommendations based on their findings. I have extremely narrow feet, so while I was open to this new experience, I was a bit skeptical that it was just another gimmick.
I ventured to the shoe store, had my foot analysis completed and the technician shared her findings. She began by asking me if I was aware that my feet were extremely narrow. “Yes, I’m aware,” I confirmed, not surprised by her discovery. She then asked if I was aware that my left foot was a size 9 and my right foot was a size 8 ½.
“What?” I exclaimed, assuming she must be mistaken. “I’ve been wearing a size 8 shoe all my life!” How could I be wearing an entire shoe size too small all this time? I thought to myself, completely amazed. After a short discussion, the technician and I suspected that I was probably buying shoes that were too small to compensate for my especially narrow feet. So, I went home with my new, very comfortable, sized 9 narrow shoes, hopeful that my back pain would decrease to my usual mild discomfort.
After a day of wearing my new sneakers, I was astounded to find that not only had my back pain decreased, but it had completely disappeared! How could it be that all this time, I just needed a size 9 shoe? How could something so simple have gone unnoticed all this time and lead to such a difference in my quality of life?
How often in our lives, when it comes to our health, do we allow ourselves to just accept the pain or the chronic stuffy nose, or the constant stomach aches or other nagging symptoms and believe there is nothing more we can do? We become downtrodden and just accept the symptoms as something we have to live with! I’m here to tell you not to give up hope, because maybe there is another way. Sometimes, just another set of eyes, or a little introspection can bring you closer to the healing that you need. As a matter of fact, I have often found that simple small changes can make a big difference in an individual’s health. Time and again we believe a complete overhaul of what we are eating, intense exercise or numerous changes in our health habits are necessary in order to see improvement. This is rarely the case. So, I challenge you now, what is one small change that you believe could make a difference in your health? It could be something you suspect intuitively or maybe something that has worked for you in the past. Maybe you could start your day with a glass of water before your morning coffee or go for a walk during your lunch break. Maybe you could go to bed a half hour earlier or schedule that doctor appointment that’s been on your mind. You know your body better than anyone and often what we need is right in front of our nose, or right in the palm of or hands…or in my case, right in the soles of my feet!
Jill Friedbauer has been working in the field of health and wellness for 20 years. She is a national board certified health and wellness coach, licensed physical therapist, author of the book “Heal Your Soul, Heal Your Gut” and has a podcast Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Soul on Spotify. Jill is available for one-on-one health coaching, family health coaching and speaking engagements. To book a consultation, contact her office manager at 201-757-5558.
