Charcot-Marie-Tooth: Sciatica, A Huge Pain In My …. well, Right Leg!

“Chiropractic Examination Room”
Photo by Stuart Poulton on Unsplash

About four months ago, I started having some very sharp pain in my right glute muscle which went down my to my toes. I could actually feel the nerves going crazy throughout my foot and into the toes. This was really weird because it’s been a long time since I have felt much of anything in either leg or foot. The pain was the worst I have ever had.

For me, medications are not where I normally want to start to care for pain. I do not like the possibility of addiction nor the idea of adding another pill to the stash of vitamins, supplements, and medications I already have to take. However, in this case, the pain was so severe it limited my ability to do much at all. So, I began a mild regiment of an over-the-counter product for some relief. If you know me, I started with a low dose. When it didn’t work, I increased it. Finally, some relief.

Knowing I cannot live with this pain, I needed to determine the cause and develop an exercise or a physical therapy routine to stop it. The sooner the better!

I am blessed to have a chiropractor who knows quite a bit about Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) and has been giving me adjustments over the years for may of my whacked-out issues. With his help over the years, I have been able to walk, move, and feel better. So he will be my first choice to helping get rid of pain.

I scheduled the appointment with the Chiropractor and was not a bit surprised, to his credit, that he already knew what wrong and began a series of adjustments. The series of adjustments would be based on how my body reacts to his work. As it turns out, I had more than a few months of appointments every two weeks. BUT, oh my goodness, and thank you God, the pain subsided enough to provide relief.

My job would be to pay attention to what I do every day and try to determine the cause and avoid it or make appropriate adjustments in my studio or home as needed. I should know as whatever it was should cause some spike in pain. It did not take me long to determine it was caused by my posture while sitting in my old desk chair and the way I move to pull myself out of bed. As it would be, the issue was partly caused when I would use my leg to pull my body up and out of bed. Needless to say, that stopped.

I continue to see the Chiropractor. He has recommended a few herbs and holistic means for helping with the pain. I have not tried these yet since the pain is gone. However, I plan to look into them when the fall and winter weather returns.

“I’m Getting Better?”

A few weeks ago, I had my usual 3-week visit to the Chiropractor. It was my usual 3-week appointment for adjustments messed up or out of alignment because of my feet and the fact that, despite my feet, I keep myself pretty active!

For once, I arrived at my appointment without any pain. Anywhere! Amazing! Sometimes that happens but not as often as I what I would like. I keep trying doing the things I do and hoping above all hope that I will get better.

What are those things? I walk my dog every day. Some days are further than others but we always go for a walk. I take a Deep Water Aerobics class at the local Aquatic Center twice a week. I visit a massage therapist every 3 weeks and as I mentioned previously, the Chiropractor every 3 weeks. These help me to manage my pain considerably well.

During the visit with the Chiropractor, he did his usual routine of adjustments with me and concluded by saying, “WOW! I believe you are getting better!” He caught me off guard especially when he repeated it. He stated that he especially noticed my flexibility being better too.

While I know the medical world says Charcot-Marie-Tooth is uncurable. There is nothing they can do for me. Okay, I get that. However, I believe God can do other things if He so chooses. Also, He will give us wisdom and guidance to do things

When I hear something positive from someone about my health, I grab it and hold onto it. It might be a small comment or a kind word. I hold on it. Why? It’s encouraging to know that all the exercising I have been doing is helping me to look better along with function and feel better.

Yes, I typically ignore negative comments unless it’s something from someone I respect. People I respect will not say something negative unless it is something I really need to know.