Well it's another New Year and top of my list is to go to the doctors to see if they will refer me for 'gait analysis'.
Gait analysis involves someone looking at the way you walk. They use their observations to establish whether there's anything that should be done to improve the way you walk and your balance eg adjustments to shoes, wearing of insoles, recommending wearing [or not wearing] particular types of shoes etc.
Last year I saw a podiatrist - they diagnose problems with the foot, ankle, lower extremities [that's legs to you and me] - she couldn't believe I had never been referred to a podiatrist and said that if I had seen one in my childhood it could have been very beneficial potentially improving my walking, balance, maintaining joint mobility/flexibility and even reducing the curvature of my spine....
In a way hearing that was a bit of a bitter blow to me because what is done is done but I've always felt that more could have been done to improve my mobility/flexibility or at the very least help me maintain it.
But having to leave those thoughts aside I'm now determined to look after myself. Particularly because as I get older I can feel my joints moaning every now and then and my flexiblity is probably slowly decreasing.
Even though the podiatrist I saw prescribed insoles which I now wear in my shoes all the time, the wear on the soles of my shoes is still not even. I'm also getting some 'locking' in my hips if I bend over which is hugely painful and means I can't walk until I've 'unlocked' the hip.
So today I've, at last, booked the doctors appointment to make the gait analysis request. At the very least I'd like to maintain the mobility and balance that I have, if they could be improved that would be a huge bonus but I'm not expecting miracles this far down the line.
Watch this space.
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