Raynaud's, Morton's neuromas, etc

It's caused by shoes with a too high heel, which covers nearly all the
shoes out there. You have to find a tennis shoe that has a neutral or
slightly sloped heel from back to front. Running shoes, walking shoes,
dress shoes nearly all have heels that put too much force on the front
of the foot. If you think about it, we're meant to walk barefoot, and
when you walk barefoot, your foot is flat on the ground, not angled so
all your weight is on the front joints.

Neuromas are just a fact of life. I've heard a dozen theories about
where they come from. Shoes too tight, too sloped, too big. Bodies that
have too much mass, parents with bad feet, jobs with no walking, jobs
with too much walking, and even the idea that too much running,
walking, dancing, kicking or thinking about your feet are all theories.
The bottom line is that neuromas HURT LIKE HELL. Whatever works for
you may not work for someone else BUT it may help. Start with the no
brainers. Better shoes, orthodics, gels, elevation and temperature
control can make a difference.
My job is standing for 8 to 20 hours in a day so I needed to do
something and do it quickly. I didn't have the luxury of lounging. The
injections did it for me without the time off needed to get over
surgery. It may come to that but I'm comfortable right now. Yeh!!!!
And I will probably be out of my job and on Medicare from Raynaud's
before I have to deal with that.
Veleda

Quoted message said:

In the winter when temps outside are below 45-50 deg.F. I use "Hot
Hands". They are small bags of iron sand that when exposed to the air,
give off heat. You can put them in mittens to keep tissue from dying.
They are big with skiers and snowboarders and can be found at several
places including Wal-Mart (sport dept.) or Costco during the fall and
winter. I put them in pockets of my scrubs so I can hold them through
the sterile gown during cases.

Vee, thanks for your imput. Yes, in addition to the double layer wool
mittens - http://tinyurl.com/7qwws and wind mitts
http://tinyurl.com/7esc8, I also use chemical hand warmers. In my case
however, while running, the hand warmers are only needed when it gets
below 30 or if it is raining. Also, on extended runs (2 to 4 hours),
where the temperature/precipitation could change unexpectedly, I bring
these along just in case.

Are you familiar with this potential treatment of Raynaud's? Thoughts?

From http://tinyurl.com/98mpt -

Fill 2 containers with 120°F water, one inside the warm house,
the other somewhere cold. Place the hands in the water for 2-5
minutes, while dressed lightly, in the warm room. Take the
hands out, wrap in a towel, and then go to the cold area, and
again submerge the hands, this time for 10 minutes. Return to
the warm room for another 2-5 minutes of immersion. Repeat 3-6
times per day, every other day, for a total of 50 trials. The
results can last for several years, and if a setback occurs,
only a few repetitions of immersion may restore the function
again.

--
Phil M.

I hadn't heard of this but, after you get to a certain point with
Raynaud's, you will try anything.
The standard treatment for it is Procardia, an anti-hypertensive but my
normal B/P is so low that the lowest dose dumps it too much. It's very
embarrassing to get up from a seated position and fall over. It's action
is to dialate vessels which helps lower blood pressure. I'm in a
minority of 58 y/o women without high blood pressure.Oh, well.
My main point is to let you know that Raynaud's isn't something that you
can poo-poo. It can be very dangerous. Toes and fingers are very nice
things to have around!! Treat them with respect.
I have heard statistics that say that about 10% of the population has
some level of the syndrome but the levels range from hardly a problem to
life threatening. The other thing I worry about is the fact that CARDIAC
vessel spasm can be linked to Raynaud's. It does a number on the idea of
"Cold hands;warm heart".
Vee

--
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Quoted message said:

I hadn't heard of this but, after you get to a certain point with
Raynaud's, you will try anything. The standard treatment for it is
Procardia, an anti-hypertensive

From what I've read, Procardia, or Nifedipine, is more for secondary
Raynaud's. I believe that I have the more common primary Raynaud's. I can
manage it usually with proper attire.

--
Phil M.

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Vee wrote in article
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I was just allerted to your site because someone mentioned Raynaud's
and then I saw a topic of Morton's neuroma! Well, not being a runner I
can't help in that aspect but there are a few insights I may offer some
suggestions.
First of all, I have been dealing with Raynaud's for about 15 years
although the past 6-7 winters have been progressively worse. You have
to keep hands and feet warm since putting the small vessels into spasm
can cut off the blood supply to the tissue and cause an "infarction".
Where else does this happen?
The answer is in the heart muscle. It's called a heart attack. The
tissue beyond the spasm dies. On feet and feet the tissue turns black
and falls off and that isn't a very good thing. You have to keep the
tissue warm and dry. I work in surgery and I know all about trying to
stay warm enough to keep things in one piece. In the winter when temps
outside are below 45-50 deg.F. I use "Hot Hands". They are small bags
of iron sand that when exposed to the air, give off heat. You can put
them in mittens to keep tissue from dying. They are big with skiers and
snowboarders and can be found at several places including Wal-Mart
(sport dept.) or Costco during the fall and winter. I put them in
pockets of my scrubs so I can hold them through the sterile gown during
cases.
Layer your socks and gloves. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Several
layers of lighter socks with a heavy top pair is better than a really
heavy single. I've found that a silk liner sock with rayon over it and
a ragg or wool sock on top of that usually does ok. One big thing is to
have the socks big enough!!! And the shoe has to be bigger than, say,
summer shoes. Gortex is God inspired!!!

For a more detailed explanation of cause, prevention or alleviation,
treatment, and outcomes of Raynaud's syndrome and Raynaud's disease:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/raynauds-disease/DS00433/DSECTION=1

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Phil M. wrote in article
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I hadn't heard of this but, after you get to a certain point with
Raynaud's, you will try anything. The standard treatment for it is
Procardia, an anti-hypertensive

Quoted message said:

From what I've read, Procardia, or Nifedipine, is more for secondary
Raynaud's. I believe that I have the more common primary Raynaud's. I can
manage it usually with proper attire.

There seem to be a lot of treatments available, depending on the cause
and the severity of the individual case.

[Begin quote, edited for brevity]
Medications

Depending on the cause of your symptoms, medications may prove effective
at treating Raynaud's. To widen (dilate) blood vessels and promote
circulation, your doctor may prescribe:

Calcium channel blockers. . . . Examples include nifedipine (Adalat,
Procardia), amlodipine (Norvasc), diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor),
felodipine (Plendil), nisoldipine (Sular) and isradipine (DynaCirc Cr).

Alpha blockers. . . . Examples include prazosin (Minipress) and
doxazosin (Cardura).

Vasodilators. . . . such as nitroglycerin cream.

[. . .]

Other treatments
Sometimes in cases of severe Raynaud's, approaches other than
medications may be a treatment option:

Nerve surgery.
Chemical injection.
Amputation.
[End excerpt]
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/raynauds-disease/DS00433/DSECTION=7

Vee - I have a question about the alcohol injection for the neuroma.
My podiatrist just offered that as an option and i am going for the
first shot on Friday - well, he said it will either be cortisone or
alcohol. Had you tried the cortisone before? Also, how many shots did
it take before the neuroma was tamed? You said the nerve goes numb -
how much of the area is actually numb? And, is this a permanent
solution? Sorry for all the questions, but I am concerned about this -
oh, yes, the pain is terrible!! thanks - Karen

Regarding the neuromas, I tried orthotics, NSAIDS, gels, shoe types and
a few other things. I then tried two injections of cortisone. Then we
waited 2 weeks to see if there was any improvement. That seemed to make
it worse and I went for the alcohol injections. There were 7 of those
and I felt the difference after the second shot.
There is a possibility that the benefit isn't complete but it was a
complete success for me. The numbness is minimal (in my opinion). Or is
it the joy of not feeling my toe explode with every step!!!
Basics? Start with the easy stuff because they may help!
I think the California Podiatry Association (I think that's their
name)has a discussion on their site about neuromas. Take a look. I scrub
for the next president of the group and he is great! He can play with my
toes any time!
Veleda

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I was able to work in comfort for a few years by rubbing my hands with
Nitroglycerin paste. It gave me the typical nitro headache and I looked
like a strawberry sometimes but it stopped working a few years ago.
Right now I'm looking into acupuncture and anesthetic blocks. They're
worth a try. All the anti-hypertensive meds are out because falling over
isn't one of my favorite things.
Thank God, I do not have any underlying conditions with it.
Scleraderma and lupus are very scary things. So you do what you have to
do to keep the red cells moving.
Veleda

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PS: Have you been to a site called The Cutting Edge? I think they have
something to do with the Raynaud's Association. I found it through one
of the mid-western universities that was doing research a few years ago.
They are always testing products and watching the research.
Vee

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Don Kirkman said:

For a more detailed explanation of cause, prevention or alleviation,
treatment, and outcomes of Raynaud's syndrome and Raynaud's disease:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/raynauds-disease/DS00433/DSECTION=1

This article on "Mechanisms of Raynaud's disease" just popped up in a
totally unrelated literature search if anyone's interested.
http://tinyurl.com/78398

Dot

--
"Dream big and dare to fail." --- Norman Vaughan
world-famous adventurer who was with Byrd in Antarctica and died Dec 23,
2005, at 100 yr + 4 days.