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 The moment I was told five years ago that I had severe arthritis in my feet was a real shock - but I suppose it shouldn’t have been. I had lived in high heels since I was 15 and I had taught exercise since the 1970s when, on a concrete floor, I wore jazz shoes that had no padded soles! Thank goodness for the cushioned trainers that we all wear today.
To add insult to injury a year after my diagnosis I tripped down two stairs and fell with my right foot twisted beneath me. A few months later, my foot collapsed and as I was in so much pain I elected to have surgery to put it back together again. The operation went well and some bones were fused together with some bone marrow taken from a bone in my leg, held together with a metal plate. The Consultant told me I couldn’t weight-bear on it for three months and it would be 18 months before I fully recovered - but I was determined to do everything I could to recover more quickly than that.
Ahead of the surgery, I prepared for it by doing leg strength exercises. Once I was home after the op, and despite my foot being in plaster, three days later I was exercising my leg three times a day whilst lying on the sofa. After all, there was nothing wrong with my knee or my hip and I didn’t want to lose my leg strength. I knew I couldn’t weight-bear for 12 weeks but that didn’t stop me from going to the gym, teaching my classes from a chair, and moving independently around the house with the help of a zimmer frame or crutches. I hotched myself upstairs on my bottom and manoeuvred myself around on a typist’s chair on wheels on our wooden or tiled floors upstairs.
My activity efforts paid off. My surgeon was delighted with my progress and by the time the three months was up, I could walk on my mended foot remarkably well and I was fully fit once again. Life was back to a new wonderful normal – and continues today.
So grateful was I to Mr Maneesh Bhatia, my surgeon, that I asked him if he would be happy to be interviewed for the website. He was delighted and we recorded a selection of videos which I hope you will find interesting for you or your loved ones. I also invited my physiotherapist Judith Pitt-Brooke if she would explain the importance of preparing for orthopaedic surgery, whether it is for a hip, knee or foot, and how to exercise safely and effectively after surgery. You can find all of these videos under the Health section of the website on the Orthopaedic Surgery page
The golden rule, if you find yourself with arthritis, is to keep moving. Failure to do so will cause your joints to become less mobile and more painful. Of course, my arthritis is still as prevalent as it has always been but I manage it with paracetamol (ask your GP first) and I have found that regular activity (such as going for a 30-minute walk every day) is key to keeping on top of it, along with going to a chiropodist regularly. I also wear orthotics in my cushioned trainers which have proved amazing. You can learn more about managing Arthritis also in the Health section.
As Mary explains below, looking after our feet is absolutely essential if we are to maintain our independence, and live a full and active life, and we have recorded a new Foot Workout for you to follow to help keep your feet fit.
 It was St David’s Day this week and I thought I would share this little story. It is always heart-wrenching when you hear the horrors of abandoned puppies so you can imagine how I felt when I learned of the little pup who was found abandoned in a dustbin!
Thankfully, the tiny pup was rescued by a passer-by and now lives happily with our friend Lindsay Trainer and her family in Wales. This week the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited their town on St David’s Day. Prince William and Catherine happened to stop to chat to Lindsay and stroke the rescued dog, Gem. Lindsay posted on her Facebook page that Gem, having started life in a dustbin had now been stroked by a future King and Queen!
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