Knee and Foot Support Devices

It feels like it’s been months - and it has been. I have what I think is plantar fasciitis that started on both feet in June. Luckily one foot resolved but the other just won’t quit. I’ve been doing PT, ice massage, taping, new shoes, support braces, etc and nothing seems to work. Then to make matters worse about six weeks ago I fell on a very hard sidewalk in DC and landed on my left side. My knee has never been the same and my hip was also affected. The city and park service were notified of the very uneven sidewalk, but that doesn’t help the discomfort. So now I am wearing a knee brace and compression socks and I am going out of my mind. If things don’t finally get better an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon may be necessary. The trouble is is that there was one day this week that I was almost pain free and was walking a lot without incident. Then yesterday I sat too fast and hard on the couch and loosened up whatever is the problem again. I’ve been staying away from Advil but could literally take something almost every day. I tried an herbal heat patch but it smelled so bad I threw the rest away. I’m a big fan of heating pads but that was just awful. And at night I am extremely careful moving my leg and knee. Yesterday I was so tired of the tape and splint on my foot I just removed them all. Too much pressure on the leg causes swelling and having something tight around your leg isn’t a good thing.  Can’t even get a legitimate pair of compression stockings on because I can’t bend my knee and apply too much pressure. But the knee still needs support - both physically and psychologically. It’s all really quite uncomfortable. 

Iron On Jean Patches

Since the pandemic began over three years ago neither my husband nor I have bought any new clothes. Maybe a pair of walking shoes - but no clothes. My husband has a very old pair of jeans that he wears around the house. They are so old that there is a hole in the left knee area. Before we moved to northern Virginia almost four years ago we bought iron on jean patches for the same reason. Before we went out and got more patches we looked around in the closet and found them there. My husband didn’t want to buy a new pair of jeans if we could repair these. So we got out our little portable ironing board and the iron and set it up on the kitchen island. We read the instructions and followed along. He wanted to do both knees and to put the patch on the top of the fabric rather than underneath. It really didn’t take long to do the first one. Then we did the second one. It’s probably not the most stylish thing to do, but the only place he might be seen wearing the jeans would be to remove the trash which is just across the hall. I have a feeling this remedy may not last very long. In that case we may need to find a replacement. 

Iron Patches from Oregon

Since we are both retired our wardrobe looks much different than it did. The work clothes were either pushed to the back of the closet or donated. Because we walk every morning rain or shine, the outdoor clothing options increased to cover just about any circumstance. Before, if a pair of jeans were starting to wear down, my husband would buy another pair. Now, he uses iron on patches to keep the worn area from getting worse. After all, if you’re just walking around the neighborhood or sitting around the house you could argue - what difference does it make? So the last time I was doing a routine Amazon order for household items, my husband reminded me to get him his patches in anticipation for the next time. The blue patches came all the way from Bend, Oregon from what looks to be a mom and pop shop called Iron Patches. I’m not really sure if they will ever be used as I think my husband deserves a decent pair of pants. He eventually comes to that conclusion too. In the meantime his patches will be available just in case.