Dooley Noted: 4/13/2014
One of the caveats of being constantly barefoot is the occasional splinter.
While in Vancouver, I performed bodyweight skills on a wooden pier. The result was a sizable splinter, which was really still quite tiny relative to my foot – and my body.
Instead of stopping to remove it, I continued to perform skills training. At that time, the splinter didn’t hurt.
I forgot about it and continued with my day. I walked several miles on it until it was too late to find a pair of tweezers.
I had imbedded the splinter to the point of no return.
The next morning, I could barely ambulate. I tried to walk, and I found every motor pattern altered. One tiny splinter in my foot, and I could feel my entire gait pattern change.
My knees, hips, trunk, and shoulders felt strange and altered. Even my breathing was altered, due to my discomfort.
When I found tweezers, I had to dig with a safety pin to free the skin around the splinter. After freeing the splinter, I stared at it with a full appreciation of its power.
This splinter begs the question:
Do my readers have splinters that are altering everything from the way they toe off to the way they reach?
Are these splinters changing the way they breathe, so a stable platform for all movement is lost?
Pain is not part of any normal movement pattern. And that pain can cause faulty movement in other places.
Get assessed for your splinters. Get them corrected and free up your movement.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley