Posts by Anthony Reyes3

Up until today, I have been dealing with constant, unrelenting pain in my heel. It was absolutely unbearable, particularly if I stood for an extended period or even just walked short distances. The only time I found any relief was while I was sleeping. I tried everything under the sun, and my physical therapist suggested the root cause might actually be stemming from my lumbar spine... However, yesterday I came across a post by a fellow forum member (I can't recall which one specifically) who recommended toe-inversion stretching exercises. The routine takes about five minutes. I decided to give it a shot, and it actually seems to be working. In addition to that, I would suggest performing ankle rotations; they seem quick and highly effective. I also recommend wearing proper orthopedic inserts with a heel cup design—specifically designed for the base of the heel—and adjusting your gait so that the weight isn't concentrated solely on the heel, but rather distributed across the entire foot or, ideally, shifted toward the forefoot. I strongly urge anyone suffering from similar issues to try this exercise. There is absolutely nothing to lose.

Frank Alvarez8 said:Everything is fine if you have a decent GP, but my last doctor never knew what to do and was incredibly stingy with referrals.

Until six months ago, I was a heavy smoker—up to three packs a day—and I was used to dealing with headaches. Then, I managed to quit entirely for seven years. In the meantime, I fell back into old habits and started smoking heavily again, reaching that three-pack-a-day mark. Now, I can say I am a CONTROLLED smoker, limiting myself to just a few cigarettes a day, but even with that first cigarette, I feel intense cramping or pain in my thigh muscles and my shins. To be specific, halfway through my very first morning cigarette, I am already feeling severe spasms in my thighs and shins. My diagnosis is epilepsy of an unspecified type, though I cannot recall having a single seizure, and my primary medication is Trileptal, 600 mg twice daily. As for other anti-epileptics, I take Rivotril, and Katena was recently added to my regimen, but it has had absolutely no effect on the muscle pain. I am asking anyone who might know or can make an educated guess to please answer my question regarding the cause of this pain, because the neurologists and psychiatrists here in the US are all just shrugging their shoulders...