What usually happens when they discharge you for foot pain treatment?

[Anytipsplease]

It’s been 6 months and none of the physio or shockwave therapy has helped my foot pain. I can walk for a few hours but then the pain becomes unbearable I have to slowly limp home from work in agony, it feels like my ankles and heels will just snap at any moment from the pain. The physio has checked and obviously I haven’t torn or snapped the tendon. At first I was limping all the time and as soon as I put my foot on the ground so, in a way it has improved a bit in the 6 months, but at a snails pace.

The doctors have done no scans and I’ve fought hard for one but they just refuse to refer me for one as it would apparently be refused by the hospital for this type of injury. Apparently I’ve got something called Achilles tendinopathy. The exercises the physio have given me in my opinion are making it hurt more. I’ve been doing these exercises for 4 months. I will have to voluntarily quit my job if this carries on, or be sacked as I’ve had so much time off sick because of this. My new manager is being very difficult about everything including my hospital and physio appointments. I’m receiving very little support at work, in a physical job. I have had a cry a few times to my husband due to the lack of support at work. We are so short staffed anyway and I’m the only person in my role so no one else is even trained to do my job.

I am married but I don’t think it’s fair to quit my job and leave everything for my husband to pay and he hasn’t mentioned that so I’ve been carrying on, as we also have a goal we want to reach and without my income we won’t be able to. I just don’t know what to do anymore and no one can help me. I tried resting the foot at first for 1 month but that didn’t help. I’m at a loss, it’s been 6 months. I’m about to be discharged from physio and they said there is nothing more they can do for me.

If it wasn’t for work I would just let it heal and take it easy, just nipping out for short periods of time. I can’t do that at work, it’s 8 hours on my feet with a 30 minute lunch break where I’m interrupted during this time by staff. Staff see me limping around or walking slowly and just do not give a shit. I’ve actually been given more work by my new manager than I had before I hurt my foot. I think it’s pretty clear how little they care about my wellbeing. I’m being rushed off my feet with “important” tasks that literally are not that urgent. It’s over an hours travel each way. When do you know if it’s time to draw the line and quit? I don’t think I can but then again my foot clearly isn’t improving.

Is there anyone who knows what I’m going through as I don’t want to keep moaning to my husband as he literally can’t help me so I feel bad, thank you for reading.

Have they ruled out it being a neurological pain issue? Can you insist on a referral to a pain management clinic?

www.nhs.uk/conditions/complex-regional-pain-syndrome/symptoms/

That sounds miserable OP.

I'm not familiar with this condition but, in general, if physiotherapy doesn't help a condition then they will often suggest the next step for you eg. if frozen shoulder doesn't improve with physio they will suggest to GP you need a steroid injection. What is the physio recommending now?

Could it be your job is exacerbating your condition and not allowing healing as you're on your feet so much? The physio or GP can make recommendations for reasonable adjustments or temp redeployment into another role until you get better.
Have you asked for a referral to Occupational health?

I’ve got this. I was unable to walk more than a few steps.

Whikst l waited for the referral from the nhs to come through l paid for laser treatment. It helped immensely.

l did those bloody exercises 3 times. All they did was make it worse each time.

l finally saw the foot clinic. He told me they were waiting for a laser on the nhs as it is a successful treatment. He also gave me a night sock to wear. He said loading exercises aren’t right for everyone, and that a night sick does the same thing without applying weight to the Achilles.

Cold peas alternating with warm towels. And he gave me a heel insert.

l feel for you, the pain is excrutiating.

hth

Also an Achilles splint helped me.

They don’t do steroid injections because there isn’t enough bloody supply there.

Oesteopathy helped too.

Also, they shouldn’t have discharged you. There are operations they can do for difficult cases.

I saw a doctor not a physio at the foot clinic. Every aspect of physio made it unbearable.

Can you go private ?

ALSO please speak to ACAS about your employment issues ... they will be able to advise if you're entitled to reasonable adjustments in your role

So my role can’t be redeployed as I am not skilled enough to do anything else within my company. For example my job is physical and I’m on my feet all day. To redeploy me to an admin job they would have to train me which they won’t do. Occupational health are in agreement with this and just said in the assessment and the report don’t lift any boxes, and take little breaks. The thing is… no one is being put forward to lift the boxes for me or to assist me. If I ask another team member they say it’s not their job. I am the only member of staff with this job title, there is no one to cover me. So things like handling deliveries or lifting heavy stuff is still expected of me. If I don’t do it…who will?

The manager caught us in the staff room yesterday and said something about being paid to sit around doing nothing… which hurt as I was told by occupational health to take mini breaks when needed and I wasn’t even taking a break I was actually getting some paracetamol from my locker, as I’m sick with a cold so had a banging headache. Another member of staff was in there too and is pregnant so she’s been given special permission to do the same when feeling faint or sick. That’s how we were spoken to when she knows the situation with her staff.

My old manager would have tried to support me but this new manager is just a pusher… she will push her luck with any little thing. If you give her an inch she will take a mile. She tried to give me an extra task last week that isn’t in my job description and has nothing to do with my job title and I refused to do it (politely) she walked into her office mid conversation and shut the door. She’s been changing my hours, changing my annual leave, pretty much doing whatever she can to be a bitch. Part of me thought she might be trying to bully me out of the role so that I quit, but she’s like this with everyone, not just me. Everyone is intimidated by her or hides when they hear her coming.

If I quit suddenly then no one else knows how to do my job, they will be screwed. They don’t even know how to access the systems I use. They’ve literally left everything to me all these years. If I go on annual leave my job barely gets covered. It’s all waiting for me when I get back. I know I should have left years ago and now I’m stuck. I asked my husband about quitting last week and it just ended up in a row. If I quit then the plans we had will be put on hold again.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow wow so it’s right then? I genuinely thought I was just being difficult but I think the physio is making it worse. I haven’t done my exercises today yet, haven’t been at work and the pain is okay. As soon as I did the exercises last night it was a searing pain I felt like I had overdone it. I will have to think about going private. Can I ask, what is the foot clinic? Is it via the GP? If I can pay some money, which private healthcare professional should I visit? Thank you.

But if I can’t complete my role, surely I need to resign or be sacked? They would need to hire extra staff to cover the bits I can’t do which would cost extra money. I know they won’t do that but if they did, they would just get rid of me on capability grounds and hire someone else surely.

Have you got lumps that hurt on the back of your Achilles? Laser will deal with them.

Osteopathy also helped me tremendously. It was all private though🫤

l was referred to a doctor when the physio was making it worse. In my health authority the gp or physio can refer you on. There’s plenty that can be done.

I wouldn’t go near another private podiatrist or physio though. They all made it worse..

Id go to work with crutches if l were you. The specialist l saw said it can easily be that painful. Sounds like you met some duff physios.

You can buy heel raises and night socks on Amazon whikst you wait. He told me it takes about 9 months to a year to sort out properly.

The first time l got it, I wore kind of low heeled Wedtetn boots. They helped because they raised my heel.

But you need shoes that cup your heel and lace up. I wear Birkies in the house and fur lined ones as slippers.

Where do you live?

Could you put yourself on crutches and strap your foot up? If you physically couldn't carry or lift anything they might rethink.

I have this from the nhs. 20 mins per night every night increasing to 40 mins on weekly 5 minute increases

Orthotix Medically approved - Plantar Fasciitis/Achilles Tendonitis Resting Splint with FREE Wedge for Optimal Foot Positioning (Class 1 medical device - Supplied to UK Hospitals) amzn.eu/d/4WlOBO3

You need these or something like

1 x Heel Raise, Heel Lift Elevator, Heel Pad, Orthotic Wedge, Many Widths and Heights, Leather Cover, Kaps Topmed Plus, Supplied to NHS, 1 Piece (Height 25 mm / 1.0 inch - Size M) amzn.eu/d/guQbZjP

And l found this quite helpful.

Ankle Support Brace, Foot Heel Support Compression Socks Bandage Adjustable Straps Splint For Achilles Tendonitis Plantar Fasciitis Sprained Ankle Running Sports Protection and Pain Relief(L 1 pack) amzn.eu/d/8zT1LeN

Also ibuprofen gel can be good.

Just reading through and looking at the links provided for recommended products thank you all

I’ve told the GP every time that I will lose my job soon. She just tells me to carry on with the physio exercises. I’m doing heel lifts about 30 per day with rests in between… that’s all they gave me. I also had some shockwave therapy I’m about to come to the end of that soon. The physio said to me that she has a client who can’t even do one heel raise as his achilles is much worse. She’s told me this story twice now. I’ve explained to her that just because I can do heel raises it doesn’t mean I'm making it up. I’m literally limping around after 3-4 hours at work and can barely drag myself home on public transport. It’s like she is minimising my experience and pain. It’s clear that she doesn’t know how to help me, but they aren’t allowed to say that so they try to minimise the pain you are going through, in my opinion.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I’ve added the heel lift inserts x 2, and the support strap to my basket. Thank you so much, the links were so handy. What did you think of the bigger one, did you have to wear it to bed as it’s quite bulky?

I live in London

The big one I’m still only just starting on, you need to wear it as l said upthread. Build up wear time slowly.

You need to get a referral to the foot clinic. And maybe an operation. I’d be complaining about the treatment you’ve received tbh,
Meanehike try laser or orsteopathy. They got me from not being able to walk to being able to walk round Cornish villages on holiday 6 weeks later.

Im sure there’s loads of oesteos and laser specialists in London.

I would say one treatment of laser therapy made mine 50% better.

How’s it going @Anytipsplease ?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I received the items from Amazon but accidentally ordered the wrong size so the physiotherapist is going to actually give me some tomorrow. The pain has improved a small bit so I’m hoping the shockwave therapy has helped. Thanks for asking.