One of the biggest challenges for individuals with tarsal
coalition is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Many of us were extremely active
prior to our diagnosis or injury. For me, I loved to run. Running was my escape
and a healthy way to get out my daily aggressions. One of the hardest parts of
my pain has been my inability to truly exercise. Since my initial injury, I
have been able to bike on a very limited basis. I was never a big biker, and it
has especially difficult because, due to pain, I can only bike for
a short period of time with little resistance. In reality, I went from being
an extremely active person to having to use a wheelchair at the grocery store.
The lack of activity has been a big struggle for me. Not only
do I feel blah and lazy most of the time, but I also lost my best method of stress
relief. At the time in my life when my stress levels are highest (also due to
the medical issues), I lost my only known method of dealing with stress.
Recently, I have discovered swimming. It has been the best
thing that has happened to me since the injury. Not only am I able to be active
and stay healthy, but I also have noticed that swimming is the only time of the
day when I really do not feel pain in my foot. I have heard that pools have healing
powers and now I must agree.
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