Monthly Archives: June 2011

Sciatic Nerve Causing Foot Swelling?

Posted by tradrmick on June 23, 2011 Comments Off

This spring we spent about 6 weeks renovating 5 rooms in our house. This involved moving 2 bedrooms downstairs and moving two offices and all our exercise equipment upstairs. So needless to say this involved lots of heavy lifting and moving things up and down the two flights of stairs in our home. One of the last things we bought for the new office was a closet organizer. As we were carrying it up the stairs my leg got turned into an uncomfortable position and I felt a “crunch”. We stopped and after I “shook it off” we continued up the steps. The next morning however, I was awakened by the sharpest pain I’ve ever had in my left hip, it was absolutely unbearable!


After lying on my back for 20-30 minutes I got up and my hip was still extremely sore but as the day wore the pain lessened so I thought everything was going to be fine. The following day I didn’t notice any unusual soreness other than aches from all the work we had been doing. The next day however, when I went to take our dog for a walk I could hardly get my left shoe on. I remember thinking “that’s wierd, I wonder why my foot is swollen”. But I had sprained my ankles severely about 5 years ago in a snow mobile accident so I assumed that part of that “crunch” a couple nights ago had involved my left ankle. I started elevating my foot and icing in order to control the swelling and it seemed to help. However, whenever I wore my Teva sandals or drove extended distances in my car it would swell up again. This went on for several weeks before I realized this might not be an ankle sprain.

Another thing I noticed is when I wore my Teva sandals early in the day I would have problems all day long whereas if I put on my shoes which had Orthaheel orthotics in them, I didn’t have nearly as much pain.

I started thinking about that severe pain in my left hip a couple days before my foot initially swelled and did some online research. It turns out that an injury to your sciatic nerve can be associated with swelling in your ankle or foot. Now things are starting to make more sense. I’ve made an appointment to visit my chiropractor and see if he has any input. I’ve also decided to trade in my Teva sandals for a pair of orthotic sandals that have the Orthaheel orthotics built right in.

I plan on coming back and updating this post in a few weeks after I see how this situation resolves. Hopefully this information can help others who have unexplained swelling in their feet or ankles, it can be quite difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.


Turbulence Training

Lymphedema Symptoms and Treatments

Posted by tradrmick on June 15, 2011 Comments Off

Lymphedema shares some common characteristics with other forms of edema it has a different cause and should be treated differently as well. Lymphedema is caused by excess lymphatic fluids building up in tissues, usually in your lower limbs. This happens when the lymphatic system is unable to effectively transport the amount of fluid being produced. It can be aggravated by prolonged standing or sitting as well as other factors such as obesity or pregnancy.


Lymphedema symptoms usually begin with mild swelling in a foot and will usually work it’s way up the limb. At first there is normally no pain except for pressure when wearing shoes or something of that nature. As it progresses the skin will become tight and the pressure can cause additional pain. If you are experiencing symptoms it’s important to see your doctor to determine the cause of your symptoms.

Lymphedema treatment begins by reducing the swelling which is commonly done by elevating the limb, preferably above the level of your heart. Another inexpensive treatment to reduce swelling is the use of a compression bandage or garments such as compression socks (there are a variety of styles). The compression provided by these garments forces the fluid out of the affected area and back to larger areas that have a greater capacity to deal with the fluid.

In severe cases another commonly used lymphedema treatment is a lymphedema pump or compression pump. This involves putting a sleeve over your leg or arm that has air chambers within it and hooking it up to a pump. The pump will fill the various chambers of the sleeve to move the fluid out of the extremity. Once the fluid has been moved out of the extremity it can be excreted by the body as urine. This method is used when lymphedema becomes debilitating and compression garments are not enough.

Lymphedema Pump and Compression Sleeves

If you have a Health Savings Account these garments may even qualify for use with HSA funds. Medicare will also cover many lymphedema treatment related expenses. (please consult your accountant or tax adviser for current rules)

It is important to visit your doctor if you are experiencing persistent swelling in any of your extremities as there could be an underlying injury or serious medical condition that exists.


Turbulence Training

Kraft South Beach Diet Bars Discontinued – Now SnackWells

Posted by tradrmick on June 7, 2011 Comments Off

About two weeks ago I noticed that my favorite snack the Peanut Butter South Beach Diet bars were not at my regular grocery store. The following day I stopped by another grocery store…. No South Beach Diet Bars! Since these are one of the few cereal bars that have no wheat, are relatively high in protein, low in sugar ( relatively low glycemic ) and taste great I went to a grocery store that “ALWAYS” has them in stock…. GONE!!


It appears that Kraft has stopped making the South Beach Diet Bars!! I jumped on Amazon and paid a premium to order 8 boxes to hold me over until I found out what was going on.

Yeah – Nabisco SnackWell To The Rescue!!

Today I was at the original grocery store and saw the previous South Beach Diet spot was filled with new green boxes. They were the familiar Peanut Butter and Cinnamon Raisin flavors, it says 8g Protein on the front and the pictures look just like the others. However, these were made by Nabisco instead of Kraft and are being marketed under their SnackWell brand instead of South Beach Living.

I bought two boxes and opened them as soon as I got out to the car. Much to my delight they taste exactly like the other ones and appear to be absolutely identical. I’m not sure what happened here, the South Beach Diet site says: “South Beach Diet Foods Are Being Re-Imagined” whatever that means. But as far as I can tell these SnackWells are the same product.

After I got home, I jumped on the internet and found out that Nabisco is a division of Kraft Foods so it is the exact same product. They apparently decided to discontinue their affiliation with South Beach Diet and make the bars part of their SnackWell line.

Anyway, I’m just glad to have my favorite snack item back!!


Turbulence Training