Karen Grasso

In 1993 I started my career as a Make-Up consultant standing in extremely high heels on concrete flooring for nine hours a day. At eighteen, looking good was more important to me than comfort and so you can imagine that by the time I was twenty-four, I had developed a nasty pain in my lower back. I visited my doctor many times over the next nine years, which normally resulted in them giving me pain killers, doing blood tests and telling me that it was due to me being tall at 5’8” and to lower the heels, which I eventually did.

One doctor referred me on to a Physiotherapist which helped for a small amount of time but the pain would always return. As I didn’t get a permanent solution, I felt that I would never find out exactly what was causing this ever increasing pain in my lower back. I found that all kinds of sport that I used to be able to do, now aggravated the pain, so I subsequently stopped all exercise. I had trouble sleeping in most positions, but found putting a pillow between my legs, as recommended by the Physiotherapist, helped.

So basically between the ages of twenty-seven to thirty-two I was in regular pain during the day and night and tired from lack of sleep. I was getting really irritable and worn down with the pain. After a particularly bad night I decided to have one last go at finding the cause to my bad back. So after visiting the doctor again and two clear blood tests later, I was sent away with more pain killers and still they did not know what the problem was.

I remembered an Osteopath that my mum had recently used when she had slipped a disc. I made an appointment to see Edward at the Abbots Langley Clinic. Edward listened to me as I explained about my back pain and the various pills, lotions and different foot wear I had tried over the years. Edward then examined me. I couldn’t believe it when Edward told me that he knew exactly what my problem was.

I had a collapsed foot arch which was causing an apparent leg length difference on the same side that I had the back pain. Edward explained that my foot arch was turning inwards causing a difference in leg length which was causing the pain in my back. He also explained that my body would try and correct this action at night, which was why I found it painful and difficult to sleep at night. Edward recommended that I could have some orthotics, custom made, to support my foot arch so that this would take the pressure off and relieve the pain. The orthotics took about two weeks to be made, during which I had two sessions of acupuncture which dramatically helped with the pain. After trying on my orthotics to see how they would feel, the immediate relief was amazing.

I now find I have so much more energy and I am sleeping so much better. I have been wearing the orthotics for about six weeks and I do not really experience any pain any more, which is fantastic compared to how much pain I used to be in. I will be starting some exercise soon which will be great as I have not been able to for a few years.

I highly recommend if any of my symptoms are similar to yours, that you visit Edward. It may just be the best thing you’ve ever done.

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