'My Feet Are Killing Me': A look at how Dr Sarah fixed Laura's twisted toe
For the patients on 'My Feet Are Killing Me', the significance of having seemingly ordinary feet is not lost on them. For these patients, it's not about having pretty feet; it's about having functional feet that allow them to live pain-free lives. But, unfortunately, their feet are often a source of discomfort and shame.
TLC's 'My Feet Are Killing Me' has seen some extreme cases, such as webbed feet, Proteus Syndrome and even potentially cancerous growths. Despite this, doctors always find a way to help their patients. This week, Dr Sarah helped Laura achieve a life-long dream of being able to walk pain-free.
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Laura's feet are not only the source of extreme pain, but they have also been a source of shame. The big toe on her right foot is completely twisted. Growing up, her feet were a source of extreme shame for her. As a result, she couldn't do everyday activities like other children, such as spending time on the beach and other activities. Even Laura's father was ashamed of his daughter's deformed feet, and as Laura put it, if her own family didn't want to look at her feet, why would any other children want to either?
Having grown up with these issues, Laura is now worried that she might soon reach a point where she won't be able to walk at all. With Dr Sarah as her last hope, Laura hopes that she can help her walk comfortably again. For Dr Sarah, Laura's feet baffled her, as she had never seen anything like it. As she explained it, her right foot looked like a hand, with the big toe turning to the side, like a thumb, instead of facing upwards. This has caused callouses on her feet that are a source of extreme pain. Dr Sarah had her stand to assess the situation and concluded that Laura had only two instead of having three points of balance, causing stress on her feet.
This had led to painful callouses on the side of her big toe and near her small toe. Dr Sarah explained that Laura had a congenital abnormality and she needed to reshape and turn the toe entirely. With Laura's dream to be pain-free, Dr Sarah was determined to help her achieve normalcy again. The course of action was simple enough, along with Dr Brad, Dr Sarah would turn the toe in the right direction and wire it into place. But while she tried to do so, she realised that the toe kept flopping back due to Laura's soft bones. So Dr Sarah had to use two wires to secure the toe in place. It was a calculated risk, seeing that her bones could splinter due to the wire.
Once the toe was in place, Dr Sarah went on the shave down the metatarsal on the left side of the foot. Now, all Laura had to do was ensure that her foot healed well with zero application of pressure to make sure it heels correctly. It turns out, Laura did take Dr Sarah's instruction seriously, as her foot healed well, and for the first time in 50 odd years, she was walking on flat feet. Although they weren't particularly pretty to look at, she was just glad to have fully functional feet!
Catch all-new episodes of 'My Feet Are Killing Me' on Wednesdays at 10 pm EST on TLC.
