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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Aligning Alex's Ankle

Have you ever looked at the heel wear on your shoes to see if you
have any problems with your feet or ankles?
Years ago we noticed that Spencer had flat feet and one
ankle that leaned in.  Our doctor told us that high top
sneakers and an arch support are just as effective
as expensive orthotics, so that's what we do for him.

Over Christmas break I noticed Alex's shoes and how
the right shoe was terribly worn on the inside!
I guess I'd never noticed before because he usually gets new
shoes more often and this year he kept wearing his same 
old favorite Reboks.  Well, it was obvious we needed to
provide some support for his ankle!
So, he got some snazzy skateboarding hi tops
and some arch support inserts.


Not only will they help his ankle feel better,
but the yellow stripes are reflective so I can find
him in the dark, if necessary! lol...

Another interesting fact, well it's interesting to me anyway,
is that Spencer and Alex are twins. 
 (Harry was a singleton, in his own sack, and the other
 two shared a sack separate from him.)
We were told that they were
identical when they were born, but they seem to be mirror
images of each other.  Spencer's left ankle turns in and Alex's
right one turns in.  They have the same birth mark on their cheek.
Spencer's is on the right, Alex's is on the left! :)

We they were born, we kept their identification bracelets on
for over a week until we could find a difference in their looks
to be able to tell them apart.  Alex's right ear is a little square
shaped on the top curve and Spencer's is not.  That was the
only thing we could find!  :)  No birthmarks were showing yet!

So, check your shoes...or your kids' shoes!
They can tell you a lot about your feet!
Of course, it helps if your kids can talk..then they can
tell you if something feels weird or hurts or gets tired
when they walk a lot.  Sigh.  :)

51 comments:

  1. OKaaaa.... it took me awhile to figure out what these pictures were. Actually, I had to read your post.

    I think it's interesting about Spencer and Alex. Even down to the birth marks!

    You always come up with the most fascinating topics.

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    Replies
    1. Oh, sorry! They are the backs of his shoes...old and new. lol... didn't mean to confuse you! :)

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    2. and...aren't you supposed to be in Idaho?

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    3. Came back last night. Maybe that's why my vision is a little foggy.

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    4. haha..oh, I see. Here I thought you were staying until the baby was born. I guess I'm confused. lol.... Hope you had a fun visit!

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  2. Oh my... I never thought; but maybe I need to check. I've got really old shoes though... hee hee Those are pretty cool shoes Spencer has there!

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    Replies
    1. actually, the older the shoes, the better, to see your wear pattern! Maybe you could get some snazzy skateboarding shoes, too! lol....

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  3. That you say Betsy is true Thanks God you notice Spencer and Alex. I have to see twins shoes.
    When I was a child I had a problem in one of my feet but my Mom is like you she noticed LOL

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes you're so close you don't see, you know? ha.

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    2. yes but is nice you noticed. But normally I noticed the twins are allergic specially ESperanza!

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    3. oh, poor thing! Did you get them to the dentist for their wisdom teeth yet?

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  4. Fascinating facts! I keep a close eye on Carl's shoes and how they wear. He is on his feet all day at work and basically walks everywhere he needs to go. We keep good gel inserts in his and replace his walking shoes every few months. Spendy but worth it.

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    Replies
    1. Love your red boots, Ms. Pigeon Toes (just kidding.)

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    2. oh, those gel inserts look like they'd be very comfy!

      Well, at least you gave me a bird name! hahahaha!

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  5. Yeah that is very true
    Shoes can screw you
    I was wearing ones to high up for my feet
    Needed ones closer to the street
    Interesting how they each mirror one another too
    Could get one pair and split each shoe haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yep, who knew
      shoes could tell so much about you!
      So, no more high heels for you?
      Platforms would not be good, it's true.
      lol....

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    2. LOL yeah the clash with my purse
      And make others curse

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    3. Maybe it you'd borrowed Brian's gown
      the outfit would have been a hit all over town!
      lol...

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  6. Tell him to pop into a garage and get his tracking realigned! LOL No, seriously, my son has a similar problem. His feet are not aligned correctly so he has special supports which he puts into his shoes to correct it. He was getting back pains and since he has the inserts he no longer has the back pains.

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    Replies
    1. I wondered if either of my boys had pain. Spencer has scoliosis and sometimes acts like his back hurts, but neither really complain about much of anything! But they are nonverbal, too...which makes it harder to read their minds...or bodies. ha.

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    2. Sometimes if the feet are slightly out of alignment it makes other parts, i.e legs try to compensate and hence works up to the back. My sister, Maggie's son, Sam had this and had to have a raised heel to make him walk straight.

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    3. yes, I'm sure that could give you a terrible back ache!

      At first I thought Spencer's scoliosis and his turned ankle were connected somehow, but the doctors said they were separate issues. He has the flattest feet, too...his wet footprints look so funny...kind of like duck feet. haha.

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  7. You are not only a repo girl ,you are also a sleuth!

    My feet are fickle and it's typically the right metatarsal (The part behind the toes) that bothers me. I'm guessing this "sports injury" is really from all those years of sitting on my heel in order to control my overactive childhood bladder. I've found that my Brooks running shoes, hand me downs from a well to do friend, make my feet smile. I may have to spring for another pair myself when these wear out.

    I love that your boys are mirror images. That is too cool.

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    Replies
    1. I really do feel like a sleuth. The Mister does not share this talent, though, (haha) and is amazed that I noticed little things about them. Part mother, part intuition and part just plain aggressively worried that something is wrong that they can't tell me about! lol...

      Brooks running shoes...nice! yes, sometimes a good pair of shoes is all you need...and in shoes, it seems the price really does buy you more.

      The mirror thing is cool, isn't it? I should do a google search on that. I've never looked it up but I'm sure it's a common thing among twins. Don't know that they would be considered identical, though!

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  8. Betsy, I haven't commented in a long while, but please know I still love your blog and insight. We've hit a rough patch with Clee's behavior, and it's been overwhelming at times. I get so excited when you post about the boys, because it gives me hope we'll survive!
    Alex has some pretty fly kicks! I hope they feel better when he's walking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. natalie, who? haha...just kidding. :) It's great to see you! Gee, I stopped over at your blog not too long ago and you'd had another baby! :) Sorry about the rough times with Clee. Yes, you WILL survive! Hope things calm down soon. Let me know if you start posting again! xo

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  9. I'm crying here, Betsy...what a sweet story...

    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  10. HAHA iT DOESN'T ALWAYS MATTER IF THEY CAN TALK OR NOT...THEY STILL PROBABLY WON'T TELL YOU WHERE IT HUTRS!

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    Replies
    1. well, yeah, I guess that's true with some kids...I guess I meant that mine don't even give a consistent yes or no answer if you ask them if something hurts. Diagnosing illness and injuries is the hardest thing for me with them! You just have to read body language and that isn't always consistent either!

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  11. If you go to a store that specializes in "comfort" shoes they might have a scanner that could help you figure out the boys' foot weaknesses.

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  12. osiris....cool shoes....mine wear to the outside of my heals....

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  13. You are a wonderful mother. I just needed to say that.

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  14. What a difference between the old shoes and the new shoes!

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  15. Hi Betsy .. it's so good to learn - and those tidbits of information I hadn't realised .. twins and a single, yet triplets .. and the twins mirror each other ..

    Love the shoes ... amazing post - thanks for sharing with us - Hilary

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  16. What interesting facts about your boys. Do hope those lovely new shoes work well for Alex.

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  17. Hi Betsy,

    I look at the older set of shoes and I actually feel pain. It is such a good thing that you caught it. I hope it really takes the pain away. And the new ones are cool looking. Also I am not sure if mirror image twins are actually more identical or less. Nice thing to look up.

    God bless.

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    1. He never acted like he was in pain and would walk a mile to the library just fine! I wonder if he thinks the new shoes feel better or if it doesn't matter to him. ha.

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  18. I thought I left a comment yesterday, but can't find it...I just love all the information about the boys.

    When Don and I were joggers..(years back) we bought expensive Reboc's or NewBalance...now I have Shape ups from my daughters, but like my old comfy tennis shoes and wear them most often.

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    1. I didn't see your first comment either! I'll check my spam. Reboks are great...we had an outlet near us until recently that offered a buy 2 get one free. How perfect was that? ha. But they closed. Their shoes last a long time, too.

      I didn't know you used to jog!

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  19. HI. Playing catch up after long working days and NO TIME To read blogs! OY! Lots going on at your place and such fun. Love the kitty drinking from the bird bath!! Oh my! And...those shoes...that is a good way to see how they walk too....hope Alex has a bigger spring in his step with his new comfy shoes!

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  20. Used to be you could buy good shoes Today they are hard to find.
    So I find I wear mostly the sports shoes from the sports stores.

    The shoes are either too hard or too narrow or very badly made
    or have no support or something.
    I'm with you there.

    I am sure you had a difficult time knowing which baby was which.
    That would keep me on my toes. lol
    I look at your pictures of the boys and the three of them look exactly the same.
    It's amazing!!
    They say you have 5 people in the world who look like you.
    I wonder what the odds would be with your boys, there being three of them lol
    Taylor and Lauren look like a lovely couple.

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  21. I love hearing twin stories. So fascinating one was in his own sack and the other two were not.

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