My detachable foot

My detachable foot

It was the most advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment I have ever seen. I could see all the bones of my foot in a three dimensional image that moved with my foot as I flexed and extended it. The doctor could even rotate the image to see different angles. I had been having foot problems so I was having it examined.

The problem was between my tarsal bones, the group of small little bones beneath the talus – which makes up the ankle. We could see where I had had surgery five years ago to remove a bone spur on the talar-navicular joint. Everything in the area of the surgery was fine. The Doctor actually stuck his finger between the bones and felt them – we could see it on the MRI. Strangely, there was no pain in that joint, even with his finger in there.

Then he rotated the view so that we could see up from the bottom of my foot and we noticed a new joint. My whole foot was attached with a “tongue and groove” joint. The groove was front to back underneath the tarsal bones. My foot had slipped forward out of place, causing me great pain whenever I flexed the joint. So the doctor took a rubber mallet and pounded it back in place so the bones were flush, and you could hardly even tell it was there.

“The joint is still a little loose.” The doctor said.

“Do you think my whole foot could slip out of the joint?” I replied.

“O yeah, let me show you.” He tapped the back of heel a couple of times and gave it a solid whack. My foot slid right off into his hand, and he handed it to me. Astonished I looked it over and quickly asked him to put it back on.

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t come off unless you hit in just right spot. We’ll put you in a splint for a couple weeks and let the joint tighten up so it doesn’t slip anymore.”

He put my foot back in place and wrapped it firmly with an elastic bandage.

I woke up and flexed my foot a couple of times, no pain. I felt for the joint and realized it wasn’t there – AHA! My foot can’t fall off!