Debbie Thompson was injured 15 years ago, and she’s been in pain ever since.
In 2001, she injured one of her metatarsals in her foot. This left a lump of pone protruding from the bottom of her left foot. It caused her to limp or use a wheelchair, and made walking extremely painful.
She was diagnosed with a dripped metatarsal at the time—her instep was so tight that the bones had shifted and pushed her metatarsal down.
Over the fifteen years, she underwent four different operations to try to solve the problem.
But podiatrists were stumped, and her painful problem wasn’t fixed.
She constantly had to wear thick soled shoes and walk on the outside of her foot to compensate. “It was painful all the time,” said Debbie.
But when she went for a pedicure last month at a nail salon, everything changed.
Pedicurist Holly Pope, who had been working for under a year, did something that Debbie had never felt before.
“She pulled my toe and there was this loud click, and it just popped into place,” said Debbie. “I thought I was going to pass out with the pain. It was so intense. I managed to stagger to the car and get into bed.”
While she thought it was just another in the long line of painful experiences related to her injury, “It wasn’t until a bit later when I stood up again that I noticed my foot felt different. I ran my finger along the bottom of the sole and the bone had gone. I couldn’t believe it.”
Her foot is still tender, but she says her life is so much better after the pedicure.
“To be able to stand up with no shoes on and not be in pain is miraculous…I can actually walk up and down a hill now, and take my dog for walks.”
She went back to the salon to thank Holly, who was so affected by her thanks that they both burst into tears.
Holly said, “I could feel the bone was not correct, and I usually just massage it as I feel. But something happened. I was playing with the joint and it made a loud click. I could see it hurt, so I stopped.”
She was afraid she’d really hurt Debbie. “But she told me I’ve changed her life,” she said. “I’m so happy to have made a difference.”
As for Debbie, she can’t contain her excitement. “I can play with my grandchildren now, and I can’t wait to run across the beach when I go on holiday this year.”
