When I was a soldier I did quite a bit of walking. They taught us in the academy that exhaustion was weakness so we’d push ourselves beyond our body’s breaking point. That led most of us to work 14+ hour shifts where we’d be either marching or guarding without any sitting breaks. I say “most” because we had a few cadets that were just plain lazy and would make up excuses to get out of the long shifts. That just put more work on the rest of us, and may have led to my knee issues.
Eventually, I found it difficult to climb stairs, or doge out of the way. That’s actually part of the reason I agreed to retire our party, I found my reaction time slowed and getting in and out of my plate mail became quite difficult.
All that to say, I worked hard to find ways to make things a bit easier on my joints. One of the best things I discovered, in a small village across the Bavarian sea, were these magical insoles I started wearing in my plate mail boots. They were great! Provided much needed support to my arch; most of my boots had a fairly flat sole. They also added a nice bit of cushion to my heal so there was less of an impact on my knees.
Once we settled down here to start our shop, I mentioned some of my joint problems to Twern (he’s a marvelous healer so I figured he could just fix it), but apparently the most effective solutions to those types of problems fall under immortality magic, which is fairly forbidden for humans. He did, however, work with Gregoria to whip up some enchanted sports tape I can wrap around my knee. It’s supposed to help keep everything in place, and add a bit of compression. The enchanted element keeps the wraps in place, and provide a bit of cooling whenever the joints get inflamed.
So, that’s how I was able to soothe my knee and fee problems, but they aren’t really universal solutions and should not be used as a replacement for real medical advice. I’ve talked to some of my old friends over at the guard, and some travelers who pass through here, and I’ve found some products that come highly recommended.
- Insoles
There are a ton of companies to pick from, but I’ve heard great things from this one if you want to go the insole route. This is a bit of orthotic plastic to add to the sole of your shoe. It’s supposed to add support to your arch and a bit of shock resistance to your heal. It’s one of the minimal things you can do to relieve some of your joint pain. - Custom Orthotic Inserts
If you want something a bit more involved, the same company sells this custom orthopedics kit. You have to find one of their kiosks, they’re scattered around but I tend to find them inside some superstores. They have you walk on this special mat, and they tell you which custom insert would work best for your feet. - Adjustable Orthotic Insert
This is a pretty interesting concept, it’s sort of magic to be honest. These insoles are made to be adjustable, so if they don’t fit immediately you can customize them to simulate a fully custom orthotic insert. It can be a bit pricey though, so I’d recommend doing more research to see if they’re worth it for your situation. - Knee Compression Brace
I’m going to be honest with you guys, I’ve been recommended these types of braces before, and they didn’t really seem to help me. You see, I didn’t do anything to injure my knees, it’s just been a lot of wear, so that might be why they don’t work too well for me. I’ve had friends from the guard academy mention they’re really handy if you’ve ripped something in your knee. I guess it helps it heal. Like I said, they didn’t really help with my problem. - Knesiology Tape
I’ve heard great things about this product. It’s also pretty similar to the ones Twern and Gregoria made for me, and that’s seemed to help quite a bit. What’s great about this is that you can soak the tape and freeze it/cool it, to add a bit of relief to any swelling. You can also make it as tight as you want, so you don’t have to worry about purchasing the wrong size like you would with any braces.
So there you have it, a few products that should help you out if you also have some pain in your feet or knees. I hope they work for you as well as they worked for my friends!
