IamA 15 year old Boy who was born with one foot facing completely backwards, AMA!

Did you ever think that maybe your foot is facing the correct way, and that the rest of your body is facing backwards?

Hahahahah

So, it looks like both of your legs face the same way but that one is much smaller than the other. What part of your leg is "facing backwards"?

EDIT: Waiting for OP to clarify that these are post-surgery pics... New question: OP can you give us some pics pre-surgery?

EDIT 2: OP's response below

My leg was corrected at birth, right when I was born I had surgery done to my leg so I have no pre surgery pictures

^ This needs to be in your original post, otherwise it is quite confusing.

Sorry haha I thought you could tell by the pics

Add an Edit to the main post perhaps, I was also confused :P

Man my laptop broke so it's hard lol gimme a sec

...I am a little stoned, so forgive me :P

You know what's funny? If medical marijuana gets legalized here (Never will, it's a republican state I think), my foot pain can be a an excuse for a card :D But have fun on your high man, chill out and relax. Get your food ready too :P

Medical marijuana is legal in Arizona - a very Republican state, so it ~could~ happen where you live.

Ooo nice

Do you answer questions?

Laptop just broke, on my nexus now :P

Which one? On my nexus 4 and still loving it! Lol

Nexus 5 man, I've been with Android since the G1. And no, will not be getting the nexus 6, it's way too big (:

Are you a root user?

Thought about it, don't need it though, my battery life is amazing even though everyone is complaining about the battery bug. I've rooted other phones though

The nexus 6 is just TOO big, I'm happy on my moto x and sad on Verizon that it can't be a nexus.

In all honesty, I might go to the iPhone 6. I've been with android since the beginning and I want to try a simpler platform. Can't you get a unlocked one from the play store?

Im curious. Why did people get into android while it was laggy and shitty?

Well because you had more control of your devices, it was more customizable, plus it was more affordable and carried by more carriers then the iPhone. Plus it was hyped, hype makes people spend blindly

I, myself, have a HTC One and it is the best phone ive ever had. Can I ask you another thing? Apart from some bullying, has your disability affected anything in your life? Can you live a fairly normal teenage life?

It's held me back a lot. I can't drive shift, well I could but it'd be way harder, I can't play football anymore as my leg would be crushed, but other then that my life is normal. I try not thinking I'm limited, otherwise I'd start limiting myself. I look at my self as a normal teenager and I live a happy life pretty much. Sure I wish sometimes I didn't have my leg and wished it was normal, but majority of the time, I'm fine with it

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I don't known if it is recessive, as no one in my family has had it

Hey. I too was born with a club foot. Fixed and everything when I was a baby. Also have a thinner leg and shorter foot because the casts stunted the growth for a while. But for the last 8 years or so my foot has broken due to stress of walking and running. Had two surgeries in the last 6 years to correct the breaking problems. (Username should check out)

Have you had any issue with breaking bones or stress fractures while you're being active? Or have you had surgeries that you can remember to fix your leg and foot?

I've never met someone with the same kind of birth defect as myself. Although yours seems to be quite a bit worse than what mine was.

I'm sorry about your foot :( But no, I have had no surgeries other then the prior one at birth, my family does want me to go to a doctor and get it checked out but I think I'm fine. My leg has never broken nor has anything happened. I have two more years of running and highschool, then I plan on just running for fitness, not competition so I will go easy on myself as I get oldef

Does it hurt to walk at all? Everyone has flaws man, don't let anybody tell you you're any different then any other person on this planet. Good luck on your journey friend!

It hurts when I run a lot, however I run cross country so I'm fine

Um, that doesn't sound "fine" at all.

Well considering I run 5ks at about 20 minutes, run as hard and fast as I can, through rough and rigid tracks, minimal pain for ten minutes is perfectly normal. (: If I wasn't "fine" I wouldn't run

I have never seen that before! Was your knee also backwards and bent the other way? You said you never wore shorts but did people not notice that you had shoes pointing in different directions or did you have surgery early on?

I hope this AMA be therapeutic for you! Good luck man!

Surgery was at birth, so no one knew (: Knee up, I'm normal

So how did they fix it? I don't know much about anatomy but I'd imagine that if it were a simple cut the bone and twist then your muscles wouldn't be straight. Did that play a role in why your surgery leg is shorter and appears more atrophied? Do you buy two sets of shoes to accommodate different feet sizes?

*edit - also, your name is /u/thisaccountisadog not Poopy Face Tomato Nose

I think the just twisted my leg and took a bone out, as crazy as it sounds. My leg is about 1/3 of the size of the other one and my calf muscle is still there, I believe all of the muscles are there. I do run for my schools cross country team and I grew a lot of muscle, actually I have no fat on the leg from the knee down, it's pure muscle.

What sizes are your shoes?

9 1/2-10. I don't buy different sized shoes, I usually stuff a napkin or just deal with it

If your feet are at least 1.5 US sizes different, Nordstrom will sell you split sizes for no extra cost. They will take a left and a right from 2 different pairs and mark out the un used mismatched pairs and send them back to the company.

Source: Used to sell shoes at Nordstrom

Just a half a size different but I tend not to buy different sizes, my feet grow fast

My grandmother's leg was injured when she was a child, leaving one foot about a size shorter than the other. She would raid clearance bins of single shoes, looking for two to fit her perfectly. :-)

Hahaha That's nice to hear, I never really did that

Your feet are different sizes, how do you shop for shoes?

Just buy the size for the bigger foot and deal with it

you must get blisters

Just my toes, usually after a week of intense running

What is the best way to overcome fears about public perception.? It would be very hard for some to put your best foot forward and say fuck what people think.

That's what I did, one morning it was 90+ for the forecast, wasn't about to wear jeans, so I said fuck it, wore some shorts to school

Have you ever met anyone else with the same condition?

Never

My boyfriend was born with 2 club feet. I was shocked when I saw the picture of your foot because it looks so similar to his. As I commented elsewhere in this post, he would love to talk to you since he's never met anyone with it either. PM me if you want :) I can also post pics for anyone interested.

Go for it :P

Hey! I was born with vertical talus! Basically the opposite of club foot, I didn't have it to your degree, mine was twisted about 90 degrees! know what operation you had done? (I had a z-cut of my Achilles) Edit: I was going to make an AMA at some point, guess I'll have to wait longer now.

Edit edit: I relate with you on so many things in this thread..

I have no idea man :/ I don't like asking my parents about it but plan to soon

When your foot hurts, do you also get that thing in which, like, it hurts more to relax your foot than to keep it tensed?

No I just have to get off my foot and just massage it for a bit. It's pretty much normal pain

So we're different there, I see you too have your affected leg smaller than the other, for me, it's because my calf never developed all the way, is that the same for you?

Most likely. I think I'm missing a bone though

Do you also have balancing issues on that foot? It's honestly impossible for me to balance on my right foot (the affected one)

I cannot balance on the foot affected either

Hi. Nice to meet you.

(Now you have!)

:D

Will you have to undergo anymore surgeries in the future? How old were you when you had the initial surgery?

First survey done at birth, don't plan on anymore, I don't need it.

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Well I start in a 90° angel with my hip bent and do a backflip

Hi! On your image proof you appear to have both feet pointing the same way. Is that because you underwent corrective surgery?

Yes, at birth

Hi man, I hope everything is going well for you. I was born with a similar condition (but only my foot was rotated backwards at the ankle), and my parents were told to gently massage and twist it twice a day to make it normal. After about a year of that it slowly rotated around, and today is generally problem-free. Just out of curiosity, what prevented this kind of therapy in your case? Maybe the more complex nerve and joint systems involved?

My foot was just completely backwards and that just wouldn't have worked you know? Can't move the two main bones in your shin/foot area. I sucked at learning about the bones lol, whatever two bones are below the knee

Do you find the upside down-faced character from Family Guy hurtful and offensive?

Hahaha I was just happy I didn't have that face and his dad

Do you ever kick your own ass?

Every time I see a blue apple

But in all seriousness, it's good to hear that you are coping well with this. And a goddamn athlete to boot.

Thank you!(:

Is there a song that you feel speaks to you about your condition?

Cotton eye Joe. Just kidding Idk :P

How have you stayed positive throughout your life?

Not caring what people say. Just do me

Hi there, so brave of you to come on! Congrats! So you were able to walk fine or you had to get surgery?

Had to get surgery(:

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Nope, hopefully will never have to get to that. I have no pain, if I do it's just pain from running too much or too hard in races.

My daughter has an extreme club foot on her left foot, she goes in for a tendon transfer hopefully sometime next month. Do you have any advice for a parent to hopefully ease her worries and self esteem for when she gets older?

It really helps when I see other people with such courage and strength I hope my daughter feels that way when she's older.

Well growing up my family and friends never mentioned my foot. They treated me as if nothing was wrong, they pushed me to play outside with kids, they made sure I wasn't being reckless, they just made me feel like nothing was wrong. Just make sure you guys let her feel like she is normal. Like nothing will stop her, like she can do anything she can put her mind to. Just support her and listen. I've never had any surgeries done to me other then the one to correct my foot so I cannot help with the pain. Just make sure she's happy. Don't restrict her too much. Just raise her normally, just with extra care for her foot(: I'm sorry, I don't know how to help :/ hope everything goes well!

Is it painful when you walk? Or difficult because your leg appears weaker than the other one?

Sometimes, pain goes away within minutes

I have a cousin who was born with a clubbed foot. His parents decided to just cut it off so now he's a pre-teen amputee actor. How do you think you would feel if your parents just had your leg amputated instead? Like no choice given. Let's just cut it off.

I don't know, I am lucky that I still have my feet and can do everyday activities. I'm sure if they had it cut off, I'd still be just like how I am now.

Do you revolve as you walk?

No

Do you think, relative to other 15 year old boys, this increases or decreases the amount of times you vigorously masturbate?

Hahahahaha you clown

I had the same thing done. Get ready for some really annoying curled toes. Is your right leg shorter or just smaller?

My toes are curly and ones smaller then the other

Have you ever gone on a date with a girl who had a wooden eye?

Haha no, I have been with the same girl for over a year now

Does jumping cause you any sort of pain?

By the way, you're pretty cool. Keep doing you bro.

No, jumping is okay, as a kid I'd love to jump off things haha, sprung from playing the floor is lava I guess. And thanksss

So, intelligent design is definitely a thing... right?

What do you mean?

basically he means blah blah atheism blah blah. the implied point is that if God existed, and created the Universe in an intelligent fashion, feet wouldn't be on backwards ever.

TL;DR--blah blah atheism blah euphoric blah

Ohhh! Well I don't know how I feel with religion and genetics in terms of how we turn out.

Did you ever have to go to jail for Power Energy Crimes?

In my past life

Do you have drugs. You are illegal. Go to jail.

Plot twist, we're both in jail

Is your little foot completely functional?

In the way I walk, yes. But I cannot point my toes forward or put my foot down, for example to accelerate in a car

Are you never going to be able to drive then?

I drive every where, I need to get to work :P it's safer to drive with one foot actually, so I use my right foot instead of my left to brake or accelerate

What kind of job do you have at 15? Does your condition affect it?

Fast food, no my leg doesn't affect it

How important do you think it is to have a sense of humour about situations like your own? Has there been any experiences where you have required one?

It's important to have a sense of humor, my close friends and families do joke around with me in terms of my leg and I laugh with them. It tends to make me more comfortable with people, being able to joke about it. However it can and does go past a certain line sometimes and I make it very clear that the jokes are over, it's mainly freshman or upperclassmen who think their cool and try making fun of me so I don't joke with and get mad. I can fight but they usually know I have a temper and my fellow runners make it clear to leave me alone. It's good to be able to joke with people about your disability/ condition, I feel like it's only when you're comfortable with it, but it's also good to have people to back you up and protect you, you know?

Do you have full sensation throughout your foot? If not, where does it stop on your leg?

Just my toes or foot, but that's usually after a 5k, I pretty much get that feeling and it doesn't hurt but when the race is over, I feel like complete shit. Runners high man, it's the best

1. Any good songs you've been listening to lately?

2. What's your favorite game right now?

This is out of the blue but okay

1. I usually just play a playlist with every album of Kanye West's. The most recent song I've heard that I like is probably Take me to church or Animals

2. I stopped playing video games sadly, but I play World at war Zombies or Minecraft. Thinking about getting skyrim for the summer, I have a lot of time till then though

Alright, I'm curious. Got any more pictures?

Any significant differences between the two? Or anything else interesting? And how was the corrective surgery carried out? What did they have to do to fix it?

http://imgur.com/a/4Kr0b

One leg is 1/3 of the size of the other and I can't bend my foot forward or point my toes in my left foot. I think the cut my leg open and untwisted it and took a bone out, but that's just my guess. Only interesting thing is, I can do everything a "normal" person can do. I still drive perfectly fine, I run cross country and my 5K time is 20:15, and I can walk. I have a slight limp, but that's just my gangsta walk (nothing about me is thug, I'm a preppy boy :P)

Just over a 20 minute 5k? That's pretty damn good.

Eh, my school has a really competitive cross country team, I'm one of the slowest

What is your favorite city in Michigan?

Honestly don't know lol

any problems with your feet/legs currently? like hip/knee pain, smaller muscles on one leg...? im just an interested podiatry student

Hip pain for sure and leg pain only in the foot. My schedule requires me to walk a lot through my school and then I run probably 5-6 miles after school.

Hey I have this too! I also don't wear shorts as much as I should but I'm getting better now. I actually used to know a guy with two club foots (club feet?) when I was younger and I think he swims competitively now. My question is did you have to wear a splint when you were younger or was it fully corrected in surgery?

I had a cast probably until probably when infants learn to walk or a year later then that. I was a very hyper kid apparently so once it was off, I ran

Did you undergo surgery to have your condition fixed? Because your pictures show both legs facing the same way, one is smaller than the other though.

Yes, at birth

Where were your feet operated on exactly? And where since the first surgery? My boyfriend had 6 surgeries between the ages of 0-7. I apologize for my multiple comments in this post! It is very cool to see someone else who went through what he did.

My first and only surgery was after birth, it was at the back of my leg and towards my ankle. Ask up, I have nothing better to do(:

How did doctors know your foot was facing the wrong way and it wasn't that your foot had it right and the rest of you was skewiff?

Hahah funny :P

Holy shit I have this too. My right foot was facing the other way and is thinner although not smaller like yours.

Didn't know this was ama worthy.?

Hiiiii we're similar :D

Can you walk forward or only in circles?

No dude... I can only walk forward and then back. Just kidding, my foot was corrected at birth, I'm bueno now

Weird... I was born with both feet flat against my legs. Like the tops of my feet along my shins. They were also to the side (I guess like this: ,/\,)I'm 27. They massaged my feet as soon as I was born and for weeks afterwards and they're normal now. I do have knee and hip problems that have continued and were really bad during puberty. And sometimes my hip pops out of joint.

Do you have issues with your knees and hips? Does your foot affect you in gym classes?

I have hip problems because my cast affected the growth of the leg. I was never affected in gym class, played basketball with everyone, I played flag football with everyone, I did insanity with everyone. I was quite athletic, if it wasn't for my leg, I would probably be playing football right now, I'm thinking about doing flag with my friends though

Do you only walk in circles?

Lol no only triangles

do you only walk in circles?

Triangles people, triangles.

Have you ever gone on the tv show man tracker?

Nope

You're 15?? Jesus man you've got more hair on your legs than I did when I was 18!

Hahah yes. You know what's funny? I have a full beard and mustache. I can pass for 18+ just by my looks

Why did you do that?

Do what

Be born with a backwards foot.

I don't know, why do you not understand genetics? Why don't you go over 9000? Why don't you hold it down for P.O.P?

lol I couldn't think of a real question, sorry.

Maybe God wanted you to be able to kick people in the nuts, if they were to jump on your back.

Hahah maybe, maybe