Hi, just throwing this out there as a thought. I’m a fairly healthy individual but struggle with chronic pain, possibly nerve related, in my ankle and foot after 7 years of operations, culminating in a Total Ankle Replacement. I wonder if there is a specific bacteria that helps to ‘dial down’ the pain receptors? Has anyone anyone experimented with this?

Research into the gut microbiome is fairly new and very much ongoing. At this stage it seems that a diverse population or complex community of bacteria and yeasts – ‘fed’ by a balanced and very varied wholefood diet – is important for health. Its not about isolated symptoms, single foods or individual microbes.

Longstanding pain after injuries or operations can be linked to scar tissue, inappropriate nerve signals, muscle ‘knots’ (trigger points), chronic inflammation … or all of these.

Diet is highly relevant in calming inflammation, function of the nervous system and in muscle contraction/ relaxation. To target these firstly cut back hard on sugars, refined/ processed carbs, omega-6 rich oils and nuts, alcohol.

Secondly substantially increase long chain omega-3s (oily fish), magnesium (certain seeds/ cocoa), B group vitamins (many wholefoods), low sugar fruits, non starchy vegetables. So pretty much the Clever Guts Diet!

After seven years you very likely have postural/ muscular imbalances and ‘knots’ or trigger points, both locally (ankle/ calf) and further up the body (hips or higher).

If you have not already consider having a professional movement assessment (overhead squat/ walking) followed by being taught self myofascial release (using foam roller/ tennis ball) OR followed by a series of trigger point massages.

Thank you Firefox, I do eat a healthy diet, gluten free, I don’t have a sweet tooth and no alcohol. Believe me, after 7 years of this, I have seen all sorts of professionals and tried an awful lot of things. I exercise to my capabilities. It was the section in the book which stated that they had seen less lung infections in children taking specific bacteria and that taking Lactobacillus casei for 8 weeks helped women with Rheumatoid arthritis to relieve swollen and painful joints, that sparked my query.

Formal exercise – especially repetitive movements – can easily worsen postural imbalances and knots/ trigger points.

After injury(s), operation(s) or with a modern sedentary lifestyle (desk/ car /sofa), the small stabilising muscles or sections of large prime mover muscles can become weak and ‘lazy’ or tight and ‘knotted’.

Many fitness professionals (even physiotherapists) do only static posture assessments or assess isolated joints, use only static stretching after strengthening. SMR or trigger point massage is completed before or separate from activities of daily living or moves that mimic such activity.

Similarly a healthy eating plan or gluten-free diet is not necessarily an anti inflammatory diet or balanced and varied diet.

Often the gluten protein is not the issue, the carbohydrates in grain rich diets are. Many gluten-free alternatives are very low in minerals (such as magnesium) or low in prebiotic or bulking fibre, plus the carbs are more easily converted to blood sugar, so just as or more inflammatory!

Obviously I don’t know what you have previously been advised or tried, but this is what I saw frequently when I was practising (lifestyle health professional).

I have heel pain and need arch support for my tired feet. I first wore them around the house for an hour or two at a time, as suggested. This past weekend I ventured out to work my daughters Girl Scout cookie booths. I was on my feet 2 hours straight and my feet felt great. orthofeet shoe really helps me do my job and cuts down on the pain I have once I am off my feet.

Hi Glennith, I’d be very wary of taking any one specific genera of bacteria that claims to dial down pain. Chronic pain is mediated by the gut bacteria through mechanisms relating to the immune system and ultimately it is a result of dysbiosis which is so prevalent in populations consuming modern, industrialised diets. While consuming this diet in the long-term (and the compounded effects of our mothers and their mothers consuming these diets) can cause extinction, it is unlikely that introducing a single species would solve all your issues. Instead, take a high-strength probiotic which contains many strains and a sufficiently high CFU. The microbiome is a complex ecosystem and it is not usually a case of introducing a single missing species, but introducing many beneficial ones (which help each other and exclude pathogenic species).