Mrs. Steele’s most significant health problems are her hip and back pain. She has arthritis that is most noticeable in her back and neck, although the pain and stiffness can be widespread. In addition, she has a “disk problem” in her spine, and weakness in her left leg and foot. She has resisted surgery for her back, but has had two surgeries on her right ankle and again on her right small toe. She did not specify the reason for these surgeries. A complicating factor in Mrs. Steele’s orthopedic condition is significant osteoporosis.

In 2000, Mrs. Steele began to fall because her left leg and foot became weak and sometimes “dead.” She’s had a great deal of therapy for this problem, the cause of which she did not specify. She also started using a cane at that time to prevent falls. She indicated, "I did not want to use it but I started using it because I kept falling and I did not want to break my neck."

Mrs. Steele also has asthma and allergies, although these do not trouble her most of the time. Her greatest health-related problems are clearly her orthopedic problems. Given her description of occasional limb weakness, she may well have some neurological deficits as well.

She has had some “therapy for her heart.” She also did land and water therapy for her back at a nearby hospital and she says that the therapy helped.