Physical Therapy #7

11 weeks, 6 days post-op

The first thing my PT did was test my flexibility. I'm at full 'flexing' flexibility. Pointing my foot is still not as good with my bad foot. She massaged the top of my foot and pulled it more into the stretch. Then she massaged that area and the tendon. This is no fancy Juut massage, let me tell you. Owww!

I did some Total Gym with one leg, calf raises, marching on the trampoline, standing on one leg. I need to work on my standing on one leg, so I'm to move my right leg forward, side, and back while I balance on the left leg. She added another exercise where I shuffle side to side.

She asked, "do you normally do some jogging?"
I excitedly said "yes."
She said, "a few more weeks before you can do that."

She watched me walk. I am not pushing off my toe like I should be, so I will work on that. I have to exaggerate the motion because my foot doesn't want to cooperate.

I'm down to one PT per week now, which is good because the $20 copays are starting to add up.

Still having the shoe dilemma. I ordered a pair of Chaco Hipthongs, but they don't fit quite right either. Uggh.

Post-Op #5

10 weeks, 5 days post-op

I saw my ortho for the last time today. He entrusted me to the capable hands of my physical therapists. I can remove the heel lift entirely this week. I can walk around barefoot! Still no explosive movements for a couple of months. I can do stationary bike and walk on flat ground. I can wear whatever shoes feel comfortable (I didn't ask if that included flip flops). I can stop taking Aspirin for the blood clot. The scar is still adhered a little bit at the top, so hopefully that will get worked out soon.

Physical Therapy
First, the massage. Ouch! She took what looked like a knife and rubbed it on the back of my leg - supposedly lengthening out the gastroc. It hurt! Then I did some calf raises, with about 50% of my weight on each leg. I did the total gym, this time with one leg. Some 'prancing' on the trampoline to get ready for walking on uneven ground. She added another exercise: the gastroc stretch. She had me try doing a calf raise with all my weight on my bad foot - I tried and I tried but I didn't move anywhere, which is what she expected (I was a little surprised though).

We had some discussion about which shoes I could wear (definitely not flip flops) but she said Chacos were ok. I have been wearing my running shoes 24/7 but they started irritating the bottom of my scar. Uggh! I just get to where I can walk almost normal, and now I don't have any shoes I can walk in! (I tried my Chacos but they are the old Chong style and my feet get pushed off the back which is too much of a stretch in my tendon for me right now). I wear my Crocs around the house but they aren't sturdy enough for going out and about. I found that my volleyball shoes don't go as high as my running shoes so I've been wearing those. It's good I'm not superstitious, because those are the shoes I tore my Achilles in (knock on wood).

I go down stairs with the bad foot first. I don't have the flexibility or the strength in my calf to step down with my good foot. I go up stairs alternating feet. When I got home from the surgeon appointment I started walking around barefoot. It felt OK on the carpet but it hurt quite a bit on the hard floor. I asked my PT about this, she said I had lost the fat on the bottom of my foot from not using it. Amazing what happens to your body!

Ok, I hope that wasn't too boring but that is what's going on right now!

Gee, thanks honey!

Here is my loving, wonderful husband helping me with my dorsiflexion Theraband exercises. As you can see, he is still playing his video game (he's holding the Theraband under his arm). He calls it multi-tasking. Gee, thanks honey!



He did make me breakfast in bed today though, so I guess I'll let him off the hook for that one.

Update

10 weeks, 2 days post-op

I've had 5 physical therapy appointments so far. I see my surgeon on Monday. My flexibility increased from 5 degrees at the last PT appt to 8 degrees on Thursday. Walking without a limp is better but it is difficult. It's a little easier with another layer peeled out of the heel lift. I've been doing my exercises. I'm increasing my calf raises to 50% weight on the bad foot. The adhesion is getting better and the scar isn't quite so puckered.

It's getting warmer and I'm really hoping I can stop wearing tennis shoes soon! I still can't stand on the bad foot without a shoe, which means one-legged showers and hot feet. This is really the slow part of recovery - I can walk but I can't do much else. It will be 2 more months until I can run or go to Spin class. I can do stationary bike and left weights.

Here's how it's looking:



You can see that my left calf is a little smaller, there is a little spot at the top of the scar where it is adhered to the tissue below (which reminds me, I need to massage it), and my left tendon is fatter and not as defined as the right one.

According to AchillesBlog NYC Marathon Tracker, I'm 5.17 out of 26.2 miles to full recovery. I've got a long way to go! Some people see me walking and think I'm all better... Nope! Not even close!

Stop Limping Already!

9 weeks, 1 day post-op

I had my 3rd physical therapy appointment today. First she got out her "tools" (torture kit) and started "massaging" (hurting) my Achilles and the adhesion. It's being stubborn. Once it is separated it will stay that way, it' s a matter of working at it.

I did some new exercises - rising up on my toes with most of my weight on my good leg. I did an incline squat machine. That one felt great - to actually be using my left quad again. She watched how I was walking and told me I was limping, so I'm supposed to practice going heel to toe. I guess I was just too scared to do it before! She added some new exercises to my daily regiment:
- bilateral heel raise
- one foot balance

My flexibility is getting better. The first PT appointment I could flex my good foot to 13 (degrees?) and my bad foot to 0. 2nd PT my bad foot was at 4, and today it was at 5.

I peeled a layer off the heel lift today - two more to go.

I guess that's about it, regarding my injury. I'm doing my exercises, I'm working on my walking, and I'm waiting.

The Swell Season
My husband and I went to the Orpheum to see the Swell Season. It was fantastic. Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, and the opener Damien Dempsey were great. My husband slept through the entire thing, but I loved it. See the movie "Once" if you haven't!

Two Shoes!!

Friday was a big day. I got to ditch the boot and wear two shoes (with a heel lift in each - I am supposed to peel one layer away each week). I also had my first physical therapy session.

I wore the boot to physical therapy because I was a little scared to try the shoe. My physical therapist - Maryann - went over the protocol and gave me some exercises (I had to buy a turquoise Theraband). She measured the flexibility in my bad foot compared to my good foot and had me do some exercises. She massaged the tendon for a while. She said my sutures looked good. I showed her the pucker in the scar and she said it was an adhesion and that she'd work it out with massage. Apparently adhesions are pretty common with any surgery (where the skin adheres to the tissue underneath).



Exercises (2x per day)
Ankle Alphabet A-Z
Ankle Pumps - 20
Isometrics: Eversion (with a rolled pillow) - 10
Isometrics: Inversion (with a rolled pillow) - 10
Theraband: Plantar Flexion - 20
Theraband: Eversion - 20
Theraband: Inversion - 20
Seated toe raises: 20

I walked out of there in the shoe. It was very slow - I felt like I was back at square one, walking exactly the way I was after I tore my Achilles. I'm nervous about going heel to toe - not that I could anyways right now because my foot is weak and my tendon is inflexible. I do have to be more careful now, because I could re-rupture it.

I walked very slowly at work. I put the boot on at night to go grocery shopping. It felt really good to have the boot on - I never thought I'd say that, but it feels really great to have it on, and I can walk much faster. Plus, the boot is a very visible sign that something is wrong with my foot. Now that I'm in two shoes, no one has any clue why I am limping and walking so slow. There should be some sort of orange flag you can tie to your leg that means you are "injured."

I've been doing my exercises, massaging the tendon once a day, and applying Vitamin E. My next physical therapy session is Tuesday.

I wonder how long it will be until I can wear flip flops... Sigh...