Even after five months, my left ankle stills feels different and it is definitely bigger, but there is virtually nothing I want to do that I am restricted from. That is different than saying I am allowed to do everything.
I went to the doc for the last time on Monday. The most recent visit was two [...]
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I know that one of the last things to come back in the recovery process can be full weight heel raises. However, I have not spent any time doing anything to speed the process until this week. I have read that in the pool or other partial weight-bearing approaches work well. I just haven’t been [...]
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Not much new this week other than my first time on the mountain bike and single-track trail. Everything went fine, but I am glad I waited until now to hit the dirt. While the trail I rode is not particularly demanding, the quick accelerations and tempo changes are more challenging to the recovering ankle than [...]
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My recovery has continued to be uneventful and encouraging. However, the reminders that I am not 100% are regular and important. Especially when I walk, I am cognizant that I have a ways to go. This is not true on the bike, where I feel virtually no effects of my limitations. Maybe I need to [...]
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On the first day of my 14th week I rode my bike with two bike shoes rather than one bike shoe and one boot. On the last day of this 14th week post op I wore dress shoes rather than running shoes at work. It is the little signs of normalcey that are encouraging.
I rode my bike 170 [...]
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I got engaged on a Friday the 13th and married on the 13th the following April…24 years ago!
I had my first visit with the physical therapist today. He only provided encouragement, suggesting that while the tendon is thick, as expected, the motion I have is very good for this stage of recovery. He measured the [...]
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Nothing really new this week…other than the doctor saying it is looking good and healing time is my best friend. He raised an eyebrow that I have been biking with my aircast, inquiring: “really?”
He started to clear me to ride, on the road, with no hills. Then I asked about the risk of injury should [...]
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Without this blog I don’t think I would recall how quickly I have progressed over the last three weeks since the cast was removed. Midway through this week I dropped the aircast for everything except biking. While I am still very careful, I have been comfortable everywhere I have been. I am especially cautious on [...]
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The second week out of the cast has been good. As this week went along I spent more and more time out of the boot and in two shoes. What I am doing is not normally called walking, but for those of us in recovery it is wonderful. I can bear weight on my left [...]
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The long awaited removal of the cast occurred eight weeks after surgery. The doc said things look okay and cleared me to wear the boot or shoes as I desire. His main admonition is not to do anything that would put stretching force on the tendon. Clearly not body weight. That is what the boot [...]
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モンブランボールペンですが、ここまで引っ張っておいて、一体その正体とは何なのか？
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nice post 
My Iceman went pretty well. I started a little too fast, but it may not have mattered too much. I was spent at the end, but pleased to have finished and placed 13th in my sport age group. It was a good reminder of the need to work hard during the off season to regain my fitness.
the race was more fun than I expected given how much was on fire roads and such.
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Hope the Iceman Cometh mountain bike race went well. I pulled up a little over half way due to not enough training.
I can do full weight heel raises easily with my good leg. With my recovering leg I am working towards full weight…still a ways off.
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I am mountain biking with egg beater (Crank Brothers) pedals. They are easy in/out.
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Thank you for the reply.
Rover -
I’ve been there, when it seems like the muscles have simply forgotten what to do and the foot just lays there. Arrrgh.
I’m at roughly 9 weeks, been out of the boot since 6 weeks post op. My PT started me on seated heel raises (basically just sitting on a bench and doing the raise with no weight) roughly a week out of the boot and has now progressed me to doing raises using a leg press or similar machine with more weight each time.
It did take a while before I could actually re-train the foot to do what I wanted it to. Sounds crazy, but I would sit and do a raise with the good foot and then try to replicate the action immediately with the bad one. I think the visual cue to my brain helped.
great job! keep up the good work
How long does it take to get to a one legged heel raise. Seems like I tell the heel to lift and nothing really happens. It’s very frustrating I know it takes time thats why I’m asking when I was in PT they didn’t focus much on strength just flexiblity.
Your recovery is inspiring. Congrats!
It was a revelation for me though that you say “one of the last things to come back in the recovery process can be full weight heel raises”… (you mean on 2 legs or 1?)
My PT made me do those 2 DAYS after I got out of the boot!
Hmm… that might have been the problem?
I missed your post last week - you’re MTBing in SPD’s?
I currently have flats on both my MTBs and feel fine for the actual riding part, I’m just worried about having to plant my foot if I I need to bail, hence keeping the boot for singletrack rides.
Dylan
Wow - still hope for the rest of us.
614 miles isn’t too shabby at all, well done. I managed about 30 on the flat bike path, and 100 at most on the trainer! Thanks for the inspiration!
Dylan
I guess it reminds you though that walking is a complex exercise and not to be looked down on! Lugging our own weight around against gravity is quite a big deal!
Great to hear about your progress.
I commuted to work this morning without the boot…yahoo! It felt a bit weird without the boot at first. I didn’t end up putting the SPD’s pedals on. I put the Speedplay pedal back on the left side and was very comfortable getting in and out of it. My ankle is plenty strong enough at this point for the twisting motion. I was a little skittish about clipless pedal issues from some other posts I had read, but I think they may have been much earlier in recovery.
I notice the reduced flexibility between 3 and 7 clock positions in the crank rotation. I “ankle” slightly in this part of the stroke while pedaling, so the limitations on dorsiflexion show up. However, I can think of little better than this repeated cycling motion to gain flexibility.
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I had my first PT session yesterday at just over 6 weeks post op. The physio actually instructed me to start riding without the boot, using a flat pedal, and applying as much force as feels comfortable.
I guess it makes sense - essentially when you are riding with ‘proper’ technique your tendon is always in a reasonably protected position - from neutral to slightly plantar flexed. At the very top of your pedal stroke you may be slightly dorsiflexed, but you’re probably not applying much downward pressure, just sweeping the pedal through.
For an experienced cyclist like you, the difficult partwill probably be resisting the temptation of all-out sprints and standing hill-climbs of 10% grades - i.e. the fun bits!
While the physio said that I could cycle for fitness , despite it being a sports rehab place I don’t know if she really realises that bike fitness for a guy like you or I involves intervals training and sustained max HR efforts. I can spin the cranks over, but would have problems putting enough power down to get to 180 bpm…
So I think I’ll do some gentle ‘rehab’ riding without the boot, and still keep the boot for go
One word crazy !!! I couldn’t see doing that I have a hard time with my shoes. You must have road biked your whole life.
Great post keep up the good work. Love the way you have written it
Geoff
Hey, John that group ride was hard for everyone! We just get motivated thinking “Boot Boy” keeps hanging with us. Keep getting better.
riding with the boot isn’t too much different, although I bike a lot, so I am very comfortable on two wheels. It works pretty well because I am using a clipless pedal for my good leg. this allows me to “pull up” on that side, taking the necessary load off of the bum leg.
Good luck.
Hey John
They tell me let pain be my guide. Well since I have no real pain I can’t tell how much is too much. Tech told me 4 hours not an 8 hour day @ work. It’ll have been 9 weeks in the cast come Thursday when I get this F*cker off OMG! I am so ready to get to work on getting back to running. Planning on swimming first. Thursday after I get the cast off hubby is taking me to buy a bike, I can’t wait. So, you are riding with the boot? How’s it going?
I so want to just walk! Feels good, but have no idea how weak my ankle will be after the cast comes off.
Man, I am impressed! I’m in the boot myself and can’t see myself riding with this thing on. Can’t wait to get it off though.
Nice work John! I’m 2.5 weeks post-op and PWB, and getting itchy feet to start riding. I was planning on getting an indoor trainer to put my commuter on, but maybe I’ll just swap the flat pedals from my full-sus on instead…
Someone else couldn’t wait to get back on the bike, either:
achillesblog.com/peterh/2009/04/16/5-days-post-op-went-for-a-bike-ride/
What is it about bikes that makes us crazy?
Someone else couldn’t wait to get back on the bike, either:
http://achillesblog.com/peterh/2009/04/16/5-days-post-op-went-for-a-bike-ride/
What is it about bikes that makes us crazy?
Doug
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