• ATR Timeline

  • Name: adam
    Location: Chicago
    Injured during: Basketball
    Which Leg: R
    Status: 2-Shoes
    
    563 wks  6 days Post-ATR
    563 wks  4 days
       Since start of treatment
    

Quick update.. just saw my Ortho.. said my healing was going amazing and put me in 2 shoes at 8 weeks with a heel lift. Feels great, I was expecting 10-12. Happy healing to all

I have hit the 7 week mark and really starting to ramp up my PT. I am going 3 times a week. I was pretty freaked out when the PT said “ok lets start walking” WHAT??

So after my initial reaction, I got up, and we did a lap around the office. At first i had to hold her hand but after that she let me go. Im having a really hard time bending my knee when im walking, not because it hurts (too bad), just because its really tight and Im still having the fear of a setback. But it was a pretty big milestone. The PT has been going as follows:

Scar and Calf massage

Active PF and DF

BAPS Board rotating 360 each direction (30 times each)

Regular walking ~30 yards

Walking in a straight line, heal to toe

Slow marching balancing on each leg for 3 seconds

Balancing on bad leg for a minute at a time (2 min total)

A type of lunge where my bad leg is forward and I dip down (not over extending my ankle)

Wall squat with a big exercise ball on my back (40 total)

Im still pretty apprehensive about the walking but feel I’m moving in the right direction.

I was just walking, in my boot, and felt a sharp pull, felt like a needle prick, then it went away.. I have been walking a lot and far the last few days.. anyone experiece something like this in the past?? Been pretty sore around the achilles area too but also just started weight bearing exercises in PT..

I finally hit “Phase 3″ of my PT protocol yesterday at 6 weeks post op. By now, I have been walking almost always without crutches (at work and home). My PT consisted of active range of motion with no weight bearing. As of Monday I have finally gotten to the Theraband stage and couldn’t be happier. We are still doing the deep scar tissue massages and the incision site is healing up nice. I was told to up my PT to 3 times a week, which is fine for me as I really don’t mind going, I always feel like I accomplished something.
At the end of this phase which is week 6-10 I should be doing 2 leg heel raises and be able to take some steps.
After my new PT routine and a long day of walking without crutches, I was kind of forced to walk about .6 miles outside (resulted from a combination of not having my keys to my apartment, missing 2 busses, and not having money for a cab) which ended in my Achilles feeling some pain, when I leaned forward in my boot.. I’m thinking it was just the stress of the day.
Doc still wants me in a boot up until week 10 or 11, but were getting there

Finally, this week I have been starting to walk around with no crutches in my boot! To me, this was a major milestone as I got over the fear of putting them down and starting to trust the boot. Im still using 2 for long distances, one crutch occiosionally jsut for some support and none anytime I am home or at work. I do get a bit sore in the achellies area from time to time but nothing crazy.

My knee actually hurts on my boot/bad leg as my walking stride is not normal.. Did anyone else have this? any tips and tricks for walking with the boot? How long before you guys “went into the world” with no crutches??

Im almost at 6 weeks and will be starting to do some 2 leg heel raises and start getting some of that strength back. 2.5 more weeks until I have the OK to drive, but still about a month and a half more of the boot. (seems my doc is only consertive when it comes to how long i need to wear the boot.. 10 weeks all together).

I wanted to write a quick 5 week update as I think some significant strides have been made. As you may or may not know, this weeks started out with me relying heavily on walking with one crutch, leading to much pain and fear that something went wrong.. both of those have begun to dissipate and I have started to take a few steps WITHOUT CRUTCHES at home (in the boot of course)! I’ve learned that if it hurts, dial it back a bit, give it a rest, and try again when you feel ready.

I have my first big meeting today with a client through work so we will see if my idea about this massive boot and crutches being a great ice breaker plays out.

Some other major advances took place at PT. We re-measured my range of motion which has SIGNIFICANTLY gotten better since my first visit. I started out at -30 degrees Dorsal Flexion (bringing my toes up to my body, I think that the right one?) At the doctor’s visit a week ago, I was at -7 degrees which he said was great, at the PT 2 days ago I was at -4 degrees.. Almost at natural! My movement of my foot from side to side (no idea what that is called) has much improved as well. I’m seeing my calf atrophy, but not too concerned. I’m more focused on that Achilles

At PT, we started doing some isometrics and I’m feeling it a bit in my calf, but all is good.

For those of you who just started out, hang in there, it goes by surprisingly fast. For those of you much farther along than I, I look forward to being you where you soon!

PS, I know this is just me, but I’m still sleeping in the boot and still have not touched my bare toes to the ground.. Paranoid.. It’s annoying

So since I am back and work and have the go ahead to WBAT in my boot. Ive started walking around with one crutch. I can do it fairly eaisly but have some slight pains around my heel/achilles area. I just recently saw the doctor (4 days ago) who said everything looked great and he took a heel lift out of my boot. Im attributing the pain to the stretching of the tendon now that a heel is out along with the scar tissue that has accumulated (the PT has also started to do scar massages) I am 4.3 weeks post op. Does anyone else have similar pains or experiences?

Its pretty tough getting around work with that massive CAM Boot on.. especially for me as I have a size 14 shoe and an XL boot. Day one I put my pants under the CAM Boot but realized that I looked like a dork. I started putting my pants over the boot (leg) but the exposed velcro tore up the side seems of my pants.. Today I had a revelation, I took an old black sock and cut out patches to put over the exposed velcro, pants fit over them like a dream now.. Another thing that sucks initially for me was having to face potential clients on crutches and with the CAM on.. after thinking about it a bit more, I’ve come to realize what an amazing ice breaker it was, also, its shocking how many other people have had like injuries and love talking about them. So once again I’m trying to find the bright side to this!

3 days before my official 4 week anniversary I went back to my Doctor for a follow up. He said everything was healing great, he took a one heel out of my boot. I was able to get to about 7 degreese when he measured my range of motion, so 7 more to go to get to 0 (or 90 depending on how you measure). He told me once again to week off the crutches, so I have moved to one crutch around the house but still do 2 outside. Im hoping I can ditch them after this next week. He also gave me to OK to swim in a pool, and take the boot off when I sleep. As I’m a massive hypochondriac, I have not done either yet, and probably won’t for a bit. Im feeling a little sore around my ankle still but feel its the swelling and me putting more weight on my foot. Doc also said I have about 2 more months in the boot (at the absolute most, potentially less than that) Day by day we are all getting there!

I am just about 4 weeks post op (seeing the doctor Tomorrow to get a heal lift taken out and ask as many questions I can think of).  I have been doing Physical Therapy for the last two weeks and man does my calf muscle hurt.  At first this was freaking me out a bit, but after talking to some friends who have torn ligaments and tendons in the past, they say PT is very painful at times.  Its not like the upper calf, its the lower, and every image i google of calf muscles (yea I do that) points to the upper part of the Achilles.  Everyone but me feels that this is normal, and I’m sure this is just another installment of my paranoid self. Anyways.. i wanted to post some of the PT routines that I have been doing:

 

All of this is Non Weight Bearing

 

Sessions start off by performing Active Range of Motion exercises

Bringing my toes to my chest, having my foot go as close to 90 degrees but not exceeding

I do this about 20 times

 

Pushing my foot down as tolerated

20 Times

 

Spell the alphabet with my foot

 

Pick up marbles with my toes

 

Put both heals on the ground and act like i am pushing on a gas petal

about 20 times

 

My foot is still swollen and she spends some time massaging it, which feels pretty good

 

We also work on my quad muscles doing leg raises

20 times on my back, 2 sets

20 times on my side, 2 sets

20 times on my stomach, 2 sets

 

She does some electro therapy (which i don’t think does much) and ice it down

 

At home I do the up and down motion about 3 times a day being careful not to stretch it out too much ie. get to and or exceed 90 degrees

 

I’m my CAM boot, I have to OK to FWB as tolerated, I previously posted that toward the end of the first week of the CAM book (week 3 post op) I was trying to walk around on one crutch.. I can do it, but i just don’t want to be doing too much too soon.  I’m sure its a combination of putting a lot of pressure on my leg and PT that made my calf hurt.. It almost always is worse after i have my leg up and get up to use my crutches, like the blood flow there is making it swollen, which makes sense. (I keep replaying what the doctor said when he fitted me for the boot, “its going to feel weird, but trust me, you are safe in the boot”)

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