Merry Christmas to all achilles sufferers all over the world. 

Particular mention to Dennis for setting up this fantastic community.  A little gift will be coming your way very soon.

Lets not have any accidents over the holiday period (Richard cut back on those tinctures!!!), I will drink a toast everyones health with my christmas dinner

I hope the New Year brings health and happiness to all.  Enjoy the holiday and have a very happy time.

Tis the season to be jolly….

Annie

This is the latest report on the Manchester City Footballer who ruptured his Achilles in August.  Remember, he is getting the best treatment possible so don’t judge your progress by his. 

There’s contrasting news on City’s pair of injured Bulgarians, with Valeri Bojinov making good progress in his battle to overcome a serious Achilles injury.The desperately unlucky striker ruptured his right Achilles tendon just minutes before City’s opening league fixture at Villa Park was due to begin. This latest blow came after he had fought back from a cruciate ligament injury that had ended his first start for the Blues a year earlier, while Martin Petrov was ruled out for around four months after sustaining a knee injury while on international duty earlier this season.

Of the injured pair, City’s assistant Mark Bowen says: “We expect them both back before the end of the season. If you’re asking for an exact date, I can’t give that but Boj is back on the training ground now and he’s working hard on a one-on-one basis with our sports science department.

“His fitness seems to be improving every day, and I imagine without having any exact dates that it could be a matter of weeks rather than months before he is able to work with the rest of the players.

“Martin’s situation is more serious, he has had his operation and is not even doing any work at the moment, he’s waiting for the initial stages of his rehab to unfold.

“We’ve missed him - we’ve missed both of them, but with Martin we know what he can give to the side. Boj is a different kettle of fish, I don’t think anybody has seen too much of him since he came here because he has been so unlucky with injuries. The sooner they are back, the better.”

Tim Oscroft

Well Friday saw us going to a Classical ‘Spooktacular’ for a fantastic evenings entertainment thoroughly enjoyed.  It was a freezing night and a long walk to where we had parked the car so I took a single crutch with me.  We set off for the car after the concert watching all the revellers swarming the streets of Manchester in their spooky fancy dress.  I was walking slowly because the cold weather seemed to make my leg quite stiff.  Eventually we got to the car…. well, where we thought the car was.  No car.  Walked up and down, thought we had walked onto the wrong road. 

Anyway, no car so we rang the Police to report a stolen car, very kind policewoman took details then asked where we were parked.  Lower Byrom Street I shouted to Martin as I found a street sign.  Silence then Oh Dear I know what has happened she said to Martin, at the same time I was walking back to where the car should have been then I saw it…..   a sign in the middle of the road, ‘disabled parking’.  The policewoman then told us the car had been towed away to a Council run compound and it would cost us £140 ($225) to get it back, plus taxi fare of £10 to get to the compound.  What an end to a lovely evening.

We will be going back with my camera in the near future as the markings were in the centre of the road, and most of the sign had worn away, no sign on the wall, nor in the parking bay itself, no blue or yellow markings, or streetlight saying ‘disabled parking’ .  When we parked it was dark, the road was busy and traffic was actually driving over the sign so we never saw it.  But according to the Policewoman the onus is on us to get out of the car look into the road, the pavement, street signs etc. etc. to make sure you are entitled to park.  As we said to the policewoman if we had deliberately tried to cheat the system we would have displayed the ‘disabled parking badge’ that we have in the car which belongs to my mother-in-law, plus as I was using my crutch I am sure nobody would have questioned my right to park there.

When we got into the taxi the driver said ‘Car Compound!!!’ he knew exactly what had happened as he said he picks people up there regularly, he also said the Council know the sign is not clear but the funds help towards the Council’s coffers!

Anyway, we paid the fine and drove home, pity such a great night was spoilt but we live and learn, because I had got so cold my leg really hurt and I ended up getting up in the early hours as I could not get warm, I opened a packet of biscuits and made a hot Vimto drink and felt really sorry for myself while I munched my way through the biscuits.

More bad news.  Manchester City lost to the team at the bottom of the league.

Good news.  Lewis Hamilton is Formula 1 World Chamption, well done Lewis.

Moral of the story always check where you are parking.

I have had a very busy weekend, restoring on old (50 years plus at least) console table back to a really nice piece of furniture, It was a very shabby table and now it is a gorgeous dark walnut piece of furniture having been stripped, sanded, stained and varnished,  I have also lifted some old tiled flooring and removed the boarding below it, re boarded the floor and laid new vinyl tiling strips.  It all looks fantastic and I am really pleased with myself as it was very hard work.

The reason for this new post is, I am still very unfit and strength in my leg is still very poor despite doing more exercises (thanks Jonathan for those).  So, after all my exertions I sat back looking at my great achievements, cup of tea, piece of cake and watching shopping channel on TV.  The item they were showing really grabbed my attention, it was a vibrating plate called VibraPower.  It looked ideal to me.  You take up various positions and it basically vibrates through the body strengthening the body core.

My question, has anyone heard of it, or used one, and most importantly is it safe to use.

Any comments would be appreciated.  It is quite expensive £99 but if it is any good I would consider buying one.  The fitness trainor using it said it was used in gym’s, but as I have never been to a gym I wouldn’t know.  The fitness trainor showed various positions to stand, in order to strengthen different parts of the body.

Have googled it and it is also known as a ….Body Sculpture Power Trainer Vibration Plate.  Thanks all.

Well, it was a lovely weekend here in Manchester so I did a lot of gardening, so good to get into the fresh sunny air.  Martin decided it was time to cut down a very old knarled apple tree that was no longer producing fruit.

We took it in turn to saw through the trunk and we got to the stage where a rope could be slung round the trunk and pulled down.  We threw the rope round and grabbed one end each, we counted to three and pulled, what happend next was hillarious, I just took off up in the air!!!  What happened there I thought….  We tried again, same thing , flying through the air with the greatest of ease, - Martin is not that strong but we decided it was me, the whimp!!  Picture yourself pulling hard on something and you realise how much you use your legs to push down to gain strength in your arms.

So, my question is, how do I at nearly 60 get some strength back in my legs.  I am not near a swimming pool, I don’t belong to (nor do I want to belong to) a gym, I am unable to ride my bike any more because of a fused disc in my neck.  I have done all the exercises suggested by my physio, I use the pilates ball at home, I walk for as long as I can but still my leg is as flat as a pancake and quite pathetic.  I am quite small and even though I try to use the static bike at home my legs only just reach the pedals so it is difficult to use.

Any ideas would be welcomed.

ps - We managed eventualy to pull it down, or rather Martin did, I continued to saw the trunk as he pulled then it dropped nicely onto the lawn, then we had the chore of sawing it up ready to take to the eco centre.

Decided to go to the Dentist this morning without the aid of a crutch.  Well when I eventually got there I was in a state of uncontrollable giggles.  The Manchester weather was true to form absolutely pouring down, I didn’t take an umbrella in case it upset my balance!! 

It is autumn here now and the leaves are falling onto the pavements, so trying not to look an idiot I was walking very slowly round the puddles making sure I didn’t slip on the leaves, steps got smaller and smaller and felt as if I was going backwards the village appeared to be further and further away, eventually I thought I’m going to be late so what the heck, walk through the puddles, or why not even splash through the puddles, I’m still wearing sandles and socks as shoes and trainers are still a long way off, so there is this mad old woman in sandles skipping (or sort of) through puddles and laughing, I’m just waiting for the men in white coats to come and take me away.

Got to Dentists still giggling to myself and the receptionist says in very loud voice to a packed waiting room - “Wow your crutchless”  (but, sounded more like crotchless) the whole waiting room looked at me up and down and I could tell they weren’t sure what she meant!!  So I laughed out loud again and explained to the waiting room that what she meant was I was not walking using the aid of a CRUTCH…   Smiles all round.

Still smiling went into Dentist and he had to take some impressions and they wouldn’t work as I kept chuckling.  Eventually after 4th attempt all OK.  By this time I have given up trying to explain why I was laughing and left a bemused Dentist and waiting room of people wondering if they should send for someone to take me home.

Decided to call at the cake shop on way back and treat myself.  But, after all that I am very pleased to report progress on the walking front.

Well, I’m 59 today and getting back to the real me.  For those of you who know Ikea, I built a billy bookcase, 6′ high (I’m only 5′1″ ish) carried it from my sons lounge into his boiler room, lifted it over the washing machine, put it in place and screwed it to the wall.  Phew, hard work carrying it but I did it, had to use quite a bit of strength in my leg but I was careful.

Went to the football yesterday, (City actually won 3-0) and the young woman who sits next to my husband had broken her ankle in 2 places and Roy an elderly gent in front of me had been unwell and was using a walking stick, general opinion was if you didn’t have a crutch you couldn’t sit in our section!!!   Quite funny really but I think I won in the injury stakes.

ps UK Nodger, my brother had read the blog and has got the Adrian Chiles’ book so is letting me have a read of it.  His wife is a Baggies fan!!  Just watching the cricket on Sky - Lancs v Sussex, my son has gone down from Manchester  to Hove for the game, expected back at 3 a.m. (or thereabouts) and is due in work at 8 a.m. must be mad.

Valeri Bojinov has had surgery on his Achilles injury and is set to start rehabilitation work almost straight away.

The luckless striker tore his right Achilles tendon in the pre-match warm up at Villa Park on Sunday, just ahead of what should have been his first league start after he battled back from a cruciate knee injury sustained nearly a year ago.

Club doctor Mark Whitaker has confirmed that the Bulgarian has had the required operation, telling mcfc.co.uk: “This was a completely new problem and had no relationship to his knee injury. He had surgery on Monday afternoon – the aim is for repair as soon as possible after the injury. His rehab will initially involve letting the tendon repair and then a gradual strength programme with an anticipated return date in six months.

“Everything went very well at the time of surgery and Valeri is fit and well post-op. He will be back in Carrington next week to start his rehab programme.”

Manager Mark Hughes added: “Valeri knows exactly what kind of work he has in front of him, and if he approaches it in the same way as he did with his last injury, then he will be back soon, I’m sure of that.”

The poor man had only just returned to the first team after being out for 12 months.!!!  

Gives hope to us all, although I don’t  think I will be playing football for City !!!

I don’t believe it 

Valeri Bojinov our wonderful Manchester City forward (saying that with tongue in cheek) he cost us £7 million GB pounds last year, he played 8 minutes of 1st game and was injured and never played again the whole season due to knee ligament problems.

First Premier league game today, he’s injured in the warm up ‘Achilles’ victim, so will miss the whole of this season as well, and we lost 4-2, looks like were going to have a bad year.

I really really hope it isn’t achilles, but that is what the TV are saying.  He re-appeared at half time on crutches with leg in plaster.

So that is every one of Manchester City’s forward players injured ‘ as some would say ‘  ””were doomed”’.

Hello all, as requested by Dennis pictures of my t-shirt.  Went to first home match of the season (Manchester City FC) - don’t ask the score, a very sore point - managed to walk there and back, as you can see it isn’t very far from my sons flat, also pic inside stadium and outside. 

Still took one crutch with me to negotiate the gravel car park, also walked up the circular turrets into the ground.  All went very well, apart from the score.

Annie