Hi,
Firstly I want to thank everyone
who share his/her history about this terrible and long recovery period. It is
encouraging to know that someone out there knows how you feel really and I
learnt and still learning much from many
of you.
At my postop week 22, I would
like to say that (as I have been expecting) everthing is perfect!! But
unfurtanetly things didn’t go as I imagined…
I’ll try summarize the my ATR period, things I think I made wrong might help
someone who is going through these stages..
07 April- I ruptrued my right AT
when playing tennis. Differently from many of the stories, I didn’t hear a pop
sound, and I didn’t feel like someone
hit me at my back… I only felt if I stepped in a hole, but there was no hole on
the ground , the hole (the terrible gapL)
was at the back of my ankle. I will never forget that moment I couldn’t feel my
achilles. When I stand up I vomit
because I knew a very bad thing happened and I would be off the sports for some
period (but I had never imagined that would be this long LL)
08.04.13: Operation
For 3 weeks I was in hard cast
with my foot like a ballerina. At 2weeks stitches were removed
At 4th week: Removed to boot (30 degress plantar flexion).
PWB. My calf was like clothes hanging from my tibia . No muscles at all. When I first stepped in the boot for 2days my
achille was very stiff and some muscle or tendon in my calf was aching bad.. ,
but passed in two days. I never tempted
to walk without the boot depending on the stories I have read in this blog.. I
kind of started some flexion-inversion-eversion.. exercises with no forcing at
all. İce and elevation+++
At 5th week: 15 degrees plantar
flexion in the boot. I started my work with my boot on! I iced and elevated whenever
I found time..
6th week: I started to walk with one crutch and at the
end of 6th week FWB!!
7,5 week: 2 shoes. When I first
wear my sports shoe I felt that my leg under my knee was not mine. I object to
walking with shoes. But my doctor insisted that I should… so I did but with one
crutch (elbow crutch). I bought nike vomero (1/2 number bigger from my food) and put two insoles in it. They are very comfortable shoes..
8th week: I started
Physiotherapy. Ultrason (2weeks) & some kind of electric & whirpool (5
weeks) : Helped to reduce my edema around ankle. But edema
at the left side of my scar tissue continued. I aslo started walking for15-20minutes with
turtle speed but with my crtuch to keep poeple away from me! However my quadriceps was also in very
situation, badly atrophied. When walking it contracted very bad so I had to
stop and stretch that muscle.
9th-11th week: Physiotherapist
forced for dorsiflexion. It really ached at the back of my ankle probably where
achilles attach the bone. Edema under
my skar tissue and left to it is still present. This area (the left part of the
scar, where they roll the fascia around
my tendon, as the doctor said )is also
very tender still..
I also did the streching exercises with thereband and against wall during these
weeks at home. 11th week, I started heel rising exercises.
When trying to heel rise(especially
single heel rise) with holding to chair
or something , back of my ankle area
hurts. My PT told me to
try to do these exercises, as my achilles is strong so I had to do the
exercises.
Meanwhile, I have a hypertrophied
scar tissue that is protruding when compared to my other achilles. It doesn’t hurt or itch. I used contratubex
cream for 15 days than I stopped because it contains streoids. I don’t want any steroids in that area! So I hope protruding goes away in the
future (I belive no near than 2years). It doesn’t look nice at all (I think
horrible, I try to hide it ). So when
I see Kellygirl’s ankle, I really doubt about surgery. My recovery is not faster nor better than the non-surgical ones. I think the a very experienced PT is the key point. This is where my story really starts I think.
12th week: I statred to drive
this week. I also continued to force my self to heel rises and tiptoe walking
as my PT told me. After these exercises
a heel pain( not the bottom of my heel, at the back below my ankle) which I feel when walking started. I stopped
walking and heel rise exercises and it passed.
14th week: Edema nex to my scar tissue
decreased and now I could see the real thickness of my new tendon. It is
definetly 2-3 times thicker. I started
heel rise exercises agian as my PT told me. I can do double heel rises but single heel
rise; I couldnt even start the movement.
PT told me that at this stage I should be doing single heel rise, she said
probably I am afraid of the pain so I coudn’t do the movement.
15th week: Everything was good. My
limp was almost göne. I was doing the exercises at home. But could not manage single heel rises yet. One day I closed my eyes and I forced my self
for the heel rise, voww, well done, I did the heel rise!! I felt the pain as I
always but much more this time. Constant
little pain when walking started at the back of my heel. Not much. So I continued with my exercises and
sports including walking and swimming. I
also sprained my ankle on the way home
when walking on a rough surface. It hurt
a little.
16th week: I tried running as my
orthopedist told me. There was no pain when running. (not tiptoe running of
course) But when walking a little pain was there again. When try to do heel
rise I felt the same pain but more intensely. I could do the single heel rises
6 times continuously. But who cares, I had pain.
17th week: I was curious about
this pain. So consulted a PT that is experienced on foot and ankle and who saw
a lot of ATR patients. He said I did the
single heel rises very early for my situation. I stopped everything including
heel rises, walking and running. Back to
start point again! Just swimming and streching exercises. I took NSAI for a week. So I think if I didn’t push for heel rises I
might not have this pain, or the sprain aggraveted it? Or was this a natural
healing of mine? I don’t know..
19th week: Pain still existed. I tried running as my PT told me to try. No pain when running. I am very comfortable
with running. But I did not continue as
I was still curious about the pain. I took
NSAI for a week, but my stomach was ill. So stopped taking them. I only did streching exercises and swimming.
21th week: Pain was still there. Funny thing was that I
started to feel a pain that is spreading to bottom of my
heel when doing streching exercieses against wall. I hate it. We decided to see
the ultrasound. At USG, we saw that the surgical rope was still there and a lot
of inflammation and edema was present in the tendon. But decided that this is not a granulation
tissue against a foreign body. My surgeon friend told me that sometimes this
sutures might not melt (?) easily, and these are non-inflammatory sutures so if
there is no redness and heat on the skin, I shouldn’t afraid. I have no redness, no heat raise, no edema and
no tenderness. Just heel pain when walking and in tiptoe position (heel rise).
22th week: I started NSAI with
which I plan to use a long time this time (at least a month watching my stomach
of course) . My physotherapy and rehabiliation doctor also suggested me to use
a new drug developed for the tendos. RETENDO, Mucopoylgen capsule. So I started
it also. I will continue not to walk or run. Just swimming and some streching
with my theraband. İt is the5th day of my NSAI, and I feel great. It is very nice to walk without pain and
without a limp. How I wish to feel like
this without nonsteroid antiinflamatuars!!.
Lessons to take from my
adventures:
1-Just listen your body!! İf it hurts
even a little, pay attention and don’t push, even your PT or doc says so.. What
you feel is the truth!! (PS: Althoug I cannot prove it I think all pain I have
now is because I push too much for single heel rises)
2-Watching your steps is not
enough on rough surfaces, you can still sprain your ankle.
I will inform you on my progress
after I give up with NSAI. I hope the pain goes away (I don’t think so but
still hoping..) If any of you have any suggestions , I will be very pleased to
read.
Thanks for reading..
