February 15, 2016 - 9 Month Progress
So it is mid-February and I ruptured on May 10, had surgery on May 20, 2015, that puts me 40 weeks and one day post injury, and 38 weeks and 5 days post surgery. I just round it off to 9 months.
My last update was around Thanksgiving, when I did a turkey trot at a fast walking pace. I have made very steady progress since then. I work out on a treadmill 5-7 days a week. My main focus has been on progressing from a “walk” (one foot down at all times) to a jog (periods with both feet off the ground). During December we were out in California for a couple of weeks and I took advantage of the nice weather to take daily 4 mile walks in my Skecher’s Shape-up Comfort Walker shoes. Back here in Northern Virginia, I have been hitting the gym daily. My basic workout has been 40 minutes on the treadmill - the first 10 at a fast walk - 3.5 mph - then the second ten minutes also at 3.5 but increasing to a 10 percent grade by adding one percent per minute - the third ten minutes lowering from 10 percent to zero grade, then the last ten minutes at my fast walk 3.5 mph. In mid-January I had to go for a treadmill stress test ordered by my cardiologist and I did fine, all the way through the fourth stage, which is 4.2 mph at a 17 percent grade!
In the past week I have incorporated jogging into my workouts. My jogging speed is 4.2 mph, a very light jog, but a jog. Today I did 10 minutes fast walk (3.5) then 15 minutes jog (4.2) and the last 5 minutes at 3.5. I hope to get up to 20-30 minutes of jogging within the next week or two, and to then get out on the road and properly jog a 5K in the early spring. My jogging is sure to help my Achilles heal (hey - double entendre!) as the jogging action adds a plyometric push-off aspect to the motion.
In addition to the walking and jogging, I have continued with the strength and balance exercises I learned in physical therapy. About 3-4 times a week I do 100 heel raises of different types. I can just barely do a one legged heel raise on the healing leg - I am a little disappointed because it is so easy to do on my good leg, but I am trying to remain patient. I also do toe presses on a leg press machine, and I walk on my toes using a Theraband for resistance. I also use an “Indo-Board” for eccentric strength and balance training, and do one legged floor toe touches.
My walking is absolutely fine - I am a little sore sometimes but I have completely lost any trace of a limp. I force myself to use a full range of motion when I go up and down stairs, and I work through morning stiffness when I wake up.
I am not taking any type of medicine since I don’t have any pain. I am very careful about my footwear now. I wear Skechers Shape-ups as much as I can. For gym shoes I am wearing Asics Gel-Kayano 22’s with the insole removed and replaced with blue ‘Superfeet” orthotics. I have a pair of low Gore-tex Under Armour boots for bad weather and I have a gray merino wool Superfeet orthotic in them. I am also back in my favorite daily shoes, a pair of low cut Vibram-soled Timberland shoes, and I got low profile carbon fiber Superfeet liners for them. My dress shoes are Allen Edmonds Park Avenue shoes - I don’t have to wear them every day, and I can’t get even the lowest profile black Superfeet into them, but I do okay when wearing them.
My scar has healed very well - I continue to use Bio-Oil once or twice a day, and a couple of days a week I use a silicon sheet over the scar.
So I am hoping that the last three months of my healing - taking me up to my one year anniversary on May 10 - will continue to go smoothly and I will continue to progress. My goals in the next three months are to be able to run a 5K in 45 minutes or less, and to be able to do one legged calf raises evenly on both legs.
Best of luck to everyone in your healing.
Congrats bobfv, sounds like your doing great. Good luck on those goals.