Bode’s Recovery

Hello ATR World,  I’m now over 12 weeks into my recovery and all was progressing well when about 2 days ago I started getting this intense heel pain which seems to have come out of no where.  It’s worse when I straighten my leg out and dorsiflex, does not hurt if leg is bent, only when leg is straight or almost straight.  Also hurts when walking when landing heel first.  Is this because of 3-4 weeks of walking improperly with a limp–is this what I get for my gimpy walking?  Just when my calf and AT are feeling a bit better and I can almost walk with no limp a whole new source of pain arrives.  And this is not just a mild burning, this is shooting pain right in the bottom and back of my heel.  My next PT appt. is on Wed. so I will be asking him what the deal is but wanted to find out if anyone else in the ATR World has had this and do you have any remedies?  All help, suggestions, treatments are welcome.  Thanks, Bode

Recovery has it’s bright spots. Yesterday was a beautiful day in MN and the sun was out so I had to try riding my bike outside. It was a short ride (about 6 miles) but felt great to be rolling again. I attached my flat pedals vs. clip-ins just to be safe and wore my 3/4 top mtb shoes which have extra ankle support. The AT felt pretty good and it’s one more milestone and the road back. I was so inspired I went out today and bought myself a new pair of running shoes, not that I am a runner, but just to have something comfortable to walk in and to inspire me to be able to run again. These shoes are amazing. I have not taken them off since I left the store. They are Nike Equalon+3. The cool thing was I got a 20% discount because of a referral from my PT who recommended I get a good pair of running shoes that matched my foot type. In my case I have mild over pronation which this shoe is supposed to help. All I know is that they feel great to walk in and I’m glad to have them. My wife was also impressed with the style so I got points for looking good too. I am almost limp free when wearing these shoes, my next trick will be to run a mile–hopefully before the end of May.

I’m really feeling the weight of a long recovery–the ups and downs, and the plateaus.  At 11 weeks I have now been in 2 shoes for 3 weeks.  The first week was part-time  2-shoes and then full time 2 shoes and walking more and better as time goes by.  A few days ago, after a rigorous PT session my leg was especially sore and swollen and I thought I was never going to get better and I will always walk with a limp.  Today was a little better, walking a little better, leg a little less swollen, with a little less pain.  Okay, already I get it.  This recovery is SLOW compared to what I WANT it to be.  I guess that is how most endeavors of any significance go, development of mastery takes time.  In this case the mastery is simply to walk and then run again.  So I’m back to being patient and slowing down.  Just to make myself feel a bit better I took both of my bikes to the shop last week and tonight I picked them up all tuned up and ready to ride–one a commuter bike that I hope to ride to and from work this summer to get back in shape and the other my off road, full suspension Gary Fisher HiFi Pro, with newly slimed tubeless tires is ready for action some time later this summer when I am up for it-hopefully sooner rather than later.  Just having them “ready” to ride gives me hope.  Tomorrow I visit my Dr. again for a checkup to see how my progress is going.  For all those just starting out, remember to pace yourself and stay the course and don’t worry when you have bad days as they are likely to show up.  Just know that you also will have many good days on the journey.  Best of luck to all!

Hi ATRers, I’m over 10 weeks post op and looking for anything that will help me walk without limping and speed my recovery along.  A friend told me about these shoes and I’m just curious to learn if anyone else has heard of these shoes and is anyone wearing them.  Are they helpful in ATR recovery?  Any input you have is appreciated.  Thanks!

Wow, what a difference a few days can make.  Progress feels good.  I’m just about 9 weeks since surgery and just started PT today.  The first session was so helpful.  I was treated with a great session including massage, stretches, lots of education about what works well for stretches/exercises, ultrasound, and STEM.  All in all, it was very encouraging and I am feeling more confident in my ability to fully recover.  Learning to walk properly again is my first challenge. I also discovered that my good leg is very tight with only about 9% dorsiflexion when it should be closer to 15%.  So now I have some work to do on my good leg to build up more flexibility and strengthen my other Achilles to hopefully to prevent this from happening again. In case there are any other ATR’s here in the Twin Cities, I recommend Jon Groskreutz-from OSI Physical Therapy-he does a great job understanding the situation and setting up a plan for progress.  Cheers!