2-3 months shoes with heel lifts?
So I am around 11 weeks and officially my last week was “two shoes, heel lifts in both shoes”
At todays appt the doc says he wants 10-12 weeks in two shoes with heel lifts.
Is this typical?
Also wondering what rehab/pt exercises people have done to slowly and safely get calf strength back?
If I concentrate, it would be hard to spot my current limp.
He is NOT a big fan of physical therapy appointments, with the concern over what they might do, as in over-do something.
This seems rather extreme (and dont see myself adhering all that closely) but just curious what others think
thanks
ps - as for my achilles, it feels better every day (it really does) and my limp is less apparent all the time
on October 25th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
The docs and the protocols are all different. Heel lifts in shoes seems as much of a crap-shoot as any other aspect. My sense/guess is that maybe 30-45% of the bloggers here use ‘em.
PT seems helpful to most of us who have it, with little evidence either way — except for the rare individuals whose PTs do harm.
I’d say if it feels better every day (it really does) and your limp is less apparent all the time, that may be enough reason to “stay the course”.
on October 26th, 2010 at 12:37 am
10-12 weeks in 2 shoes with lifts? Wow, that seems excessive to me but I had surgery so that could be why it seems excessive. What is the plan at the end of the 10-12 weeks? Lifts totally gone and you get sent on your merry way or something else or has he told you. This is my guess as to why your doc doesn’t like PT. A lot of doctors are extremely possessive of their “work” and don’t like anyone else messing with it. My guess is yours is like that and can’t accept the idea that a good PT in some ways knows more about what is going on inside your ankle than the doctor does. My last surgeon and my PT talked on a weekly basis and they both have a great deal of respect of for one another. Unfortunately I think most, if not all insurance plans require a doctor’s order for PT before they will cover it so you may be kind of stuck. You might want to check with your insurance but they probably require a doctor’s order.
On the plus side it sounds like you’re doing well. Exercises you could try include:
1. two leg heel lifts
2. rise up with both legs then remove good leg and slowly lower back down with the injured leg.
Good luck and if you try those exercises, don’t overdo them.
on October 26th, 2010 at 1:59 am
Calf exercises: My PT started me with isometric calf exercises where you push your ball of your foot into a wall but don’t move the heel away from the wall. We have now moved on to heel raises while sitting so there’s not much weight on but you do lift your heels. Next apparently is heel raises in a pool shoulder deep then you get progressively shallower to waist deep, then on land. Hope this helps. I don’t know where you are at now.
I am at 11 weeks and …well actually i will post in a minute so you can read all about it there
on October 26th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Thanks for the tips everyone. My doc definitely is not a fan of physical THERAPISTS, although he is for conservative physical THERAPY.
I do get the sense that he is proud of his “work” even though i went non-operative and have NOT been 100% compliant to his (conservative) protocol.
So he says “stay the course” and feels good.
I guess heel lifts are not the end of world and may help with middle age tendonitis that had been developing (and may have contributed to the rupture.)
I guess I will get a real test when I try some therabands or other isolation exercises.
Next week I will try somethings at the gym.
brad
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