Achilles Rupture February 26 2008

Congrats, Brendan! I’m sure the feeling of leaving is as-if you were walking away from your office on the last day on the job. A little timid, but also pretty excited.

The garden looks great. Perhaps the ATR has helped your thumb turn another shade of green.

Wow, that’s awesome! Really makes me miss my garden, have moved since. What got me to start my first garden was when I tasted a fresh, home grown tomato. I don’t really care for store bought tomatoes, and have since learned they are picked green and gassed to turn them red. This way they survive the trip to the store. A ripe red tomato does not travel well. Anyway, I reluctantly agreed to try a slice fresh from the garden, amazing. The next year I had 5 different tomato plants in pots in my small apartment. With fresh basil, wow. Looks great.

I got all excited about the tomatoes and forgot to mention I think next week will be my last one at PT. I like the bungee balance exercise and I will have to try it. The one I do is with a 5lb ball. I stand on one foot and bounce this small medicine ball off of a rebounder (a very small trampoline set up at a 45 degree angle against the wall) This makes me constantly shift my weight, both when catching and throwing. At home I stand on one foot and throw a tennis ball against the garage floor/wall. I got on the MTN bike today and CLIPPED IN. That felt really great. Nothing like the stretch you can get when you know your foot won’t slip off.

Dude, the stairs will come. I was halfway down them before I realized I was walking down them normally.

Congrats on “graduating” from physical therapy.
By the way great job on the garden;it looks like it’s very well kept. Eating salad at your household must be fantastic.

Brendan…

Congrats…
No slacking off….
You have come a long way so make sure you’re continuing with the exercises.
Amazing how time flies, just yesterday we were feeling pretty crappy and wondering when life would return to normal.

Now go workout.

Doc Ross

Great work brendan. Keep it up. I’m raising a Fat Tire in your honor!

brendan- i am also about 15 wks out. sounds like u are doing vey well. i am limited in my progress since i have a lot of pain in the back of heel ( tendon) when i work on the shuttle, walk and do calf raises. do u have any achilles tendon pain when u do those things? thanks.

Anne - I only have direct pain in my tendon when I try to really push hard to do a one legged heel raise. Otherwise if I work it too hard during the day (too much walking/theraband/too many heel raises), it get’s achey in the heel area, kind of where the tendon attaches to the heel. I then know it’s time for some massage, ice, and rest for a day. After a good nights sleep, it’s good to go the next day. This is a tricky injury at this stage, because we need to push it a little (which usually comes with some pain), but still need to be a little cautious with over exerting. I always listen to my body, and just seem to be in touch with the “good” pain and the “bad” pain. Hope that helps…good luck!

johnskier - i haven’t had a Fat Tire in a while, so I’m having one tonight watching the Rox get beat up by the Mets! How many heel raises you doing a day?

Brendan - my physical therapist told me to make it “burn” and to not come back until I could do single heel raises. So she had me doing exercises on the Pilates reformer in two minute intervals (3 sets - similar to heel raises). That did it!! Wasn’t there a song in the 80’s “burn baby burn”? On one hand you think you’re doing well; on the other, what’s the matter with me I am such a wussy?. Try time rather than reps and go slowly.

Got my road bike fixed so I’m ready to get my ass kicked on the bike too. Take care.