Week 8-wedge question
So, if anyone read my experience with the PA at my doctors office at my 6 week check-up, you could most likely pick up on my disappointment of how slow they are dragging me through rehab. Well, the latest installment is…..nobody knows when I should take a wedge out of the boot! At my 6 week check up, I asked the PA when I take the first wedge out. The PA was already upset/surprised that I was FWB when I came into see him, and then he told me that he couldn’t tell me when to take a wedge out, that it was PT’s job to tell me when to do that….wtf. So at my first PT appointment after that 6 week check up, I ask my therapist when to take the first wedge out, and they say it’s not in the protocol, and the doc should have told me when. Soooo, I decided about a week ago to take a wedge out of my boot, and much to my surprise there was only two wedges, if you want to call the heel piece an actual "wedge". I was under the impression and so was the doctor that there was 3 wedges in the boot. Frustrating. Anybody else have any experience with just the two pieces that I have pictured here? They were basically glued together, and I pulled out the bigger, bottom wedge first, and now just basically have the heel/wedge piece in my boot. Feels really good though, I’m contemplating trying to walk around in shoes in my house over the next week or so.
Hello Brian
In modern protocols you could expect to be in 2 shoes at around 8 weeks after start of treatment. Looks like you might do that without a protocol - have you been exercising at all? And, do you pay for post-op visits?
I don’t pay for any post op visits until I’m outside of 90 days from the day I had surgery. I began physical therapy about 10 days after surgery and have been attending it twice a week. I also do stretches and ROM work on my own at home. Just aggravated that the nurse even checked my boot the day I was put in it, and said all the wedges were in it. I wonder if some doctors only use this wedge set up? I swore the doctor mentioned 3 wedges at some point.
From the photo it looks like a wedge and a heel cup. All your leg ‘”knows” is the ankle angle, or how much your heel is elevated. UWO prescribed 2cm, other good studies did 3cm. A few OSs start huge, 5cm or even more. The Glasgow guru uses exactly as much as it takes approximate the torn ends (in a cast, non-op).
You have all the protocols here, somewhere. bit.ly/UWOProtocol is UWO’s.
dont know if this helps but, i was in the boot at 4 weeks post op, with four 2cm wedges. i had to take out 1 wedge every week, then went into two shoes at week 8. hope this helps.
Wedges in the boot give you the desired angle for healing with a flatter sole on the boot to make it easier to walk so like Norm said it is the final angle that is important. I would be most careful doing stretching at your stage but ROM exercises are good. I am an advocate of a wedge in your shoe and using supportive, motion control runners such as the better ASICS or Brooks. The length of stride and pace of your walk should only be such that you do not limp. I started with 2 wedges in the shoe and removed them as my walking improved. You may already be past that. Walking will also provide a reasonable stretch.
Anybody ready for some ridiculous answers to my questions, courtesy of my medical provider? So first, the good news….walked without the boot at physical therapy today, and the tendon felt amazing. Most of my tightness is in the soleus muscle, and some in the Achilles, but walking definitely felt better then I’d imagined. I then asked the very question that I asked above to my doctors nurse, who I’ve been able to text with this entire time, and then she asks the doctor when he’s available.
Their response to the wedge question from above: Don’t you have a felt wedge that was given to you at your last appointment?
Me: No, I was told that the protocol would dictate when wedges were taken out, but then I realized my protocol that therapy goes off of has no such information.
Nurse: Oh, the doctor said you should have been given a wedge that you use for 4 months.
Me: I was given nothing.
Nurse: Oh, the doctor said you have 2 more months with this wedge.
Me: He hasn’t even cleared me for shoes, and I’m not going to be in this boot for much more then the end of the week, soooo, why would I need a wedge for two more months.
Nurse: Let me talk to him when he gets done with his next appointment, and ask again.
WTF. So glad I’ve been straying from his protocol….I can’t imagine how badly this could play out for somebody that didn’t have this website and resources and stuck to whatever the doctor said.
Main AchillesBlog has a website using for blog details that includes uncategorized blog of got the boobs. They have a way of range of motion exercises & spend about 10 minutes on the Step machine. Didn’t really feel the effects of it till the next day. Join them for more.
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