Week 7 Update - 2 shoes!
May 29, 2015 - 6 weeks to the date of my surgery.
I went into physio for the first time and:
- Acupuncture was done to stimulate blood flow / healing
- Massaged the hell out of my calf which was very very tight and sore.
- I did one calf raise (assisted with a table) and was able to get some lift
- Exercises where I had to push my foot against her hand to strengthen the calf.
- Walking - I did a couple of metres of walking while she judged how my motion was.
I did ROM exercises on my ankle beforehand and she said it was very noticeable and beneficial that I did this (I do recommend this for everyone, as it quickens up the recovery time).
I am still walking with a limp due to a tight achilles but she said it was normal.
Homework:
- Ankle rotations (up, down, side to side, clockwise/counterclockwise motions) = 2x a day 20 reps
- With a band (blue), wrap around the middle of the calf, point your foot down for 3 seconds, release. This was to strengthen the calf
Prognosis:
I am now able to walk w/o the boot at home and work but have to wear the boot out (to bars or supermarket). I am still walking with a limp due to a sore achilles but that is normal.
Goal:
The physio said I have six weeks to strengthen my achilles to the point it should be relatively normal. I will then see if I need to get my knee (torn ACL) done in order to get back to normal.
To everyone that has just tore it or in the early weeks, I do recommend following your doctor’s advice but I highly found it beneficial to get out of the boot earlier to get range of motion and weight bearing to be done. It is all about getting your calf muscle strengthened. I was told if it is going to re-rupture, better earlier on which is more an indication that the surgeon may not have fixed it correctly in the first place. Obviously , please be very careful when walking to avoid any foreign substances that would make you trip/fall.
CL
You seem to be having a fairly quick recovery. It must help to have youth on your side!
Is the current ACL injury in the same leg as the achilles injury? How about your previous ACL injury?
I wonder if my previous ACL injury has an bearing on the achilles injury or not, although it is not possible to know the answer.
Thanks for the description of your band exercise. I am planning on starting some band exercises this week.
Hey Kiwi,
Definitely good to be young on this injury but this is my 3rd major injury so I don’t really think youth is on my side lol….
I had ACL repair on my left knee, tore it again, then tore my Achilles in my right leg. I don’t know if it had a part in the injury but I can see some sort of compensation occurring which may or may not have put pressure/stress on my right leg. Surgeon/physio said there wasn’t much I could have done about it.
I think going forward, treating rehab has to be our second job and I won’t go back to sports until I am 110% healthy again because I can’t mentally go through this long rehab process again!
Happy healing.