R+35 Days (Week 6) Removing wedges

Posted on November 20th, 2019 by cwaterman

70 y/o   Non-surgical

On R+2 days, I started with 3 wedges (each one inch), then quickly went to 2 wedges on day 8.   There was a lot of confusion during the first few weeks as to what protocol (if any) I was supposed to follow.   I initially saw an orthopedic surgeon who recommended surgery and had little interest in anything else.  Now I am seeing a physiatrist.  He and I settled on this protocol.  His instructions were to remove one of the two remaining wedges on the start of week 6.  To go from two inches to one inch seemed a little sudden to me, so I started hunting around for options.   I purchased and played with several different types of wedges.  I wanted to gradually go down to one wedge.  I chose a wedge system that allows me to drop just about 1mm at a time.  My game plan is to space the removal over a week or so.

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2 Responses to “R+35 Days (Week 6) Removing wedges”

  1. Fred, on December 8th, 2019 at 9:09 am Said:

    So how is it going?

  2. cwaterman, on December 8th, 2019 at 3:11 pm Said:

    Hi Fred
    Thanks for the interest. It motivated me to update the blog.

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

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  • cserpent | December 30th, 2019 | 3:56 am

    You definitely don’t want to overdue it! Besides pissing off the achilles you can annoy other things - like the bone! My PT said if it hurts to do it then don’t. I don’t know if you had pain when you overdid it. Unfortunately you have to be patient and take it slow.

  • paul1 | December 28th, 2019 | 12:49 pm

    I had a similar experience with my PT - pretty sure they just worked me too hard and for the next several days I felt a sharp pain in my calf whenever I walked. I admit it sorta freaked me out, wondering if I’d done something bad, but i just rested it, and after several days everything was fine again. Hopefully you get feeling better soon.

  • cserpent | December 23rd, 2019 | 3:25 pm

    I would assume that your PT told you to start by doing seated heel raises. As the calf/achilles gain strength you add weight to your knee/thigh and do heel raises with the weight. I think when I got up to 30# of weight on my knee/thigh my PT told me to start trying 1 footed heel raises while leaning on the bed. You need to do the exercises daily (or multiple times a day if instructed). And take smaller steps so you don’t limp. As you strength improves your stride will get longer.

  • paul1 | December 13th, 2019 | 12:23 pm

    The transition to shoes is a wonderful thing, although you’ll find that you will need to take it very slow at first compared to how you’re probably able to trot around in the boot. Take it slow in the beginning as you will more vulnerable in shoes than in the boot. Patience is important in that stage. Good luck!

  • cwaterman | December 13th, 2019 | 9:15 am

    Thanks for the hints! I am 9 days from walking in 2-shoes.

    I was given the green light yesterday for using the exercise bike. My PT said to try it a couple of times with my boot on and then go to 2-shoes on the bike if it feels right.

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  • cserpent | December 12th, 2019 | 5:22 pm

    Congrats on getting to the flat stage! Once you’re in shoes focus on a normal gait. Make your steps as small as needed to make your gait normal. You’ll probably be taking teeny tiny steps. That’s OK as long as you don’t limp. As everything gets stronger your step will get longer.

  • cwaterman | December 8th, 2019 | 3:11 pm

    Hi Fred
    Thanks for the interest. It motivated me to update the blog.

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.

  • Fred | December 8th, 2019 | 9:09 am

    So how is it going?