5 week (no-op) follow-up
Spoke with my doctor today about my progress. I have been in the air-cast for 2 weeks, and walking for just about 1. I am amazed at how much I improve every day. Still using the crutches on the stairs, but will try it on my own soon.
I have no inserts in my aircast. Doctor said he still believes I should wait 3 more weeks before trying shoes. I feel like this is super conservative, seeing as I am already walking quite well. I am so anxious to get out of this thing for good, especially with sleeping at night. But of course, nervousness at the potential to re-rupture is winning out right now…
Boarding the plane to Honduras next Friday. Will be disappointingly gawking at the *free* people running down the beach… =(
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Check out bit.ly/UWOProtocol and the matching study at http://bit.ly/UWOStudy . I don’t think anybody’s produced better results with SLOWER rehab, so why do it? If you’re pushy enough, confront your doc. . . OTOH, waiting until 8 weeks from the start of immobilization before going to 2 shoes is consistent with that protocol, and may be about optimal. But you can always compare your Doc’s schedule to the other one.
But I can’t see much purpose for the boot in bed now. If you’re ankle is stiff after an hour or a night asleep without, then maybe. But if it isn’t . . . not much purpose.
Please install the little “ATR Timeline” widget that’s explained in one of the first paragraphs on the main page, for us readers’ convenience.
. I took cast of week 2. Massaging a lot with piles of Vaseline after soaked in bath some stitches still visible. Nice clean thin scar off to the side to prevent rubbing. Week 3 stitches gone most of the swelling gone. Still feel hard like a big naught. No crutches but a cane, a tensor bandage. 2 leg- calf raises, Lots rubbing hot 15 mins ice cold 15mins after light walking. Week 4, walking in running shoes around the block. One day walk one day rest ect… week 5 walking 5 blocks + lots of stinging sensations slight swelling… no probs. Pain is inside close to ankle. KEEP LOOBED TO PREVENT SCAR TEARING. Make sure to Ice after walking rubbbbbbbbbbbbbbb a lot. Also sitting on a chair your legs in a 90 degree angle and rock you feet w/shoes back n forth. Hope to be running in 3-4 weeks from now lightly. A scope on my knee from a ski accident going way too fast was worse and I was 10 years younger. I am now 30 185lbs 6’0” extremely active throughout my life and eat well. No substance abuse. I am good @ anything I try, Ice hockey, floor hockey basketball football tennis, skiing snowboarding swimming… well you get the idea. When I tore it I was floor hockey new shoes grippy floor. It was like some1 hit me from behind. The day before was 2 rounds of golf 2 floor hockey games, then floor hockey the next day which when I tore it. It was the last 10 mins of a 160 min. session. Forget the doctor I can research everything I need to know from the net. Its going well.
Wow Jim - that is aggressive. All of that makes me very nervous, just thinking about doing it!
I slept without my cast for the last couple of nights and my ankle seems to be very sore. Not sure if it is because of that, or the rubbing which I have started to do, or if I’m just “pushing” it too hard. Taking it easy today.
Dalene, if you’re sore and inflamed/swollen, try hard to control the infl/sw, and the soreness may disappear with it. If sleeping without the boot consistently makes your ankle sore, stop doing it. (”Doc, it hurts whenever I do THIS!” “So don’t do THAT!”
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And Jim, you do seem to be breaking new ground on the aggressive rehab side. I hope you know what you’re doing, or at least that you’re lucky and don’t go too far. Many of us have re-injured or re-ruptured our early-healing ATs without the kind of “listen to your body” warning you might expect, or wish for.
BTW, a couple of aspects of your injury seem very common here: (1) You were pushing hard against great traction, with those new shoes on a clean (squeaky?) floor, and (2) You were well warmed up, late in the session of play. #1 is straight physics. #2 isn’t so obvious, since good studies generally show benefits from pre-exercise warmups (UNlike pre-exercise STRETCHING!).
I’ve torn both sides now playing court volleyball, always with the cleanest, stickiest, “squeakiest” shoes I can get, for max traction — which also means max force transmitted between the floor and my AT and vice versa. I know a few others (and more here) who’ve torn an AT playing court volleyball. I’ve also played a lot of BEACH volleyball — at least as strenuous and brutal a game in its way, but with nowhere near the traction — and I’ve never heard of anybody tearing an AT.
One of the US Beach VB Gold Medalists, Misty May Treanor, survived all her elite competitive Beach ball, then tore her AT in warmups for Dancing with the Stars — in athletic shoes on a smooth floor. Funny sounding, but not really surprising.
i can go down stairs normally with little pain or discomfort. before i couldnt bend my leg back to complete the stair. i use to take 1 step @ a time. when im walking there is some discomfort like a needle behind my ankle im walking with a very slight limp. full weight baring no problems. you guys make me nervous so im still very cautious and trying to do as little as possible.