No time to Blog (for all the best reasons)
I am coming up to 12 weeks since the ATR struck, and I am in remarkably good shape. Last time I posted I was at the start of physio and cycling a bit. Since then I have been on two weeks holiday in Italy (which I spent mostly cast free), have officially been unlocked from the cast, have pseudo-cycled on a turbo about 200km, become the proud owner of a wobble board and been camping for three days, all I am delighted to say with no ill effects bar a blister the first time I put on dress shoes to go to work.
I can lift full body weight on the bad leg, am walking pretty much normally and ready for whatever the physio throws at me next. As I told him last week ‘It feels that good that if you told me I could start running tomorrow, I would go out and do it’. He told me I couldn’t do that though. Spoil sport.
So, still a way off from getting back on a football pitch or a basketball court, but making good progress. My left leg is still much smaller in the calf than my right, but the muscles are starting to remember what being a leg is all about and are coming back too.
I’ll try and get back to posting a bit. I have a two week business trip (which means two weeks of dull evenings in hotels) so I may become quite verbose in that period.
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Hi Danair
Reading back over your posts and apart from the fact they are funny it’s also uncanny how many of the posts mirror my own experience. For instance, I was allowed to free myself from the AirCast boot to elevate the leg from time to time, but boy I’m not sure what could have been growing in there. Summer is not a good time to be wearing an AirCast (not that the UK has had a summer!).
I’m at just over 10 weeks and gone through the same protocol. My boot was eventually extracted 10 days ago (very brave physio with clearly no sense of smell) and now I’m at that uncertain 2 shoe stage. It’s interesting that you’ve already been on a turbo-cycle because I intend to buy one this week to start doing some ‘proper’ exercise, although clearly take it easy at the same time. I’ve missed a summer of mountain biking the UK trails and desperate just to get on a bike and turn some pedals. Equally I’m desperate to ensure I mitigate the chance of re-rupture. So I guess the question is, ‘is it too soon to get on the turbo-cycle and do some gentle peddling?’
Does you leg swell up after doing the cycling? My ankle swells when I take the pooches out for a gentle walk. So, I can’t decide whether to wait another couple of weeks to get my rear on the saddle again and do some very low intensity peddling.
It’s good (and bad) to hear the UK blogs and the protocols being advised. Conservative non-surgery seems to be the mantra from many UK consultants. Good luck with the healing.
Riding an exercise bike IN a boot (once you’re FWB) is great exercise and “safe as houses”. Riding OUT of a boot puts stress on your AT and calf, which you can largely control by shifting your foot position on the pedal. Stand on the heel, and there’s ~0 stress. Step on the ball or toe, and there’s lots.
Road biking is a bit scarier, but still not too scary in the boot, IMHO. (Once you can “catch” your weight and the bike’s in an emergency stop, you’re probably not at much more risk than when you rode a year ago.)
Trail riding is scarier still, tho’ I’m no expert. One guy here posted some photos of him doing some crazy extreme MTB riding (at Whistler, IIRC) while he was still in a boot! A search might find his posts.
Neville, I only up non-op because the rupture was so high up. They were already thinking of surgery dates before I had the ultrasound, but not regretting it one but just now. I was all set to tell you that I was getting no swelling until this morning (after a day walking round London yesterday) it is a little swollen around my ankle joint.
My physio had me on a turbo at 5 weeks, but under similar advise to that which Norm has left and with almost no resistance. I cycle in cycling shoes with cleats normally and so whilst you are on the ball of the foot, the foot is held in a good two down position and so the biggest issue was not actually the cycling but the clipping in and out of the pedals. Got round that though by leaving the left shoe in the pedal and then putting my foot in once I was on the bike (velcro fastening shoes help too).
Not actually been out on the road yet bar a very gentle poodle round the block with my son.
Usual precautionary advise though - no two ruptures are the same, so stick with the advice the professionals give you. I think I am the exception rather than the norm, because I seem to be recovering quickly and progressing through the exercises rapidly. I am a good six weeks ahead of where I thought I’d be, but touch wood, no adverse affects yet.
hi everyone from Thessaloniki Greece!
I re-raptured my AT during 8wk of post-op while riding my bike and had an emergency stop. Now I am on 5wk post second op. Please be patient since the feeling of re rapture is very depressing…My recovery though is preety much the same as the first ATR.