On second thought

My orthopedist has emphasized at every turn the importance of not overstretching the surgically repaired AT during therapy, because of the risk of  long term calf weakness. I have been (in my mind) fairly conservative with my exercises. Stretching has been gentle. Even so, my static range of motion is normal, i.e. plantar flexion and dorsiflexion just lying on the bed is pretty good. With more active movements, however, I clearly have decreased range, plus my right calf is still weak, so that I still limp when walking, and have great difficulty walking down stairs good foot first. I have not even thought about running yet. Then at the eleven week mark, my physical therapist turned up the intensity, with more vigorous stretching and strengthening drills. Even though the tendon is more tender as a consequence, I am hoping for more rapid progress. I must be moving beyond the (ill-defined) period where re-injury or overstretching is a significant risk.

One mild concern: when I palpate my repaired tendon, there is a point at the level of the medial malleolus where the tendon is thinner than above or below. That is, when I run my finger along the back of the tendon, I can feel a shallow depression about 2 centimeters long. Above and below that point, the tendon has some scar tissue and feels quite robust. When I stretch the tendon slightly by dorsiflexing the foot, the thin spot is less prominent but still there. In comparison, my older left repaired AT is fairly uniformly robust throughout its length. I’ll have to ask my orthopedist about it.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS