Apr 10 2014
A picture is worth a 1000 words - Rehabilitation Protocol weeks 3 through 8
At 3 weeks post surgery my Doc put me in the boot PWB with light stretching and exercises phase. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. I thought it useful to others at or near my phase a re-print which visually shows the exercises and stretching one should (could) be doing at this stage. Note: brace is the same as boot in the descriptions below.
Reference: this information can be found on this site at
4 responses so far
I found these same exercises online when I first started my journey. They are good to do.
I’m 15 weeks post-op. I’m starting my 6th week of PT. My ROM has improved a lot, I’m hoping to start on more strength training this next go round. I did start back to the gym 2 weeks ago doing partial spin classes and some weight training. It’s getting better and better!
Happy healing!
Hi Vicki, thanks for the note. So are you past all the week 3-8 exercises, or does your PT/Doc still ask you to do them?
Happy strengthening and continued healing to you too. Are you still in the boot or have you graduated to shoes?
-Jon
Sorry I’m so late in responding. I’m not very good with this blog stuff!
I’m not very good with doing my homework on PT anymore. Bad me!! When I first started PT, they had me pedal on a bike for 8 minutes. If you look at my blog, I have a post of what I was doing in PT. Now in my second go round, they have me start on the Precor elliptical machine, which I like much better. I’m trying to get some strength in the ball of my foot so I can have some push off strength and get up on my toes. Not so easy! I’m doing exercises now where I raise up on my toes (both feet) 10 times, 3 reps; then lean back on my heels 20 times, 3 reps. I can get up a very small amount on my bad foot and when I try to do singles on my bad foot, it’s pretty impossible. I have to step up and down on a stool - piece of cake - no bending of my ankle with that exercise. They are still having me walk on the “rocks” (rubberized 1/2 balls). Not of fan of those either. A new exercise they gave me was to put this harness around my waist on an elasticized rope, walk forward til there is a pull and do a squat, step back, then repeat 4 more times. Then I turn to one side, backwards, then the other side and do the same thing. The first time she had me do this I said “only 5?” It was harder than I thought it was going to be, lol. I have a favorite therapist who works me hard. Last time I had her, I got to do 2 sets of these instead of just one.
Another thing that I started getting was ultrasound on the inside of my ankle under the ankle bone. For some reason, it is still tender there, almost like it is bruised. They were doing the electrode thing before, which did nothing for me. I find it uncomfortable to wear tennis shoes for very long as it rubs against this part of my foot. I try to wear shoes with no back or sandals (Birkenstocks or Crocs). I read on here somewhere that someone was using Kinesio tape. I think I’m going to try some. I would love to be able to go for long walks without the discomfort. I’ll let you know how it works.
It’s hard when you graduate to 2 shoes. You will feel like you are going backwards. You have to walk slower and carefully. You might even miss the boot, lol!
Keep up the good work!
Vicki
When I needed to draft a compelling personal statement, I sought the help of professionals at personal statement writing service . Their service was exceptional, providing personalized assistance in writing. They worked closely with me to understand my academic background and aspirations, ensuring the statement reflected my unique voice and goals. Their expertise in crafting statements that appeal to admission committees was evident in the final product.