Nov 07 2008
Chicken! Flabby Calf & Calf Raises
At my 7-1/2 week post-op period, For PT I was working on the slant board, shuttle (kind of like leg presses to help with strength & leg length)- I worked 2 leg, 1 leg and pushing to my toe, dome- 2 legged and 1 leg, working on balance and strength. Got pretty shaky on 1 leg after a while. Worked on this other board with a removable ball underneath. Had to balance & rotate on my bad leg. Next week, they change to a bigger ball underneath making it harder & ROM increases. Also increased tension on the stationary bike and rode for 10 minutes. More Achilles mashing massage, ultrasound & laser. My wound at the top looks like it may have finally closed! Now maybe I can get in the pool! But now it looks like I’ve got a keloid going! Drat! How to reduce that?
I went to PT yesterday and the therapist remarked about my flabby calf. 7 weeks, 3 days after surgery I thought I was doing good. She had me try a 1 legged calf raise but I couldn’t get off the ground so tried 2 legged. It’s like my right leg forgot how to do it. I had to think hard to get that leg to get up on my toe. Didn’t get very far but she says I can practice on the stairs at home. Not to worry about the Achilles as it was strong and I didn’t have to worry about rerupture. Easier said than done. She wants me to be doing 1 legged calf raises by next week! She also had me practice heel toe walking as she didn’t like my gait. She told me not to favor that leg so much. If I wasn’t in pain, focus on a good gait. She was tough yesterday!
So today, I’m trying to do calf raises from a flat floor. I’m a bit afraid to do it on the stairs. Rerupture, rerupture keeps going thru my head. Am I going too fast? It’s hard enough doing it on a flat floor. I keep trying to get over the fear by getting on the stairs & trying it anyway. I find myself relying heavily on the good leg. What a wimp I am! What about the rest of you doing calf raises? How’d it go for you? How long did it take you to do a decent calf raise?
3 Responses to “Chicken! Flabby Calf & Calf Raises”
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gw0508 - I don’t know the full history of your injury or your doctor’s protocol, but attempting single leg calf raises at week 7 seems way too fast. I’m a bit concerned that your PT said you don’t need to worry about the Achilles. The 3-4 month period is generally when reruptures happen. I wouldn’t even attempt a single leg calf raise until you are comfortable doing calf raises with both legs. And don’t start on the stairs until you are comfortable on flat ground. I think you’ll see that it takes most people on the site several months before getting to the point of a single leg calf raise. The road to recovery is long. Don’t try to do too much too soon.
Thanks Tom. I’m a big believer in listening to your body. If my body says, “Uh, uh,” I’ll take it easy. I am working on 2 legged on flat ground right now. Hard to share the therapist’s enthusiasm for 1 legged by next week when I see how weak it is now. I’m still uneasy about the stairs but am surprised how it does NOT hurt when I’m just standing there with my heel over the edge. I expected it to be quite stiff and achy. Well, little by little, inch by inch, we’ll all get there. Doc’s protocol is saying 1 legged maybe 12th week, as tolerated.
I am at week 10 and although I have been extremely aggressive with rehab, I am not even close to doing a single leg heel raise. I am currently doing assisted heel raisers (slowly and full range of motion) and trying to balance on the balls of my foot. I also do seated heal raisers with a light weight on my knee of my bad leg. I do high repetitions and stop when it starts to hurt. Listen to your body. Good Luck!