Comments for Road to Recovery (non-surgical)

Comment on London Day Trip by normofthenorth

normofthenorth — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:58:28 +0000

Oops! I changed my first example in mid-example, and messed it up!

“. . .my heel will be twice as far from the wall. Simple geometry there.” should really read “my heel will be ONE AND A HALF TIMES as far from the wall.”

NOW it’s simple geometry! (The rest of the comment is right, I think!)

Comment on London Day Trip by normofthenorth

normofthenorth — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:56:06 +0000

Sure, all other things equal, if my lower leg (knee to ankle) is 50% longer than yours, and our ankles both dorsiflex at the same angle, my heel will be twice as far from the wall. Simple geometry there.
And if you’re measuring from the wall to your toes (assuming the same foot length), that “twice as far” could be several times as far.
Here’s a f’rinstance: Say I’ve got 2.5′ lower-leg length, and yours are only 1.5′ long. At some reasonable angle (30 degrees flexion, I think), we could both make a 3-4-5 right triangle with knees against the wall. Wall to heel would be 1.5′ for me and 0.9′ for you.
But if our feet are 0.9′ long, then you can just touch your knee to the wall with ZERO distance from wall to TOE, while I’ve got 0.6′ of space there. You might think that you have no flexion at all, but you’re actually flexing 30 degrees to get your knees over your toes.
Obviously, foot length also effects the absolute wall-to-toe measurement, all else equal.
Again, your “good” foot should be a good guide to “all else equal” — except for a torn and healing Achilles, of course! — so the comparison between your two feet is your best guide of what you’ve got.

Comment on London Day Trip by 2ndtimer

2ndtimer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:22:35 +0000

Thanks for the clarification. I guess it does matter how long your legs are. My flexibility is far from the good side; there is a 7cm difference

Comment on London Day Trip by sam66

sam66 — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:09:55 +0000

Chris,
Sounds like you’re doing great. And well done with the dorsiflexion. I tried your method of measuring and am nowhere near your 15cm even on my uninjured side. Wonder if it depends on how long your legs are?! Both sides are almost the same now though by this measurement, so guess that’s something. All the best,
Sam

Comment on London Day Trip by Highflyer

Highflyer — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:13:39 +0000

Hi Guys, thanks for all the support and advice. To answer your question 2ndtimer, I place a ruler on the floor next to the foot being measured. The distance is how far away from the wall you can get with the tips of the toes whilst still being able to touch the wall with your kneecap.

Comment on London Day Trip by normofthenorth

normofthenorth — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:45:34 +0000

BTW, DO NOT rush the single-leg heel raises! I.e., I’d say do not do them AT ALL until it feels like you could do around 8 of them. This is based on my (literally) painful experience from my first ATR, 8 yrs ago (as outlined on my blog — somewhere!).

Comment on London Day Trip by normofthenorth

normofthenorth — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:43:21 +0000

It’s a good method. And the key measurement is usually the DIFFERENCE between the “good” and “bad” side, rather than anything absolute. I think eyeballed measures are usually plenty, though one could always leave a ruler on the floor nearby — or even use an assistant! (We have hardwood floors, and all the floorboards are the same width — give me a few weeks and I’m SURE I’ll know what that width is, for this very reason! :o)

Comment on They tried to make me go to rehab, I said….OK by normofthenorth

normofthenorth — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 05:39:33 +0000

I consider the recovery of my first ATR (8 yrs ago, with surgery) a HUGE and TOTAL success, but I never did recover my former dorsiflexion. As I recall, my “bad” toe was maybe 2 cm closer to the wall than my “good” toe (which is now my “bad” one, since I just tore the other side!).
But other than that measurement test, I literally never noticed the difference, and that includes returning to competitive volleyball (beach and court), bicycling, racing small sailboats, etc.
There’s a limit to how little flexion one can ignore, but “never get back to pre-injury level” is WAY less serious than it sounds!

Comment on London Day Trip by GerryR

GerryR — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 02:42:54 +0000

Yes, I like that method of measuring flexibility.

Comment on London Day Trip by 2ndtimer

2ndtimer — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:56:14 +0000

Good to hear you are doing well.
I like this way of measurement for flexibility, maybe Gerryr agrees, it makes more sense than degrees and percentages. How do you measure the 10 cm from the floor to the toe?