2 weeks 2 days post op December 13th 2013
Hello Achillesblog.com,
So last friday was the day my hard cast came off and my stitches/staples came out. Have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Have been in relatively no pain since i started weening off painkillers about a week after the surgery, however wasnt sure about how painful it would be to take out the stitches and staples so i took one painkiller about an hour before i expected to see my surgeon. The same process i expect when going to the hospital to see the surgeon happened again. Wait 2 hours, seen for 10 minutes. The stitches and staples came out with little pain. Mostly just pin pricks with the sensation of relieving pressure.
All looks good according to my surgeon and i was slammed into my fancy new vacocast achilles boot. Ran into my achilles friend from before and he had to be recasted as his leg didnt close properly at the incision site. Hes now a week behind me and i feel for the guy. No one likes set backs and i can only imagine how it must have just bummed him out so hard. Hes due to go back this friday to get it seen again and hopefully he’ll be able to go to the boot.
My surgeon also outlined my schedule for the next 4 weeks. Week 1 - first physio conslt - Pos 3 in the vacocast @ 25% weight bearing. Week 2 - Pos 3 in the vacocast @ 50% weight bearing. Week 3 Pos 2 in the vacocast @ 75% weight bearing. Week 4 - Pos 1 in the vacocast @ 100% weight bearing. After 4 weeks of following her outline and seeing the physiotherapist i go back in to see the surgeon for another check up.
P.S.
I have some sweet pictures but cant seem to figure out how to attach them to a post. I go to add media above the post im writing and go to the gallery and click add to post but all i get is a white screen overtop of my post page. Any help would be appreciated!
Pos 1, Pos 1, Pos 2, Pos 1?!? The progression toward FWB is continuous (though slow as MOLASSES!), but if these “Pos” numbers relate to ankle angle (or anything else), I don’t understand jumping forward and back. Typo?
Also, the newest and best post-op protocol (0 reruptures in >100 post-op ATRs, IIRC!) seems to be from Exeter, and I think they allowed some ROM hingeing in the Vaco early on, gradually increasing it.
I suspect you’ll have as much trouble guessing those %s PWB as the rest of us, AND that you’ll start forgetting where you left the crutches weeks ahead of that ultra-slow schedule. (And it will make you smile!)
Gotta love that Vacocast boot! LOL. I also used it and am now going on 15 weeks and am working on jogging at this point.
I also agree with Norm, even in the VACOCast, which I used after week 1 of my OP, I was working on ROM by week 2, starting with Toe ROM and going from there.
With that said, here is a link on how to upload a pic (from Chocolata): http://achillesblog.com/chocolata/2010/03/08/i-can-insert-a-photo-in-my-post-at-last/comment-page-1/
Good luck and keep us posted.
Ron
OK, Pos 3, 3, 2, 1 (the way you’ve got it now) makes more sense to me!
i have a donjoy boot…i don’t know or haven’t been informed about any angle adjustments?!
I will ask PT today
I am also at the same point that you are with your surgery. We must have torn our achilles at the same time. I got put in a cast 10 days after surgery and will be in it for the next 4 weeks. When it comes off I’m supposed to go into the boot. And I’m assuming it will be pwb. Any ideas? My surgeon has done this surgery a lot and I was informed he was really good. I move my foot quite a lot inside my cast and have really no pain. I also stopped pain killers a week after.