Jan 31 2011
Two shoes
So 8 weeks and a few days later I’m in my shoes. I’m doing my workouts at the gym. Things are starting to get back to normal.
Some things that do have me a bit concerned is the fact that I have this prominent “divet” or “hole” where the AT ruptured. The surgeon said that I’m roughly 80% healed based on examination. I’m comforted by this but still a bit uneasy with regards to the affected area.
I’m starting to regain some strength. I’m able to balance myself indefinitely on my affected leg. If I walk really slow I can do heal to toe and not limp. I still have some work to do. I’m setting myself a four month goal to get back into decent enough shape to be able to handle some trail riding on my mountain bike.
At any rate. I’ll be keeping you guys posted on my progress.
Cheers,
Jamie.
3 responses so far
Sounds pretty good, Jamie! You’re already following my fave non-surgical protocol, so I can’t send you to it to compare yours to mine! Many of us have bumps or “divots” on the back of our legs, both post-op and post-non-op. Most of them fade with time and development, though some can still be located long afterwards. The vast majority have “no clinical significance”.
It’s good to be “still a bit uneasy” at 8-ish weeks, because you’re going through the scariest period in the rehab, still physically vulnerable to over-stress, and outside the protective environment of the boot. So Watch Your Step!!
I was bike riding — though in town, not on mountain trails! — while still in the boot, and continuously as I emerged. My ATR-side foot started out way forward on the pedal and gradually slid aft, increasing the load on the AT and calf. Many little milestones ensued, many of them surprises. E.g., the first time I dismounted while standing with the ball of my left (healing) foot on the pedal, just like old times, I hadn’t actually planned on achieving a “first”, it just happened!
My biggest surprise was how shocking it was to hit a pothole soon after I started pedaling on the ball of that foot. My calf-and-AT were strong enough for normal pedaling, but the shock load of hitting a bump was quite a bit higher. No injuries or lingering pain, but I started staring at the road surface ahead more than usual. Obviously, trail riding has LOTS of those shock loads, . . .
Good luck, and good healing!
The dip in your At is normal - it may go it may not but its usual. I thought I too had that but as the swelling went down it turned out to be my normal achilles unde the scar tissue from the rupture which had formed a consideable lump. It caused me a few days of frantic panic but eventually you come to terms with the new shape of your achillles. Carry on healing but watch your step
@normofthenorth - My goal is to gain a significant amount of muscle mass in four months. That will bring me into June when real mountain biking starts. Right now if I walk really slow I can walk normally but I am no where near being able to lift my own body weight yet with the affected leg. I’m hoping to see some serious gains in the coming weeks. I tried the calve machine at the gym today without any weight. It felt good but it was obvious that my good leg was doing most of the work. I’m pushing it, just enough, and not so much to re-injure.
I’ll be keeping you guys posted on the progress.