Jun 24 2011
Week 5 (Post-Op) | June 23 | Simple PT and Getting Blog Current
Ok, I got started late in filling out my blog but future posts will be up to date. I’ll try to post some photos soon as well. Today is the first day of week 5. Not too much has happened since my first post-op appointment. I have gone to two physical therapy sessions, which just consist of range of motion exercises - ankle side-to-sides, up/downs, ABC’s, circles, and swings with no weight. I simple do each of those twice a day, 10-20 times each. My therapist said from the first week to this week I gained 10 degrees of motion. I need 10 degrees more to remove the lift in my boot and be ‘at neutral’, and 10 degrees after that to be able to have any kind of walking motion. I feel like I could push harder on the up/downs, but I’ve been cautioned to not overdo it or pull too hard and I really don’t want to do any damage. It’s difficult to know how hard to work at this point.
I’ve been back to work for several weeks now. It has been difficult. I have a desk job and have always gotten away for lunch - almost always to the gym. With my wife driving and dropping me off, I’m stuck at my desk and my workplace doesn’t have any sort of lounge area where I can lay down over lunch and elevate my leg, so by the end of the day it is pretty sore and puffy. When it gets this way even the boot is uncomfortable. I brought in a large exercise air ball and the most comfortable position is with my knee and leg rested on that without the boot.
I did have one scary instance in week #3. Crutches aren’t safe even for the seasoned crutches pro. After showering I realized I didn’t have a towel and tried crutching too fast across the bathroom tile floor. Hit a patch of water and hit the floor fast. I landed on my back and my head hit the edge of one doorway and my good foot hit the wall, but I was smart enough not to try to correct with my bad leg. It hurt and scared my wife to death who came running upstairs to check on me. Other than a headache and a scraped foot, no damage done. Let’s not do that again…
Countdown to July 6 and Post-Op Appointment #2! I can’t wait to really test this thing out!
4 Responses to “Week 5 (Post-Op) | June 23 | Simple PT and Getting Blog Current”
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Oh my goodness, while I was ready your shower tumble story, I am not kidding when I say that I was holding my head waiting to see the outcome. Thank heavens! I’ll take a headache and scrape any day over testing whether the foot can “correct” a fall. How long did you have your cast on? when did you go into a boot? Are you putting any weight on your foot yet?
Thanks, Polly, I actually felt quite thankful that the fall ended harmlessly. Most people mention at least a few trip ups or close calls so I figured it was one of mine (hopefully the worst!). I had my cast on for two weeks, until my first post-op when they removed the stitches. I then went to the boot but was also given compression stocking to wear with it - I think to minimize swelling. I haven’t had a ton of swelling until the afternoons at work and the compression stocking made it 10 times more uncomfortable so I haven’t been wearing them with the boot for the last week. Doctor says no weight at all, but I have been doing range of motion exercises - I just hope I’m not taking it slower than I could, I haven’t gained a ton of flexibility in the tendon but am pretty nervous to push it too much.
-Jeff
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I actually fell down some steps this weekend. I was heading down a set of concrete steps to get into a bar my friend was having a bday party at. I was carefully hopping down each step one by one when some drunk floozy in a rush clipped my right (repaired side) foot when she went pass. I grabbed the rail but my foot slid down a couple of steps and i hit my heel a few times. Luckily the boot did it’s job but this is when i figured out my boot should probably be fixed and not free to plantar flex. Scary, but i survived.
Hi Jeff, Just caught up with reading replies… I can’t imagine you could be taking it”slower than you should”. I mean, you are already in PT, doing flexibilty exercises and going to work at 4 weeks. That’s a nice recovery pace. I wont even be in a boot until 5 weeks and I understand it will be NWB for at least a week following. You are already in PT. So, in short, while you must feel, like most of us, that time is standing still, you are making swift progress!