August 19, 2010
At 6 wks P-Op
Posted by jhc121 under UncategorizedIt’s been 6 weeks since surgery. I’ve been walking 2 shoes for the past 3 days. I went to 90 degrees on Aug 10 and stopped using the knee scooter and crutches on Aug 13. As I started walking in the boot, the lower part of leg would feel a bit sore, but no pain. Ah, yes…my foot near the calcaneus would be a bit swollen. But I’ve noticed the swelling at the end of each day that I’ve worn the boot. When I wasn’t in the boot, there wouldn’t be any swelling. So far I’m able to stand alone on the affected leg as well. I’ve also noticed a decrease in numbness in the proximal portion of the tibialis anterior muscle.
Once I started walking in 2 shoes, I’ve been noticing a mild strain in the tibialis anterior muscle. This is most likely due to my dysfunctional gait, as I still have some weakness with toe-off. Although my left ankle ROM is virtually equal to my right, I still experience quite of bit tightness with dorsiflexion. There’s also an odd sensation at the tendon site, approx 2″ above the medial malleolus, when I attempt to mildly engage the gastrocs by lifting the heel while standing. It feels as if there’s some restriction and fullness in that area. Has anyone else experienced this? There’s no pain, but feels weird. When I grab the area with my right hand and attempt it again, that senation is diminished. I’m thinking maybe the tissue glide is not up to par yet. My next OS follow-up is in 4 wks. Hope everyone else is progressing well too.
By the way…a question to anyone. I’m having difficulty posting some pics of my AT. I’ve tried the “add media” but at the end when I try to “insert” I’ll get a white screen. Help?
Thanks.
August 20th, 2010 at 12:12 am
Hi JHC121,
The fullness and restriction you describe is exactly what I experienced and is completely normal. It’s a combination of scar tissue and its retraction as well as residual inflamation. My PT began massaging/stretching out the area manually at about 9 weeks post-op, and that made it feel much looser and overall better for me.
Savi
August 20th, 2010 at 1:11 am
1) I’ve never posted a photo here, but a while back, several people succeeded after following directions posted by a “chocolata” on her blog. Check it out, maybe with the search field on the main page.
2) Many PTs (including mine) drool over the chance to break up post-op adhesions to enhance tissue glide.
3) I recently banged my “good” shin (getting into a small sailboat the WRONG way), hard enough to raise a goose-egg-sized bone bruise — which I still have, ~3-4 weeks later! The inflammation from that bruise quickly settled downwards to my foot and ankle — both black-and-blue color and swelling. (I never banged my foot or ankle, just the shin bone, maybe 5″ below my knee.) I was shocked how much the stiffness and discomfort reminded me of my “bad” leg during my AT rehab! When I tried doing 1-leg or two-leg heel lifts, THAT leg complained! So I’d say never underestimate the ability of simple inflammation to add worrying pains and discomfort to a lower leg!
August 20th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
jhc121 - please checkout: booklady’s post
She’s written an easy to follow instructions on uploading photos.